Thought provoking devotion today

Today's devotion (December 3) on Henry Blackaby's website really had me thinking. He cites John 5:6 in reference to Jesus asking a man who is lame if the man wanted to be healed. That is such an insightful question Jesus asked! It was penetrating to the man to whom He asked it, and it should cause us to think as well.

So many people assume that they want something (healing, spiritual growth, a good marriage, etc.) but they never go to God about the issue. Or, they go to God about the issue and do not follow in obedience when God reveals what is necessary to resolve the issue being addressed.

I must admit this hits home way too much. I can point to a few things in my life that I say want to happen a particular way, but I don't spend time alone with God about it or disobey His commands. Be thoughtful in what you do. Measure your motives and be faithful to pray about the things happening in your life. We must be quick to say "yes" to Jesus when He asks us if we want to be healed.

Thinking about adoption

As you may or may not know, Shay and I are in the process of adopting. I have an earlier post that talks about the patience God is teaching me during this process. Lately, I've been thinking about the topic in more detail, and I wanted to share a couple of things with you. These thoughts are based on a sermon I am working on that looks at adoption.

Probably the most clear example of a literal adoption is found in Genesis 48. Jacob adopts the two sons of Joseph (which make them his grandsons), in order to pass on the blessing of God. One of the things that struck me this morning as I was re-reading this passage is how location is insignificant compared to God working out His will. Joseph was sold into slavery, sent to Egypt, and eventually given sons while living in Egypt. God orchestrated events to bring Jacob into Egypt to see his grandsons and to pass on God's blessing to them, even though Ephraim and Manasseh were in the "pagan" land of Egypt.

When it comes to adoption, God wants to use families that he has blessed to extend that blessing to persons and places that would not experience His blessing otherwise. In other words, adoption is a tool God can use to break into a family and bring a blessing that is unexpected and undeserved. He can break a cycle of violence within a family by placing the child in a family that loves them. He can give those who have no name a family name and identity. He can take the Gospel to a child who would may have never had the opportunity to hear the Gospel, except that the child is placed in a Christian family so that they might hear.

Adoption is more than just giving a child a loving home. It is more than giving a family an opportunity to love and invest in raising a child. Adoption is a means by which God can transform a person's life and forever change their trajectory from lostness to salvation. God may be calling you and your family to adopt so that He can forever change a person's life.

Influence of Television

I have always been a little wary of the influence of television since high school. Not to get into any details, let's just say I saw disconnect between what was being reported and what was really occurring during an event where I grew up. This disconnect between truth and reality naturally leads to a disconnection between the people watching tv and the world they live in.

I have been reading a great book by Dr. David Wells that I will share more about when I am finished. I did want to share something that he said that really captured my attention concerning television. In essence, he said that viewers are not "buying" the programs they choose to watch, rather the networks are "selling" the viewers to the advertisers. This thought brought about two responses.

One, I was a little angry when I realized that was true. I am paying for the privilege of being "sold" to advertisers.  It is bad enough to be treated like a commodity, but to turn around and pay for being treated that way is just nuts. I am not sure yet what to do about this little piece of information. I am very tempted to get rid of our television service, but I do enjoy my college football. On the other hand, I do watch very few commercials because I am a notorious "flipper" of channels during breaks.

The other response is less personal, but equally important. How have I been influenced by this consumer-driven, materialistic mentality that television (and other media) pour into my life? What about the church? The influence of this "advertising-driven" world we live in is subtle, so we may not even be aware of it. I'm afraid the church in America is so used to this influence that we are like a fish not realizing that he is always "wet" from the water he lives in.

I'm not sure what the answer is to address this issue. It will probably be a little easier when my wife and I get our child. We've already decided that we will greatly limit the amount of television we will allow into our child's life, and this decision will spill-over into our lives as well.

We must not fall into the trap of totally disengaging from interacting with our world. The Amish live a pious life, but they have zero influence in our world because they are disconnected from the world. How can we influence a world that disconnect from? Nor should we embrace everything the world has to offer. We've already seen what happens with that approach in most of our churches today. Completely embracing the culture leaves the church acting exactly the same as the world, with nothing to offer those who are lost and dying without Christ.

I do know this, what the church is doing now is not working. We need to return to following after Christ and living in a way that points others to the hope that is found in Him.

God is not the Creator?

Sometimes, it is just hard not to totally reject anything that comes from someone who is in the academic community, especially after reading articles like the one found today in the Telegraph. A professor in the Netherlands has allegedly "discovered" that God God did not create the heavens and the earth, rather God just created the animals. Apparently, the earth was already here, God just separated the heavens and earth and created a few things.

One must be careful to understand what is at stake when a person sets out to deny the creation account. To assert that God did not create all that exists has two huge implications in our world. First, it denies who God is as revealed in Scripture. If a person can convince others that the creation account in the Bible is false, it diminishes God in the eyes of those who believe the lie. "If the Bible is untrue about God about creation, what else is the Bible lying about?" is one way to think of this issue. Additionally, if God didn't create the universe and all that is in it "then maybe He's not really in control of it now."

The other implication of denying God as creator is it lessens man's view of man. One must not look hard to see the results of devaluing people from being created in the image of God to man being an accidental result of monkeys evolving. Names like Hitler, Stalin, and Mao should remind us that to devalue mankind as anything less than created in God's image leads to death, destruction, and misery.

I would encourage you to read the article to see how people go through the mental gymnastics to ignore the Bible. You should know what you believe, and know why you believe what you believe.

Suicide and Living Wills

There is a sad story in today's Telegraph of a young woman who committed suicide in the U.K.. What makes it all the more tragic is she drank poison, called an ambulance (because she didn't want to die alone), then handed the doctor a letter with instructions not to treat her. Guess what the doctors did? Nothing!

This story is disturbing on many levels. First, you have the young woman, who had a history of depression, feel so hopeless that she wanted to die. The church needs to be there telling her and others about the hope we have in Christ.

Next, what kind of doctors do they have in England? I know this is painting with a broad-brush, but this just seems like very disturbing behavior for a doctor. I would hope doctors have some sense that helping others is part of the reason for entering medicine, and the first order of business for a doctor is "do no harm." This woman could have easily been treated and survived, yet the doctors decided against treatment because of her living will directive. If a person is mentally distraught, how can they be of sound mind? The doctors should have exercised compassion and common sense, even if they faced possible prosecution.

