HONEST CALVINIST CONFERENCE

There's a place for intelligent debate and carefully reasoned rebuttals in the marketplace of ideas.

But ... Mockery can also be an appropriate response to the actions or ideas we encounter in the public square.

And even within the church square.

That being said, I have to share a video created by Warren McGrew and posted on his YouTube channel called Idol Killer. 

McGrew is a very likable, knowledgeable, and humorous guy who happens to be a former Calvinist and, as such, tends to take shots at Calvinism.

In the past week Idol Killer has been posting short satirical videos created by AI in which he promotes a fictitious "Honest Calvinist Conference" featuring some of the most famous faces and voices of modern Calvinism.

McGrew strips away the carefully worded justifications within Calvinist theology through mockery. And it's fun to see.

Check out this one on the topic of Sovereignty and let me know what you think:

* Please note that, incredibly, the voiceover quotes in the first seconds of each of the Honest Calvinist videos are genuine snippets of audio from these men's sermons - the AI voices only kick in when the MC appears on screen. 

DRONE TEST RUN

Melissa and the kids gave me a drone for Father's Day way back in June. I am ashamed to say it sat in my office at home, wrapped up tight in its original box, until today.

Melissa had told me that once I opened the box, Best Buy would not take the drone back for a refund, so I should make sure it was something I wanted before I opened it.

It's not that I didn't want a drone. I am fascinated by them and I have been curious about drone photography and video. I checked the reviews online for this model and it seemed capable of pretty decent images for a "beginner's" drone.

What held me back from breaking it out of the box was my fear of the learning curve. My brain is overtaxed as it is and I just KNEW it was going to be complicated.

But Sardinia has a special service coming up on November 12th and I thought it would be great to get some aerial shots of the building beforehand and maybe even a whole group crowd shot on the day itself.

And there is nothing like an approaching deadline for motivation to finally take action.

To my great surprise, this drone really is designed for absolute beginners. At the touch of a button, the propellers fire up and it rises 5 feet in the air and hovers. Two joysticks control all the movements: one for up and down, the other for movement forward and backward and side to side. And another button will bring the drone right back to land where you started it. 

Anyway, I managed to get a couple of photos and I am now looking forward to exploring the drone's capability even further. 

Fears can be so stupid sometimes.

WHAT DO KIDS KNOW?

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14)

Question: How can the Kingdom of heaven possibly BELONG to those who almost certainly do not have a properly developed doctrine of the Trinity or the Incarnation? 

I bet most kids can't tell a supralapsarian from an infralapsarian! 

Or a Calvinist from an Armenian.

And I've met very few children who have an informed opinion on the Millennium. Or infant baptism.

Sheesh.

Maybe Jesus misspoke here??

What did these kids know?

I mean, besides Jesus.

SALVATION IN THE BALANCE

I listen to a lot of YouTube videos on theological topics - sermons, debates, responses to current events, etc. 

I am not using YouTube as an echo chamber, in fact, I find it fascinating to explore various viewpoints. I have listened to Calvinists and non-Calvinists, atheists and theists, and Protestants, Catholics, and the Eastern Orthodox.

YouTube videos present a microcosm of American Christianity - and it's a view nearly impossible to attain through any other means.

One of the trends I have noticed is how we tend to define Christian belief as primarily the mental assent to a specific set of doctrinal suppositions. 

We all agree on the need to affirm the proper doctrinal stances and then ... we all argue about which ones are correct.

And those arguments can get pretty passionate. After all, salvation (supposedly) hangs in the balance!

But how can our salvation be dependent on whether or not we take the first three chapters of Genesis literally? Or whether we affirm Jesus' death on the cross brought our atonement specifically by satisfying God's wrath against sin? Or whether we look for truth in Scripture alone or look to both the Bible and Church history? (That's assuming we believe the Bible to be "inerrant" in the first place!) 

Will Jesus be meeting professing Christians at the pearly gates and telling some, "You were so close to getting eternal life. Unfortunately, I really DID create the world in six literal 24 hour periods and YOU bought into evolution. So sorry!"

No, Scripture says that those who get turned away will hear Jesus say simply, "I never KNEW you."

MY ROCKWELL

Norman Rockwell painted "The Runaway" in 1958, ten years before I was born. 