Finally, it is distressing that a living will is used to help a person commit suicide. This is a terrible distortion to the process of making end-of-life decisions. Our world has become a place where life is too easily thrown aside.

As followers of Christ, we must be champions of life in this culture of death. We must have a solid understanding of who we are in light of God's creation. Twice in Genesis, God declares that a man's life has worth and value because we are created in God's image. We dishonor ourselves and we dishonor God when we make life so cheap as to throw it away because of depression or to "honor" a piece of paper rather than to honor life.

Immortality: Coming To A Science Lab Near You!

An article in the Telegraph certainly caught my attention. The headline read, "Immortality Only 20 Years Away." That's a pretty bold statement, and the implications of such an attempt are important in so many areas.

God told Adam in Genesis 2:17, "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (ESV) That seems to be pretty straightforward: sin=death. The implication of the statement is that before sin entered the world, death was not present in the world. In one sense, the desire to not die is part of the original makeup of humans. Death impacts us so greatly because it seems "wrong" to how we know things ought to be.

Consider what science is attempting to offer and compare it to what God offers. Science wants to offer us immortality or the opportunity to not die, while God offers us eternal life. Science wants to keep us "from" dying, while God wants to "give" us life.

Books and movies understand that immortality is not all it is purported to be. In reflecting on the various media that I have encountered in my life that address the theme of immortality: pain, suffering, misery, evil, and even death surround those who are immortal.

Immortality is the dream of those who forget God or fear God. For the follower of Christ, the inevitability of death is overwhelmed by the hope of eternal life in God's presence. For those who do not know Christ, the first death leads to the second death, so postponement is a preferable.

The pursuit of medicine and science to ease suffering an increase the quality of life is a God-given gift to mankind. We honor God when we pursue those noble purposes. The quest for immortality can never deliver what it promises because it never addresses the issue of our soul, nor does the promise of never dying mean that it will allow us to really live.

Doctrine Matters... A Lot!

I've been re-reading a book by one of my upcoming seminary professors, and it just reaffirmed what I already knew: doctrine matters. The book is The Shape of Faith to Come by Brad Waggoner. The book is built around surveys they did with church attendees as to what they believed about particular doctrines and the results were abysmal. Two examples are:

The Bible is the written Word of God and is totally accurate in all that it teaches. Only 54% strongly agreed

Christians must continually work toward their salvation or risk losing it. 23% strongly disagreed


That is horrible. I know that teaching about doctrine is not the most interesting topic in the world for some people, but doctrine shapes worldview, and worldview shapes practices. If our doctrine is wrong, it leads to wrong actions. I hope you would commit with me to to pay attention to doctrine. Learn it, teach it, and correct poor doctrine, because our influence in the culture will continue to slide if we don't correct poor doctrine.

Review of Culture Shift

A great book on which to start learning more about the changes taking place in our culture, and how to respond to those changes is written R. Albert Mohler Jr. titled, Culture Shift: Engaging Current Issues with Timeless Truth. The topics he covers are far-reaching: politics, law, genetics, public schools, atomic weapons, to name a few. He does so with great insight into the current reality of our culture, and he brings to bear God's Word to help Christians know why the issues being addressed matter.

Of all the topics covered, the one area that he addresses that caused me to re-think my own position deals with public schools. I have always been an advocate of the decision about where a parent sends their child/children depends upon the make-up and needs of each individual child. Public school, private school, and home school are all equally valid options.

Though they all remain as valid options, Dr. Mohler's essay helped me envision a time when the public option may no longer be as good an option as the others. Not because of the quality of teachers. There are many fine teachers in our schools today, Christian and non-Christian. However, as the school boards start mandating more and more topics that are addressed in schools that fall outside what Christian parents should allow their children to be taught, it may be that leaving public schools might be the right answer.

How do we avoid having to make this decision? Be involved in our public schools. We need good Christian teachers who will stand for truth. We need qualified Christians running for public office. Not to be a "Christian public official", but to be a public official serving all of the community, whose worldview is Christian.

Go buy this book, read it, and give it to others.

Interesting Commentary on Family and the Workplace

Lucy Kellaway wrote an article for the Financial Times last Monday that was humorous, while being a sad commentary about the workplace culture. She wrote her article in anticipation of "Take Your Dog to Work Day" in the U.K.

First, she writes that "the scheme is a considerable improvement on Take Your Children to Work Day... in that scheme, pretty much everyone loses." Her points about the issue are accurate, but it would seem that it says as much about adults ability to teach children about work, as it does about our workplaces.

A more interesting point is found in the following passage:

A further difficulty with dogs at work is that they are out of tune with the ethos of the modern employee. For a start, they are loyal, and this trait went out of fashion in the 1980s. Secondly, they aren't very clean, and hygiene is in, as I reported last week.

The cat is a much better model for the fickle knowledge worker. They will rub around your legs if they feel it is in their interests to do so, but then sod off as soon as it suits them. They are self-starters with a can-do attitude.

I too am a fan of hygiene, but I am also a fan of loyalty. Our work experiences would be more richer and beneficial if we had more loyalty on the part of employees and employers. This loyalty would allow people to grow and mature with a business.

Unfortunately, we do have too many "cats" in our workplaces. The only reason people seem to interact is if it suits their own purposes. This selfish attitude is an underlying attitude that has led to the decline in loyalty.

The challenge for Christians is to be great employees or employers, regardless of what benefit we might receive. Paul admonishes Christians to serve others as though we are serving God. That alone should lead us to being the kind of employee or employer that others want to be around.

Who We Are Affects What We Do

I was reflecting recently on the opening verses of the book of Titus, and had an interesting observation (at least to me) about how Paul structured his introduction. Paul started his letter, as he does with every letter, identifying himself in relation to Christ. In this case, Paul identifies himself as "a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ." Of course, because these are letters to individuals or churches, it is customary to identify yourself in a letter.

I believe there is another reason behind his self-identification, and it is seen in Titus. I believe Paul lived with an awareness and identification of who he was in Christ all the time. Paul is the anti-thesis to today's self-esteem culture. He did not go around thinking about his self-esteem or what others thought about him. His identity was tied up in who he was in Christ.

In Titus, he offers his identification then launches into a purpose statement of why he has sent the letter (at least in part) to Titus: for the faith, knowledge, and hope of the churches in Crete. He does this before addressing Titus. It seems that Paul is implying that purpose only comes about after properly identifying yourself in light of who are in Christ. I think Isaiah 6 demonstrates the same truth. Only after Isaiah sees God, sees his own sinfulness, and is forgiven of his sin, is Isaiah then able to respond to God's call to go and serve.

The point I'm trying to make is that we often find ourselves approaching issues from the wrong "angle." We want to spend all of our time pursuing what to do, and ignore the relationship with God. I would argue that Scripture calls on us to spend our time pursuing the relationship with God, and the purpose and actions we are to do will follow.

Book review of Losing Our Virtue by David F. Wells

I read David Wells' book Losing Our Virtue while on vacation, and will be posting some of my thoughts and observations over the next few days. I want to start with a few questions to get you thinking. Do you feel like things in our country/culture are "off"? Do feel like things are just not going right? Do you hear things in the news and think, "I can't believe someone would do something like that?" Have you wondered how things that used to be "bad" are now celebrated?

David Wells' book explores how the Christians and the church as a whole is losing it's understanding of morality. This loss of morality by the church has led to the church being no different than our surrounding culture. Dr. Wells spends a lot of time identifying what the issues are within the culture. A key point of the book is that our culture (and many churches) have traded teaching character formation to virtue clarification.

"The importance of the classical views of the virtues was that moral conduct was seen to be the outcome of character, and it was considered futile to divorce inward moral reality from its exercise in the society or community in which a person lived." (p 14) In other words, who you are as a person is (your internal thoughts and motives) are revealed by your interactions with others. Jesus said, "By their fruit you will recognize them." (Matthew 7:16)

Our culture has divorced accessing who a person is by their actions. The culture wants to say that people are inherently good and that "bad" actions are an exception to that good nature. Scripture says that men are, by nature, evil and our bad actions are a reflection of the sin nature that resides in each person. If you don't believe that people are inherently evil, then answer the following question. "When did your parents teach you to lie?" You don't have to be instructed on how to lie, it comes naturally to each person.

As followers of Christ, we must return to a proper understanding of who we are as created beings. We are designed by God to have a relationship with him, but because of the Fall in the Garden of Eden, we have a sin nature. This sin nature is our disposition and propensity to sin. Sin separates us from God and everyone who dies without forgiveness of their sin will spend eternity separated from God. We must never lose sight of this truth: people are not inherently good, rather, they are sinners and destined for hell unless they come to know Christ as their Savior.

Until we start recognizing that people without Christ really are "lost" and in need, we will never be motivated to tell them about Jesus.

King Saul: Predestined to fail?

I have been working on a paper about King Saul that has been an interesting study. One of the debates concerning leadership has been this age-old question: "Are leaders born or are they made?" The educator would ask it another way, "Is it nature or nurture?" Theologically, the question could be, "Is it predestination or is it free-will?" (My answer to the predestination/free-will debate is "Yes" because Scripture indicates that God is sovereign and chooses and wills things, but he gives us a free-will to make choices.)

When it comes to Saul, the question that begs to be asked is whether or not Saul failed because of his own disobedience to God, or was he destined to fail from the beginning? Passages like Genesis 49:10 seem to indicate that God had always intended for the monarchy to be found in the tribe of Judah. With Saul being from the tribe of Benjamin, it would appear that he was doomed to failure.

On the other hand, after Saul's failure to wait for Samuel to perform a sacrifice, the biblical record shows us something else. Samuel tells Saul, "Now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure." The implication being that Saul's reign and dynasty could have lasted, but his disobedience led to his downfall.

My conclusion about this debate over Saul's failure is that Saul had the opportunity to succeed if he would have been obedient and followed God's leadership. The circumstances leading to Saul's kingship (1 Samuel 7-12) certainly played a role in to how this ended, but Saul was ultimately responsible for the decisions he made. His failure did not thwart God's plan, but Saul missed the opportunity to be used by God to bring about God's plans for Israel and the world.

What does this mean for you and me? We should always remember God is sovereign and in control. He has a purpose and plan for individuals, nations, and the world. Nothing happens without God's knowledge and him allowing it to happen.

On the other hand, we have the responsibility to make decisions that honor God, and we will be held accountable for our decisions. We can't say, "It's predestined to happen, therefore I might as well do this." Recognizing God's sovereignty does not mean we must live with a fatalistic view of life. The decisions you make affect you and those around you. Study Saul and learn from his failures as a leader.

Revelation and Humility

I just finished a paper over the weekend for a class. The purpose of the paper was to look the various views of the Millennium and Tribulation in Evangelical churches. I must admit the content was interesting. I learned a lot about views that I do not personally hold, which helps me better understand what I believe and why.

What I found particularly fascinating was the weaknesses of each of the views. Postmillennial, Amillennial, and Premillennial viewpoints have areas that they are obviously weak when looking at particular passages. Premillennials are weak in the various arguments concerning the rapture, while "Pre" and "A" are weak concerning the resurrections mentioned in Revelation 20:4-5.

Which brings me to my point. As fascinating as the study was, it felt like some of the authors spent a lot of time on points that just don't seem very clear in Scripture. However, they seemed so certain that their viewpoint was true, that they had the audacity to rip others who hold different views. There are some items in Scripture that are not clearly delineated and outlined. We should think on those issues, but we must have the humility to understand that we don't know the final answer to some of these issues. From this position of humbleness, we must display grace to those who hold differing viewpoints (even if they are wrong!)

As followers of Christ, we must remember those things that are most important (attributes of God, incarnation of Christ, sinless life of Christ, substitutionary work of Jesus on the cross, the resurrection, evangelism, missions, etc. to name a few) and focus on those. The areas in which there is less importance or not as clear (like eschatology), we can discuss, but we should not rip apart one another on these issues. We should be confident in our beliefs, but humble and gracious in speaking with others about them.

Good Listening Skills

Lifeway has a good article about 10 skills needed to be a good listener. As a small group leader, the ability to be a good listener can make you more effective as a teacher and leader. The ten items listed are simple, but they serve as a good reminder of what is necessary to listening well. Click on the title above to read the article.

A couple of other thoughts may help you become better at listening to others. Listening is not waiting for your turn to talk. It can be easy to use the time the other person is talking to formulate what you are going to say next. Don't do it! Instead, concentrate intently on what the person is saying picking out key terms.

Another key skill in listening is paying attention with your eyes. What you do with your eyes helps in two ways. By making eye contact with the speaker, you are acknowledging to them that they matter. Secondly, keeping your eyes on the speaker focuses your attention and helps you pick-up visual cues the person is communicating. Visual cues may help you discern issues like passion or truthfulness.