But I have considered that particular painting to be MY Rockwell since my childhood. 

When my 3 brothers and I were all kids, someone - maybe my parents or grandparents, I don't know - bought each of us a small wall plaque printed with a different Rockwell image. 

I don't know if I chose "The Runaway" as my plaque or if it chose me. It was always there on the wall above my dresser. 

In my imagination, the little boy was not running away in a moment of anger over some mistreatment at home. 

Nope, he was going on an adventure, striking out on his own. I felt his spirit was in the right place even if his timing was premature. 

I didn't identify with the little boy carrying only a few possessions in his red bandana tied to a stick.

I admired him. 

At some point in the last half century, that plaque disappeared. It is one of the few childhood mementos I regret losing. 

A PRAISEWORTHY LIST

As I have pondered Philippians 4:8-9, I have been pulling together a list of (mostly secular) things that hit me as true, noble, lovely, admirable, excellent and/or praiseworthy.

Here is what I have so far, in no particular order:

• Les Miserables, both the book and the Broadway Musical.
• Any original Bugs Bunny cartoon, especially Rabbit of Seville - "There, you're nice and clean ... although your face - looks - like - it - might - have - gone - through - a - ma-chine." 
• The Calvin and Hobbes comic strip. 
• The old Peanuts comic strip with Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, and Snoopy. 
• Ryan George's Pitch Meetings on YouTube. 
• Any music by Weird Al Yankovic or Ray Stevens.
• Tim Burton's movie Big Fish. 
• Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Frank Oz.
• A little known movie called Local Hero. 
• The short story "A Mother in Mannville" by Marjory Kinnan Rawlings.
• Beethoven's Symphony Number 9 (Ode to Joy). Handel's Hallelujah Chorus. Anything by Mozart.
• The Cottonpatch Gospel by Harry Chapin.
• The writings of Adrian Plass, British Christian humorist. 
• Influence by Robert Cialdini. 
• The music videos of OK Go. 
• The poetry of Robert Frost.
• I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth. 
• Mother to Son and Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes.
• Our Town by Thornton Wilder.
• The original Winnie the Pooh stories. 
• Paintings by Norman Rockwell. 
• Rembrandt's painting The Return of the Prodigal Son. 
• The original Muppet Movie and the Muppet Christmas Carol.
• In fact, any version of A Christmas Carol.
• And since I've brought up Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life and A Charlie Brown Christmas.
• Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen.
• Believer and Thunder by Imagine Dragons. 
• Morning Has Broken by Cat Stevens. 
• Any old comedy featuring Bob Newhart, Victor Borge, Tim Conway, Carol Burnett. 
• The Three Stooges. 
• Banjo music. 

What's on YOUR list?

END OF AN ERA

Melissa and I took one step closer to being empty nesters today: Sarah drove herself to school today in her own car. 

Melissa didn't drop her off and I didn't pick her up. Something we've been doing in one way or another for our kids for about 17 years or more. 

About a month ago Sarah found a cute little 2007 VW bug convertible and put down several thousand dollars (representing untold hours of scooping ice cream) to make it her own. 

But there were a couple of minor mechanical issues the dealer was wanting to take care of before letting Sarah take possession.

A "few days" turned into several weeks. Sarah was impatiently patient.

Finally, the call came: the bug was ready to go.

So yesterday after school, I drove Sarah, Melissa and Grandma Trudy the hour to Rushville where the three of them promptly dumped me to ride in the bug, with its top down, of course.

And this morning a little after 7:00, Sarah drove herself to school and an era ended for good. 

WHATEVER IS TRUE

There are some important implications that can be drawn from Philippians 4:8-9:

8Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.   

Here are a few:

• All truth, nobility, purity, loveliness, and excellence belongs to the Lord. It doesn't have to be Christianized to be worthy of our attention.
• If we are commanded to "think on such things", we must be capable of some control over our own thoughts. And we need to exercise that control.
• The true, noble, and praiseworthy things are worthy of our attention in and of themselves. They don't have to be a means to some other end. Relaxing in an easy chair with my eyes closed while listening to a piece of music by Mozart is an excellent use of time. 
• Whatever is false, whatever is ignoble, whatever is wrong, whatever is polluted, whatever is ugly, whatever is debased - anything which is terrible or mockworthy - don't dwell on such things. 
• We especially need to take note of people who live lives of truth and beauty and nobility - and then model our lives after them. We are not only to think on such things, we are to live them. 