Distracted by "The Naked Truth"

I read a great article in the Times Online (U.K.) that is a fascinating study on how we are distracted. The context of the article is the current political events happening in the U.K.. Due to the troubles in the economy and in the political arena, business people and politicians are being exposed to greater scrutiny than ever before. This opinion piece gives the authors perspective of what is happening because of this greater scrutiny.

You can click on the title above to read the article for yourself. I want to draw your attention to the spiritual lesson we can learn from this commentary. As the author points out, it is easy to let the spectacle of transparency to become very distracting. What is especially striking is her admission that in doing a story at a nudist colony, "It became impossible to take anyone seriously and I couldn't concentrate on any conversation." The issue of transparency became all-consuming, leading to the inability to move on to important matters.

As Christians, it is easy for us to fall into this trap. We look at the problems going on around us, personal, relational, financial, etc. and become fixated on the circumstances. We never look to see where God is working, nor do we return to the Lord to continue the relationship. All we do is concentrate on the problem. For military pilots, this is known as "target fixation," with the idea that a fighter pilot focuses so much on the target, that he will forget about his own safety and fly right into the target.

One of the easiest ways to live a miserable life as a Christian is to focus on your circumstances. Peter stepped out of the boat and started walking on water after Jesus invited Peter to come to him. Peter was fine, as long as he kept his focus on Jesus. The moment he focused on his circumstances, he began to sink. The challenge for you and me is to be aware of our circumstances, because God wants to work in and through us as we navigate the events of our lives. On the other hand, we cannot be focused on the circumstances. Rather, we need to continually return to our relationship with Christ, knowing that our circumstances will be resolved as we walk with Christ.

Postmodernism Versus Truth

In the book Whatever Happened To Truth, there are a series of essays which discuss the issue of truth in our postmodern society. Each of the articles are well written, although one of the essays uses so much technical language that I feel like I'm reading a foreign language. One of the essays was written by one of my favorite cultural observers, Al Mohler, Jr.

The essay is simply titled, Truth and Contemporary Culture. In it, Dr. Mohler discusses how the rise of postmodern thought is challenging today's western culture. I offer you this list of challenges faced by the church makes to help you pick-up on where the struggles are occurring in our culture today.

• A deconstruction of truth (the notion that there is no absolute truth, rather, truth is up to the individual) p. 58
  
• The death of the meta-narrative (the idea that there is not a over-arching story [or transcendent truth] that defines our existence) p. 59
  
• The demise of the text (any given text gains meaning from the reader not the author of the text) p. 60
  
• The dominion of therapy (people are concerned about what makes them feel good, rather than truth) p.61
  
• The decline of authority (rejection of all authority since authority is designed to keep the people in subjection) p. 62
  
• The displacement of morality (if there is no truth or authority, then there is no anchor on which to base morality) p. 63
  

This list above gives you a very basic foundation as to what is at stake in this struggle against postmodernism. As Christians, we must cling to truth as if our life (and eternity) depended upon it, because it does. It is no accident that the world is crying out that there is no truth, when the words of Jesus declare that He is truth (John 14:7).

I would challenge you to think about each of these points. Now that you have an idea of where the struggle lies between Christianity and culture, you should be able to see how postmodernity is being promoted/accommodate within society. An example, how a show like Oprah is more concerned about making people feel good about a subject, rather than exposing the truth about the subject.

It's About Relationships Stupid!

There is a great article posted on the Baptist Press website that is essential reading for all Christians. Dr. Henry Blackaby is one of my favorite authors, and he discusses what is needed for our churches and country to get back on the right track.

What makes this a great article is the spiritual discernment and authenticity of Dr. Blackaby. He echoes the words of 2 Chronicles 7:14-15

and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now my eyes shall be open and my ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.

Like many people, I have not been happy with the direction our country has been going, especially over the last year. The tendency is for us to look out over the events and complain about all that is wrong with "those people." Of course, "those people" are the persons that are causing all the problems. The real disconnect is not with "those people" but with God's people. As Blackaby keenly observes, we want to lay the blame for a lack of revival (a renewing of God's movement among people) at the feet of everyone but to whom it belongs: ourselves.

Revival is never about "them", but about "me." A wise pastor once told me, "If you want to see revival start in the world, then you need to draw a circle, and kneel in the center of the circle. Pray and ask God for revival to take place in that circle. When revival starts there, then you can begin to widen your circle." Revival must start personally then move to the church. Only then can revival move to the "outside" world.

My hope is that you will react to the article the same way I did: fall on your knees and pray.

Communicating Clearly

Well, it has been a couple of weeks since I posted on this blog. I'm sorry for not updating recently, but I have been a little overwhelmed with school work. The strain on my time has had some excellent benefits though. I have been reading voraciously over the last week. One of the books I read last weekend was an excellent book on communication.

The book is focused on the issue of writing with clarity and readability, and the book has had a significant effect on my thinking. (You will need to determine if it has helped my writing.) Most significantly, the book has challenged my thinking in the way I think about writing. Too many people never consider how they communicate determines the effectiveness of what the writer (or speaker) is trying to communicate.

Effective communication is more than just dumping the content on to the recipient. The communicator must consider how the recipient will receive the information (what terms will most effectively communicate this information?), as well as consider what questions may be offered by the recipient. When an author "invites" the reader into the process of writing, the end product will be much more effective at connecting with the reader.

I would like to offer a challenge to you as a leader. Leaders need to consider whether or not they are communicating in a manner that encourages others to learn and follow. You should seek to be a better communicator. You will reap benefits at work, home, and at church. I will be a struggling sojourner along with you in this quest to improve my communication skills.

A Major "Banking" Concern

One of the saddest, scariest stories I have read in a while was published in today's Daily Mail Online out of the U. K.. You may be wondering, "Why are stories from the U.K. and Europe that big a deal for the United States?" The reason is that our country is headed toward a post-modern, post-Christian culture that already prevails in the U.K.. Unless changes are made in how we address issues like embryos and medical ethics to a more biblical worldview, then we are headed down the same path they are headed.

The story is Storm Over Embryo Bank, and it is something everyone should pay attention to on this side of the Atlantic. The first line sums it up.

Couples could be allowed to store embryos in order to use them to create new body parts or cure diseases.

Read that line and think about it for a second. Serious thought is now being given to allowing people to have embryos created for the purpose of harvesting them as a "repair kit." This treatment of human life as nothing more than a commodity to be used as one pleases is downright terrifying. One must not leap far to move to harvesting the tissue, blood, or organs of a less favored child to save the favored sibling in this sort of twisted worldview.