HERE COMES HALLOWEEN

8Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.   (Phil 4:8-9)

I have been preaching through Paul's letter to the Philippians for several weeks now and we are nearing the end. How appropriate that this passage falls on Halloween weekend!

I have never been a huge fan of Halloween in general, but if I had to narrow my criticism to one point it would be this: I just plain find it plain bizarre to spend so much time and money to glorify all that is morbid, ugly, gross, and fearsome. And to drag children into that morass, lured by high fructose corn syrup and food coloring, is almost unforgivable. 😉

Truly, Halloween focuses on all that is the very opposite of Philippians 4:8-9!

And then there is the whiplash on November 1st as the merchants launch us all directly into the Christmas season. 

But as much as I dislike dragging the celebration of Christmas out for two solid months, I have to admit that it does at least highlight what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.

So let's get this over with. 

REJOICE

4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be apparent to all. The Lord is near. 6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:4-7)

We tend to think of rejoicing as being the opposite of sorrowing, mourning, or grieving.

But here Paul seems to imply that what stands opposed to our rejoicing is not sorrow but anxiety.

When I am anxious, my mind is occupied with juggling all possible worst-case scenarios. There is no rest and joy is impossible.

When I hand over my fears in prayer to God, remembering all the times He has provided and guided and brought good out of evil - then I get re-centered on the very foundation of my life: a good, powerful, and loving Father. 

Only then do I experience the peace that would have defied rational explanation just moments before. 

And I am free to rejoice again. 

HALF A VERSE

Every seasoned believer can quote Romans 3:23 (especially the Calvinists): 

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God".

But how often does the second half of that sentence get quoted?

What some editor has determined to be a separate verse (24) is actually a continuation of a single thought:

"And are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

The whole sentence is a wonderfully concise statement of the gospel. 

First half: problem. Second half: solution.

Yet so many Christians read the first half very literally (as I agree is appropriate) and then remain mum on the second half.

Could it be that it is problematic because the two verbs share a single subject: All?

All fall short. All are justified freely. 

Now that might shut the Calvinist up, but there's no reason the rest of us should share just half a verse with a broken world. 

ELEPHANT

I had heard this fable before but I don't remember ever reading this poetic version. 

John Godfrey Saxe retells the story of the 6 blind men who each get hold of a different part of an elephant and so come to very different conclusions about the nature of elephants.

At the end of his poem, Saxe astutely summarizes the lesson and then points the moral directly at those who argue theology. 

It would be good for all who profess belief in God to contemplate this lesson on a regular basis. 

The Blind Men and the Elephant: A Hindoo Fable
By John Godfrey Saxe

It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.

The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side, At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! -- but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"

The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried: "Ho! -- what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 't is mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"

The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!"

The Fourth reached out his eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he; "'T'is clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong.

MORAL.
So, oft in theologic wars
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!

THE PLAY'S THE THING

I was teaching freshman English at a large private Christian school on the Northside of Indy in the early 2000s. 

It was my first real teaching job and my first time teaching Shakespeare. The curriculum dictated Romeo and Juliet but the day to day approach was up to me. 

After discussing a bit of historical background with the students for context, I was ready to launch into the first scene: The big street fight between servants from the houses of the Montagues and the Capulets. 

Now it's always been my contention in school that Shakespeare should be performed and watched - not read. So I decided to hand a few of the students some scripts and have them come up front and wrestle a bit with how to block the action and what emotions to inject into their lines.

If you recall the scene, a few minutes into the tensions between the rival servants, Lord and Lady Capulet come wandering down the street. 

Lord Capulet immediately senses the conflict at hand and, wishing to join in to defend his house's honor, he exclaims, "Give me my long sword, ho!"

As a green teacher, I did not anticipate 5 out of my 6 young "Lord Capulets" throughout the day would choose to direct that line to Lady Capulet ... with an emphasis on the "HO"!

It was a show stopper each time.