As leaders in a small group, you must not shy away from teaching the hard, difficult truths of the Bible, even if it means "offending" some people. Some people don't think about these issues from a biblical worldview. They are so mired in a utilitarian perspective on life, that they don't think about the fact that the intrinsic value of human life comes from being made in the image of God.

Causing Trouble

I have had a couple of things come before me this week that has me thinking about the impact small groups and the church have on people. Or in this case, the seeming lack of impact on people. The first incident was a question in my small group. "Why don't we see the power that was present in the early church in our churches today?" This has caused me to be thinking about the book of Acts this week.

The second incident that has contributed to my thought processes was an interview of a "talking head" on a news program. The person was asked about why "Person X" was generating so much news and angst among people. This television person said something to the affect, "'Person X' has turned the world upside down." This got me to thinking about Acts 17:6, "These men who have upset the world have come here also." Of course, the verse is referring to Paul and Silas and their missionary journey.

The reason why we don't see the kind of power displayed in the early churches found in the book of Acts can be learned by looking at two aspects of this problem. Theologically, we know that God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. God has not changed since those accounts of the early church were written, therefore, we know the "problem" is not with God. I would argue He stands ready to display His power to the world through the church.

Which leads us to the other side of the coin. If the problem is not with God, then it must be the church. I am speaking specifically about the church in the United States as a whole. There are individual churches that are avenues for God's power and work, but the churches in aggregate are weak. Why? Too many churches have set out to not upset the world. It can show up in a variety of ways: performance over biblical truth, fear of conflict, lack of concern for the lost, ignorance of the Bible, etc.

I had a friend of mine this morning mention that there is talk that legislation might pass that targets certain kinds of speech as offenses for which you can be arrested. He rattled off a couple of those potential topics and asked me what it would mean. My reply was, "I guess I'm going to be arrested." I don't think we seek to upset people, but we should not be afraid to state the truth, even if it means others will become upset. Paul and Silas were doing nothing more than standing for truth and were accused of "upsetting the world." I wish the same could be said of us.

What I Learned At Augusta

As some of you know, I had the chance to experience Augusta National the week of The Masters golf tournament. Even if you don't play golf, you will want to check out my thoughts because God showed me several things while I was there.

1. God is revealed in His creation.
The dogwoods, azaleas, and other plants were blooming while we were there, and the colors God uses in nature are almost indescribable. You have the green of the grass, the brown of the pine needles, and the colors of the flowers. I just don't have the words to describe how beautiful it all was.
In addition to the colors, I had opportunity at times to enjoy the sounds of nature before the golf started. We got to the course early enough that it was pretty quiet. The sound of the creek, the birds singing, and the wind blowing through the pine trees let my mind wander back to where I grew up. All of it is declaring the glory of God.

2. Great events are experienced with family and friends.
I got to experience this with my wife, my best friend since kindergarten, and his wife. We got to share stories, experience the sights and sounds through the eyes and ears of one another, and have fun together. I found myself thinking about other friends who would have enjoyed the event as much as I did and wished they had been there. It is one thing to have an experience, but it is so much more meaningful when it is shared with others.

3. No matter what you do, be a leader.
One of the fun things to do is sit at hole #16 and watch the golfers play this short par 3. After the practice shot, the fans start chanting, "Skip it." In other words, they want the golfers to skip a golf ball across the water. It is the loudest place on the course during the practice rounds.

Greg Norman, who is one of the great older players, was practicing with three of the youngest guys on the tour. The young guys were about to ignore the fans chanting, until Greg motioned for the other guys to come back and skip a golf ball across the water.

We should never forget that we have influence on others. We can lead the next generation to have a proper understanding of our role in this world. even when it is not "game time."

4. Purpose and standards matter
I've been to many golf courses, and a handful of "nice" golf courses. I've been to professionally maintained gardens. However, I've never seen anything like Augusta National. They have committed to making the course the best it can be for the event. They plan accordingly and accept nothing less than those high standards for their venue. They expect the patrons of the event to act in accordance with those same standards.

One of my questions as I noticed this about the course is whether or not Christians have that same focus on their purpose and their own standards? My guess is no. If a group of people can be that focused and intentional about a golf tournament, shouldn't we have that same focus on our purpose and standards for something that really matters?

5. Simple elegance
As nice as everything was at Augusta, it was not ostentatious. There was a simplicity to everything, and it was done very well. Compared to our community, it would have seemed austere. See number four above to understand why simple works.

These are just some of my thoughts. I really cannot fully express the experience because it was sensory overload. You have Amen Corner and Magnolia Lane and a myriad of other aspects of the event that are amazing. In light of all of this, God showed me things about Himself, leadership, and conduct that are lessons we could all apply.

What's Next?

Well, if you're like me, you have finally had a moment to reflect on the first quarter of the year. Our church and the small groups have experienced an extraordinary time of spiritual growth. It has been the most fun I have had in my six years of ministry at First Baptist Church at Weston. Spending time with Dr. Tackett was a great blessing indeed.

As great as it is to reflect on the triumphs of the past, we need to look ahead to the "lands" that are to be conquered next. What we face in our small group ministry is similar to the task the people of Israel had once they started conquering the Promised Land. They had to maintain and build what they had conquered, while continuing to overcome the next obstacles that lay before them.

Our small groups must do the same. We need to be about the task of discipling the people in our current groups and care for those that God places before us. At the same time, we must look ahead to see the next "great task" that needs to be accomplished. We need to finish the spring strong. We have eight weeks until school dismisses for the summer. As leaders, you need to help people process through what they learned, while helping them put into practice those truths that were revealed to us.

We have three great opportunities that lie ahead for our church that you can join me in prayer. One, it appears we will be hosting a Regional Training for The Truth Project in Spanish. This is a tremendous opportunity to equip the body of Christ in Florida and South America. Along with that opportunity, we will be launching a Truth Project campaign for our Spanish speaking small groups during our fall launch on September 13. Finally, we are tentatively scheduled to host a simulcast of a parenting conference in November. All three are great opportunities to help us grow individually and as a church, while serving a role in the kingdom.

Join with me in prayer about these opportunities. Dedicate yourself to holding the ground that has been conquered, while looking ahead to the upcoming opportunities.

Capitalism = Political freedom

Janet Daley wrote a great article about economics, politics, and democracy today that is great. As you start reflecting on The Truth Project, you may want to read this article to remind yourself about The American Experiment. In fact, she refers to America in those very terms.

I found the article very interesting on several levels. My initial reaction to the article was how she was able to distinguish the nuances of the ideas between capitalism and socialism. As people of "the Word", we must always remember that words matter. We must be precise in the words we use and not be sloppy with the meaning. Ms. Daley's article reminds us to choose our words carefully and get clarification from others when they are imprecise with their words.

Another aspect of the article that struck me was her grasp of the linkage between politics and economics. She correctly identifies that what most people identify as economic discussions are in fact political discussions. Many of the woes in our economy are not due to "economic" problems but political interference in the area of economics. Ms. Daley rightly points out that when there is free exchange within the economy, there is an inherent set of checks and balances that take place. (Not instantaneously, but there are corrective mechanisms to keep power in check.)

Finally, the article is interesting to read because it is an "outsiders" perspective on the American Experiment. She has a better grasp of the basics our government than most Americans, at least the founding principles. Although, I would disagree with her view of America's willingness to give up freedoms. I see far too many people who are willing to sign away freedom in order to fulfill their own self-interest.

I would highly encourage you to read this article. I'm making a copy of the article for myself to keep for future reference and to give away to people who "just don't get it" when it comes to capitalism, politics, and freedom.

Very odd article

I just read what may be one of the most odd articles I have ever read. It is found in today's Wall Street Journal (Couple's Dreams of Immortality), and it concerns a couple who are seeking to achieve eternal life through architecture.

Normally, I would not blog about something that is addressed by someone like an Al Mohler on his blog, but I feel compelled to comment on this article. Why? Well, my initial response to this article was not very flattering, and writing about it has forced me to view this story from a different perspective than my initial response. You can go to Dr. Mohler's blog for his perspective.

My initial response was one of scorn. I thought to myself, "How foolish." Fortunately, I stopped and prayed and reflected on this theologically for a moment. You see bound up in the heart of the two artists, and the people who buy the apartments the artists designed, a desire toward eternal life. Part of being created in the image of God is this recognition that death is somehow "wrong." Of course, the Genesis account tells us that death was not part of the original design specifications. It is only by the sin of Adam and Eve that the original "warranty" was voided and death was introduced.

The article is interesting in that it provides a brief insight into what "transhumanism" is trying to accomplish. With any movement, there are different factions on how things are done. All of those movements within transhumanism share this in common: the answer for everything is found within mankind. Is death a problem? Then man will find an answer through architecture or robots or something. There is no recognition of God.

C. S. Lewis talks about each person having a void in his or her life. Transhumanism seeks to fill that void with man's own thoughts and hard work. However, that is like putting a round peg in square hole. The void in each person's life is "God-shaped" and can only be filled by God. We must be sensitive to God speaking to people and their interest in spiritual matters. We must stand ready to give them the truth when they are seeking answers to problems like eternal life.

Read the article. Ponder it's implications. Most importantly, see the world with new eyes. Be sensitive to people seeking out spiritual matters and stand ready to point them to Christ.

Words Matter

Today's blog is about something that really bothered me. I have never claimed to be the smartest person in the world, but I would like to think that I know the basics. To me, the basics would include understanding that words matter.

What got me going was an article in the March 18, 2009 Sun Sentinel. The article titled, Chaplain at Hospice by the Sea in Boca Raton resigns over ban on the word "God." Evidently, the leadership of the hospice decided that words like "God" and "Lord" could no longer be used by chaplains during the monthly staff meeting or in public presentations. The level of my frustration was slowly ratcheted up througout the article.

On one level the idea that an employer banning particular speech, so as not to "offend" anyone, is just spineless. I could do some mental gymnastics and find a circumstance that maybe I could understand the reason for the ban, but it was a pretty big stretch. What makes it a stretch is that many of the employees are pastors, rabbis, and priests. Asking one of them not to talk about God is like asking a politician not to spend money. It's not happening!

It gets better. The "pastor" who resigned had been singled out because of a devotion she gave during a chapel using "God" and "Lord" during the devotion. When asked about this she said "And I am well aware that there were people from the Jewish tradition in attendance. I didn't say Jesus or Allah or Jehovah. I used 'Lord' and 'God,' which I think are politically correct. I think that's as generic as you can get." What is a pastor doing thinking about being "politically correct?" A pastor's call is to speak God's Word, not be "pc." I guess I could give her the benefit of the doubt and assume that instead of being politically correct, she wanted to be sensitive to the spiritual condition of her audience. (Of course the audience was a group of employees attending a chapel led by a pastor... but I digress.)

As the infomercial says, "But wait! There's more!" The CEO who made the change in policy is then quoted in the article, quote,

Alderson said she was surprised by Signorelli's reaction to what she characterized as a minor administrative directive aimed solely at improving the decorum of monthly staff meetings, where the desired tone from a chaplain should be motivational, not religious.

Motivational and not religious??? If you look up the word "chaplain" in the dictionary, it has four possible meanings. Three of the four refer to "a clergyman", meaning a leader affiliated with the Christian church. The other definition says, "a person chosen to conduct a religious exercise." There is no way to get around the fact that the role of a chaplain is to talk about religion. That is, by definition, their job.

Why am I blogging about this (other than to rant a little bit?) You need to remember, words matter. As you teach people, lead your families, and interact with others, you need to communicate clearly with others. You need to understand what you are saying, then make sure your audience understands as well. When people are not clear in their communication with you, then you need to ask questions to make sure each of you understand what is being said.

I've learned to ask follow-up questions when in doubt. Especially when sharing the Gospel with someone. "What does it mean to be saved?" "What does it mean to you to have faith in Jesus?" "Why do you think you will go to heaven?" These clarifying questions have helped me be able to lead people to Christ. Remember, words matter. Choose them carefully and guard their meaning.

Climate Change Article

I saw a great article in the Telegraph about climate change that I think you will find interesting. What is of particular interest is the realization of some scientists that the "debate" is not about science. They lament that no one is listening to "the truth" and people are pushing an agenda.

Of course, that is the exact feeling Christians have when discussing scientific issues. The Bible clearly tells us that all of creation has been designed, yet they call it evolution. The Bible and creation declare that there is a Creator, yet they call it chance. They are open to the truth, as long as it does not take me where I don't want to go.