That evening I got a phone call from an angry father. I braced myself for the task of explaining how I could have possibly allowed the students to turn an innocent line of dialogue into sexual innuendo for a cheap laugh. 

Instead, he upbraided me for choosing a play with such offensive language in it! And at a Christian school to boot! He was planning to report my choice of literature to the school's principal!

Christians - like other people - don't think critically when they get riled up!

 

FLOODING IN GHANA

Another unfortunate way that Ghana reminds me of Haiti: a great risk of devastation by flash flooding. 

This past week, our Ghanaian Mission Resource Director, Emmanuel, has been sending videos and photos of recent flooding around Lake Volta, an extensive reservoir with miles upon miles of shoreline.

Those shorelines are populated by fishing villages, some of which are home to Mission Resource clients who are fishermen.

Emmanuel says that some clients have lost homes and fishing nets and are now struggling to feed their families. Below are some villagers around Salaga surveying the storm damage. A thick branch is used to prop up what is left of a house's mudbrick wall.

The interior of the house ... is now the exterior:

Such flooding causes suffering and loss wherever it visits this planet, but in most parts of the developing world, recovery efforts sponsored by government agencies or affluent neighboring cities are nonexistent. 

The resources just don't exist.  

Mission Resource is exploring ways to respond compassionately and constructively. If you would like to support efforts to help our fishermen recover and move forward in their businesses, click on the link below. At the top of the donation form, it will give you the option to "Designate your gift to a fund". Use the dropdown menu there to select "2023 Flooding". 

DONATE TO MISSION RESOURCE to Provide Flood Relief

BRAINS-ON-STICKS

Most modern Christian content you find online and in books seems to assume that people ate "brains-on-sticks", in James K.A. Smith's phrasing. Christianity becomes a matter of simply giving mental assent to a long list of statements about God.

But how long does the list need to be? And whose list is the right one?

Most churches readily and proudly offer their Statement of Faith and expect members to adhere to each carefully worded phrase. Each Statement is a bit different, but somehow they are all orthodox according to the respective teams. 

Sure, from week to week during worship there might be some preaching on good works as a necessary part of faith, but the really important thing is ... do you agree that the Trinity is three Persons but one substance? 

Does regeneration come before or after belief? 

Should a baby be baptized?

Will the Church be raptured before or after Christ's millennial reign? 

Or is that a trick question and is there no literal millennium at all? 

Think carefully ... your salvation hangs in the balance!

This approach to Christian "faith" fosters plenty of debates, endless creeds, and frantic denunciations of heretics, but it's unclear how much it moves the Kingdom forward. 

FLASHBACK

I witnessed the weaponization of social media against a recently-made friend this morning and it grieved my soul. 

Apparently my new friend has some genuine past skeletons in her closet and those were exposed on Facebook by another woman bent on personal destruction.

There's no way of knowing which of all the accusations are true or to what extent, but they were all shocking. Some were backed with documentation, giving the illusion (to the uninitiated) that all were true.

The enemy succeeded. 

My friend has resigned in shame from a job she loved. I doubt I will ever know the further repercussions of this episode since my connection to her was through that workplace. But I am guessing that "devastation" would be an understatement. 

I wonder how many other people who witnessed the Facebook dumpster fire shared my perspective:

My friend may have stolen some money in the past, but that sin pales in comparison to the darkness of a soul bent on ruining another person's career, marriage, and home. 

I have had my own battle with one possessed by such soul-twisting bitterness - I know of what I speak.

I found myself praying for both women, but very different prayers.

For my friend: peace, comfort, and an opportunity for a genuine fresh start. 

For her enemy: a conviction leading to profound repentance. Hers is a soul in great peril. 

WHY JUST BORN AGAIN?

Jesus says that if one desires to be his disciple, he must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow Him. 

He says that whoever seeks to save his own life will lose it and whoever loses his life for His sake will find it.

Then the Apostle Paul tells the Galatians that he himself is crucified with Christ and the life he now lives in the flesh he lives by faith in the Son of God.

And to the Philippians Paul describes his desire to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings - being conformed to Jesus in His death - and by doing so, attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Paul tells the Romans that if they are united with Christ in His death, they will surely experience a resurrection like His as well. 

So how is it that "you must be born again" becomes the predominate and exclusive descriptor of the Christian experience? 

Why do we speak metaphorically of "born again Christians" but never "crucified Christians"? 

WITH TEARS

There is so much to chew on in the latter half of the 3rd chapter of Paul's letter to the Philippians. And it's what I get to preach tomorrow morning. 

Since I don't get 90 minutes for my sermon, I am forcing myself to focus on verses 17 to 19:

17Join one another in following my example, brothers, and carefully observe those who walk according to the pattern we set for you. 18For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.

It took me a while to notice that when Paul speaks here of "enemies of the cross of Christ", he is not speaking of heathens - he is actually speaking of professing Christians, and leaders at that! (It's just that they end up looking and acting like heathens.)

He begins verse 17 by warning the church to watch and follow Christian leaders who walk according to a particular pattern that Paul has laid out previously. The fact that he follows this up with a warning about "enemies of the cross of Christ" is what should clue us in that he is speaking about Christian leaders - ones who just don't get the whole crucifixion thing. 

These professing Christians end up looking just like the world:

• Their end is destruction - not eternal life
• Their god is their belly - not the Holy and Righteous One True God
• Their glory is in the very things that should bring them shame
• Their minds are set on earthly things, not spiritual things

But it's so important to see Paul's heart in calling these people out. 

He is not full of self-righteousness. He does not wish to see their destruction. He does not revel in their waywardness. 

This warning does not come with a pointing finger, or with laughter, or with contempt.

This warning comes with tears. 

KEN HAM'S HAMMER

I don't care for Ken Ham - the Creation Museum guy. I mean the museum and the ark are fine enough, but some of the guy's theology and his attitude are too much for my tastes. He is the quintessential "man with a hammer" to whom everything looks like a nail. 

That doesn't keep me from listening to his videos now and then - I do what I can to avoid echo chambers. 

I caught Ham's latest video this evening as I drove home from Indianapolis. (I was listening, not watching!)

I have to give him credit for pointing out a couple of things that maybe should be obvious to believers but that tend to fly under the radar.

He showed how, in the book of Acts, the gospel was delivered differently to Jews than to it was to the Gentiles. The Jews had an Old Testament understanding of God's nature and human sin and this served as a foundation for upon which the Apostles could build their explanation of Jesus as the Messiah.

The Gentiles, on the other hand, were coming from a completely different worldview and Paul needed to start back at the very beginning - explaining a God who was unknown to them.

This makes sense of Paul saying in 1 Corinthians 1:23 that "Christ crucified" was a "stumbling block" to the Jews - as they were on board up to the point where God's Messiah has to die. 

And "Christ crucified" was "foolishness" to the Gentiles - since they were having to process this whole new way of understanding their relationship to God.

Ham was making this point in order to say that a generation ago, evangelization in America could employ an approach to presenting the gospel to unbelievers much the way the Apostles presented it to the Jews - there was already a foundational understanding in place. 

But now? Ham made his case that presenting the gospel in modern America is more like explaining it to the Greeks in the 1st century. 

I agree and it is a point worth considering.

Of course Ham then takes the whole thing one step too far. 

But I knew it was coming: According to Ham, to lay that needed foundation for the gospel, we need to teach people to read the Genesis creation account as literally as possible and to reject evolution out of hand. 

Well, Ken, I was with you up until you made an unquestioning embrace of a young earth and a total refusal of evolution a necessary step in receiving the gospel. 😕

But, that's his hammer. 

CONFLICT TRAINING

I spent the day at a conference about dealing with church conflict, hosted by the American Baptists.

I was fortunate among the small crowd of pastors present in that I had the luxury of soaking in the information without having an immediate practical use for it. Currently, all is well in Sardinia. 

I did nod my head quite a bit throughout the day in recognition of Truth - the teaching was provided by The Colossian Forum, a nonprofit ministry out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Their overall premise is that conflict can be transformed into opportunities for spiritual growth. 

I couldn't agree more.

Where were they three years ago when Melissa and I - and Cap Haitien Christian School - needed them??

(I would love to write more about the training, but I am still fighting a sinus infection AND I woke up at 3:00 am and couldn't fall back to sleep! I barely survived the day.)