I hope you enjoy the article about "climate change." In case you can't tell by my tone, I think this climate change stuff is baloney. For those who really believe it; it is arrogance and pride. For those who are pushing it, knowing it isn't true; it is about power and manipulation. Don't fall for this garbage.

An interesting side note about the article. Be sure to catch the last two paragraphs. It is a Brits interesting take on New York City. Everyone would do well to have their eyes opened and see with proper perspective. Seeing the "big picture" prevents us from thinking pridefully or being myopic in our view of ourselves and our place in the world.

"Artificial" Life?

An article in today's London Telegraph heralded the impending announcement of artificial life being created within the next five years. The reason for the optimism was due to a recent breakthrough by U. S. scientists. The article contained an interesting line, and I have a question about this process.

The interesting line is what the author of the article called this breakthrough. He referred to the quest for "creating artificial life" as "the second genesis." Very ironic. Many of the people involved in this process (and reporters covering it) would ardently deny life coming from an Intelligent Designer, yet their language is one of design and creation.

Which brings me to my question. What "materials" are the scientists starting with to "create" life? It reminds me of the joke that a scientist is standing before God. He says, "Well, we have finally done it. We can now create life. We don't need you anymore God."

God replies, "That's interesting. Tell me how you did this."

The scientist says, "First, we take some dirt and then...." God interrupts the scientist and says, "Whoa, what a second. Get your own dirt."

The arrogance and blindness of many of those involved in this process is staggering. There is no doubt, that this could potentially be a tremendous breakthrough scientifically. The possibilities are great, but so are the ethical concerns.

We must be diligent in thinking about scientific issues (stem cell research is a great example) and understand why there are ethical concerns about their implementation. As we become informed, we need to engage our government representatives to let them know what we think about these issues.

The Chimp Who Changed Our View Of Humans

With our study of The Truth Project, I've found my attention drawn to articles with headlines like the one above. The above title was the one given to it on the Drudge Report. The article was somewhat interesting and humorous in that it talks about a rock throwing chimpanzee. (One of my jokes is the monkeys, or chimps, are always funny.)

What the article claimed to be earth-shattering did not seem to be that big of a deal to me. What was very interesting was the reaction of the scientific community to this chimps behavior. Below is an excerpt:

According to a report in the journal Current Biology, the 31-year-old alpha male started building his weapons cache in the morning before the zoo opened, collecting rocks and knocking out disks from concrete boulders inside his enclosure. He waited until around midday before he unleashed a "hailstorm" of rocks against visitors, the study said.

"These observations convincingly show that our fellow apes do consider the future in a very complex way," said the author of the report, Lund University Ph.D. student Mathias Osvath. "It implies that they have a highly developed consciousness, including lifelike mental simulations of potential events."

Did you catch it? An incredibly obvious look into the worldview of the author of the report, Mathias Osvath. Read the quote again. Did you catch it this time? "Our fellow apes" Those three words reveal a great deal. This viewpoint says, "All things considered, man is no different than monkeys, apes, or chimpanzees." Of course, that worldview leads to two potential problems. Some with this worldview will elevate animals to the same moral/ethical level as man. Others will take that viewpoint and use it as the basis to treat some men as nothing more than an animal. Both attitudes lead to the same result: the cheapening of human life.

You must be on your guard for your own worldview, as well as investing a biblical worldview into your children's lives (and the lives of those around you.) Don't assume that you have to individually change the world when it comes to worldview. What you and I must do is to do what we can with the people in our circle of influence. Share the truth with your family, your friends, and neighbors. Lead them to the truth. If we all do our part, then train those we influence to do the same (making disciples), we can make a difference in our world.

A Christian's Relationship To The State

I read an interesting article in, of all places, the local paper in Cookeville, Tennessee. Cookeville is the nearest town to where I grew up that has a daily paper and is home to the college I attended, Tennessee Technological University. It is interesting because of a speaker who appeared at Tech recently.

Gerhard Hennes was a German prisoner of war in World War II who ended up spending a great deal of time in a POW camp near Cookeville. He spoke about what he learned from his experiences. I would point to two issues that I think are relevant to the issue of our responsibility to the state as followers of Christ.

Hennes spoke of his discovery of what was happening to Jews at the concentration camps during the war. He and his fellow prisoners were shown footage of the camps at a movie theater. Hennes states,

"We saw the the flickering shaft of light. We saw the emaciated bodies and the empty eyes of the survivors. We saw the mass graves, we saw the ovens where people had been put to death by the thousands. All of a sudden, the movie house was very hot. None of us had been aware of the concentration camps, though many of you may find that hard to believe. On that glorious day in spring in Crossville, Tennessee, in the prisoner of war camp, it was also that day that in one profound transformation, I turned from being a hero to being a villain."

He points out that he although he was unaware of all that was going on within Germany during this time, it did not absolve him of any guilt. To illustrate, he pointed to an incident at a camp where he was guarding Russian prisoners and did not report problems that he saw in their treatment because it might harm his military career. "So I remained a coward I had always been. I did not make a report. I did not protest. And, of course, the responsibility sits on me to this very evening."

Hennes is accurate in pointing out that we are responsible for the actions or inaction we undertake within the context of our service to our country. We must never be blinded by our devotion to our country that it supersedes our devotion to our God.

The article concludes with this great quote:

"I am one of the few in my generation that believes in collective guilt. Because I believe in corporate responsibility, I was responsible for what happened and I did not protest when the Russian prisoners of war were put to death. I am still struggling with the responsibility. We are responsible for the attitudes and actions of our freely elected government."

In case you doubt this idea of shared responsibility, I would point you to Isaiah 6:5, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips." This shared responsibility means we must promote what is good and resist what is evil. To do any thing less means we must bear the sins of our culture and country.

I would argue that the way to do this involves several things. One, vote for those who best reflect the values championed within Scripture. This doesn't mean the candidate must be Christian, just that they hold values (protecting the innocent, truthfulness, justice, mercy, etc) that align with values found in Scripture.

A second point is pointed out by Dr. Tackett, in that we should not confuse the responsibilities and commands of one sphere (family, the church, God & man) with the responsibilities and commands of another sphere (government.) God commands the church to care for the poor. God commands the family to teach truth and values. As Christians, we cannot abdicate those responsibilities to the government. The primary role of the government is found in passages like Romans 13, in which government is to keep people safe.

Finally, we must be active in our community. A Christian can't spend time railing against issues, yet never lift a finger to help solve community issues. Feed the poor, comfort the hurting, and help the weak. Vote. Serve where you can. Be active.