NETWORKING

Recently and on behalf of Mission Resource, I joined a business networking group that meets weekly here in Columbus. It is a chapter of Business Networking International.

It's a pretty serious commitment: A 7:00 am meeting every Tuesday (you are only allowed to miss 3 every 6 months) and, every week, a goal of one hour of continuing business education and a personal meeting with another member. 

Plus, at every meeting I have to get up and give a 30 second commercial for Mission Resource and report on whether or not I have kept the education and 1-to-1 meeting commitments.

The goal is to get the word out about Mission Resource and to raise our profile across Columbus. 

When I first joined a few months ago, I feared that it was going to be a drag - that I would be out of my element entirely.

And I am - but not entirely.

And that is because in recent years, God has been teaching me how and why to network. 

The How involves working hard to overcome my lingering shyness and taking a genuine interest in the other person, seeking to understand ways I can help him or her accomplish something important. 

The Why is because "networking" is just the business world's version of working together for a greater good just as the various parts of the Body of Christ must work together to spread His Kingdom.

Nothing great is accomplished - in the sphere of business or spirituality - by those determined to work in isolation. 

AMERICAN BIBLE USE

Here's a graph of some data from the 2022 State of the Bible report by the American Bible Society (page 17).

Note these numbers are for all Americans, not just professing Christians.

Is it surprising to you that over half of Americans interact with their own Bible only 1 to 2 times per year OR LESS?  The report is lengthy - almost 250 pages. I assume they break these numbers down among professing Christians as well, but I have not gotten to that information yet.

On the other end are those who read their Bibles regularly. Maybe I am a cynic, but the finding that 10 % of Americans are reading their own Bible daily seems a little high to me. I certainly HOPE it is that high and, obviously, ideally it would be even higher, but something about that number does not seem to correlate with real life experience.  

What do you think?

SUNDAY MORNING

(No post yesterday due to the sudden onset of a sinus infection. I woke up feeling pretty lousy, but managed to stay alert through church.) 

Taking on the role of pastor 6 months ago has been a blessing.  But, as is common with blessings in life, there has been a downside too. 

Yesterday morning one one of the biggest aspects of the downside struck me with force: no longer having the opportunity to sit with my family on Sunday mornings from the greeting to the benediction - singing, praying, worshipping - with no responsibilities or pressures. 

I can hardly fathom ho moms and dads can voluntarily give up Sunday mornings together in church for no good reason! 

(By the way, Caleb found this particular church when he first moved to Columbus, Georgia, by Googling "Churches near me". It has worked out for him. It seems to be a friendly place with solid biblical teaching. The sanctuary looks empty behind us in the photo but only because a minor miracle took place and we found ourselves early for service. In time the place was full.)

PERFECT DAY

A few weeks ago I saw my cousin Jennifer and she told me I needed more posts about my kids. So this post is partly for her. 😘

But mostly it's for me.

That's because I just lived through one of those days as close to paradise as anyone can reach in this lifetime.

And I want to come back to this page 10 years from now so I can revisit it - like Wordsworth with his daffodils. (Google it.)

The day was glorious from first light. While the girls slept in and Caleb drove to his gym, Melissa and I walked a mile to a cute little coffee shop. 

A latte and gluten free bagel for her, basic drip coffee -black - for me.

Eventually the kids joined us and we made our big plan for the day. 

The Chattahoochee River runs alongside Columbus, Georgia and some clever person has decided to erect a couple of high wooden towers in order to allow people to zipline over to Alabama on the far bank of the river and then back to Georgia again. 

The kids and I were immediately game, but Melissa needed a little convincing - at the coffee shop and again at the top of the tower. 

In the end, she took the plunge with the rest of us.

We all suited up ... 

And climbed the spiral staircase.

Dozens of little moments like this were sprinkled throughout the day. We are so blessed to have kids who love and respect each other and enjoy each other's company. (We missed you, Samuel!)

We made it to the top and waited patiently for our turn to fly. Here's Hannah ...

And Sarah ...

And right behind them, Caleb and Melissa.

Good, clean, adventurous fun together.

Next we went in search of ice cream. 

Columbus has an attractive and active downtown with plenty of shops in walking distance just a block or two from the water.

The girls found quite the milkshake to share.

We capped the day off with some shopping and a fantastic Mexican dinner followed by a walk along the river. Perfect weather from sun up to sunset.

It's going to be difficult, but we plan to top this perfect day tomorrow ... 

Thank you, Lord, for such a blessing. 

ALL IS WELL

A much-too-early alarm.

Last minute packing and loading the minivan.

Later start than expected.

Too many traffic slow downs.

Getting rerouted by GPS.

A longer-than-necessary lunch stop.

Rain and more traffic.

A 9-and-a-half-hour trip in theory becomes a 12-hour trip in reality.

But 3 of our 4 kids are under the same roof with us tonight in a cozy little Airbnb in Columbus, Georgia, and all is well with the world.

TO GEORGIA

 Heading to Georgia tomorrow for an extended weekend to spend time with this guy ...

And I will be doing the lion's share of the driving, so I am choosing to head to bed rather than write some extended post tonight. 

Hannah will be going with us, so we will only be missing Samuel. 

That's a bummer, but these days we take what we can get. God willing, we will all be together at Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

THEY KNOW NOT

We tend to assume the worst about people who sin against us. 

"I know exactly why he did what he did." 

"She knew how much she would hurt me when she plunged the knife in, and then she turned it ... on purpose."

"They did  that just to make me mad!" 

But are we mind readers? And did the one who sinned against us think through and plan every aspect of their words and actions for maximum harm against us? 

If we step back and look at the situation objectively, wouldn't it be closer to say that person wasn't thinking about US at all?  Isn't it more likely their motives were purely self-centered? And possibly quite confused and irrational?

The Bible gives us no wiggle room: We are called to forgive others who sin against us in the same way as God forgives us. 

That's a tall order, especially when you look at what Jesus said from the cross in Luke 23:34: 

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Forgive these people BECAUSE they really have no clue what they are doing.

Wow. 

CONVICTION

When you experience conviction from the Holy Spirit, it might come out of the blue as you are walking down the street, but more often than not it will manifest during one of two activities: reading the Bible or listening to a sermon. 

Of the two, I would rather experience that conviction while reading the Bible on my own.

For one thing, reading the Bible can happen at any hour, giving the Spirit a wider time frame for action, not limiting him to a 25 minute period on Sunday mornings.

Secondly, if God hits you upside the head while you are reading Scripture at home, you have the option of pushing pause and giving his lesson plenty of time and silence to sink in. Not so in a worship service.

Finally, when God's word leads to conviction, it is more direct than when through a sermon. No middleman is needed. We won't be tempted to dismiss the conviction as a mere byproduct of the preacher's skills in oration. 

I say all this because yesterday morning I experienced conviction while reading my Bible and it left me wanting even more.

I don't want to read the Bible looking for confirmation of what I already believe and do. I want to be told the hard things. 

THE LORD'S PRAYER

I have been praying the Lord's Prayer daily for over 3 months now. Not just reciting it, but meditating on each line as a framework for that day's spontaneous prayer.

• God as my Father
• His name glorified across this earth
• His Kingdom come in power
• Asking for my daily bread
• Asking forgiveness - as I forgive others
• Asking protection against temptations

There is so much to consider in regard to each line, but I go with the flow and see which line floats to the top on any particular day.  

Honestly, it is one of the most powerful prayer habits that I have ever developed. 

HOT TOPIC

I bought a secular book the other day about the science behind habit formation, thinking it would be useful for my dissertation. I had never heard of the author but his website said the book had sold 500,000 copies since it was first published in 2013.

In the publishing world, that is a phenomenal number. It can be hard to interpret the book market statistics because there are lots of moving parts, but it seems safe to say the majority of books published each year sell less than 1,000 copies each. 

Only 2% sell more than 50,000.

So, half a million is impressive! Wildly successful.

But what surprised me most was the quality of the writing. 

Honestly, it is not great.  [I am intentionally not using the author's name or the book's title here because there is no need for me to diss either.]

Those purchases were not on account of the sparkling prose.

So why did half a million people buy the book? The logical conclusion is that many are truly interested in the topic. 

I think we all aspire to be disciplined and we are looking for someone to tell us how to do it.