Mountain Tops & Ending Well

I have started reflecting on the end of The Truth Project and what happens next. I must admit that I was a little down at first. This has been one of the best studies in which I have participated. I thought, "I wish this study would not end." Almost immediately, I was reminded of a story and Scripture that pushed me back to reality.

I was reminded that my attitude was the same at Peter's during the Transfiguration. The story is found in Mark 9:2-13. Peter literally and figuratively had a mountaintop experience. He saw Jesus revealed in His glory, and Peter said, "It is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters."

Peter wanted to stay at the top of the mountain. Who doesn't want to do that? We probably don't enjoy and celebrate our victories often enough. It is good that we are here at the mountaintop of this study. There's just one problem. There is a lost and dying world that needs to be ministered to and won to Jesus. They are not going to climb to the top of the mountain. Instead, we need to head to the valleys to reach out to them.

The goal is not to return to same routine, thinking, and lifestyle as before. We should have a new normal. We should let our new friends in our group be a regular part of our life. Also, we need to start living out what we have learned.

The second passage that brought me back to reality is found in Ecclesiastes 7:8. "The end of a matter is better than its beginning." As important as it is to start something well, it is more important for it to end well. If you are a leader of a small group, I would encourage you to challenge your group to "end well."

Contact your group members and invite them to finish strong by attending the last four weeks of the study. Plan a group fellowship to take place soon to celebrate the study. Help your people experience the best part of the study here at the end, then plan on continuing to meet after The Truth Project. Let's enjoy these last four weeks and prepare for the future.

Interesting Admission Of Guilt

I read an interesting article in the Financial Times that struck me as odd. It is the story of Nick White, who got stuck in a "lift" (elevator for us Americans) for 41 hours. This event took place almost 10 years ago. The unfortunate part of the story is not being stuck on an elevator over a weekend though.
After finally getting out the elevator, Mr. White recounts being chased by reporters, then attorneys. Believing the numbers that the lawyers were telling him, he quit his job and sued. He ended up getting much less money than he anticipated when the suit was finally settled five years later. He had pinned all of his hopes on a big payout.

Here is the quote that was so fascinating:

"I was truly terrified in that elevator. But my mistake was that I prolonged my entrapment. My life was in good shape, then I went for the big bucks and ruined everything. I haven't had a job in ten years and I've never married. I walked into an elevator with one kind of life and walked out with a completely different one. But it wasn't the elevator that ruined my life. It was me."

Our community has a lot of people in it right now who have had this same experience. They had a good life, but then "went for the big bucks." Maybe they overbought a home or too nice a car, etc., and now they are looking at a life in shambles. As Christians, we can bring them hope. I cannot help to think of Acts 2:37-38:

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Be prepared to share the truth with others. It will require two things from you. A genuine love for others, since telling the truth without love can end up being cruel. Secondly, speak with boldness. It can sometimes be uncomfortable to share the truth because your afraid the person may be offended. Don't miss the opportunity to bring transformation to a person's life by lovingly sharing the truth with them.

Working Out Your Salvation

One of the problems with doing a blog is the feeling of "obligation" of posting something on a regular basis. I must admit, it has been difficult to find the time to write or even find a topic to discuss in the blog the last 4-5 days. I just know I needed to put something on the blog, but I couldn't decide what that should be. So, like most people when all other avenues fail, I decided to pray about it! Seriously, I asked God what direction to take the posting for today, and He impressed on me to tell you what I have been learning recently.

I am reading several books right now due to some academic pursuits I am attempting to undertake. One of the books I'm reading is Christian Theology by Allistar McGrath. This is McGrath's systematic theology. Although I don't know that many of you would be interested in reading a book on systematic theology, I am learning some things that may be instructive for each of us.

Philippians 2:12 tells us to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling." The passage following this command is about "doing", but the section preceding this verse is instruction on who Jesus is. What this tells me is that before I can "do things for God", I must spend time "knowing" God.

As I spend time learning more about God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, salvation, the church, etc., I am finding myself spending more time ministering to people. It's easier to serve others when I'm walking closer to Him. By spending time with Him, I feel compelled to serve others. Plus, the ministry I do seems to be more effective and rewarding.

A second thing I have noted is how the circumstances surrounding the church has influenced theology. When the church faces a challenge within the culture, God raises up teachers to instruct His people. God does not cast His church adrift when storms arise. He would place leaders in their midst to provide a clear voice to lead the way to Him. This is most striking in the time of the Reformations. Men like Martin Luther and John Calvin measured their culture and the church against the Bible, and they would call people to go back to the God revealed in Scripture.

Finally, I'm learning the importance of clarity. Some of the authors I have been reading lately are just a little too smart for their own good. They can be so technical in their language that they leave me (and probably many others) wondering what they are talking about. It does not do much good to think deep thoughts about God if you can't share them in a way for others to understand. All of us should learn how to speak truth to others in a way that they can grasp. Don't let our lack of clarity be a stumbling block to others.

Great Leader: Great Teacher book review

I finished Great Leader: Great Teacher by Gary Bredfeldt. I must say it was an excellent book on leadership. Although the emphasis of the book is in on leadership within the church, many of the points made within the book can be used by any Christian who is in a position of leadership and influence.

Three areas stand out as the strengths of this particular book: the importance of leaders viewing teaching as a critical aspect of leadership, the four paradigms of leadership, and the four basic types of churches. Bredfeldt does an excellent job of tying those three topics that are unique to his book with his view on other leadership issues like priorities, character, commitment, and competencies. The book has a strong foundation of Scripture to support and expand the ideas that are expressed.

The highlight of the book is the stress Dr. Bredfeldt places on the role of teaching in church leadership. His point is that the proper teaching of Scripture is the foundation for all other aspects of leadership. "Biblical leadership is a teaching task." (p. 27) It is the teaching of the Bible that adds the meaning and significance to the leadership provided by the church leader.

How does this translate to the Christian business man, teacher, business owner, etc.? I think Bredfeldt points that out in the chapter More Like Jesus Than Jack (Jack Welch, former leader of GE), in which leaders are challenged to lead by example. If you want to have credibility as a leader and teach others what you believe, then you must live it out in all areas of your life. As people witness how you conduct business, teach, or lead differently than others, you will gain opportunities to teach them why you are a different kind of leader.

This is a great addition to a person's leadership library, especially for those involved in church leadership. Buy it, read it, then teach it to others.

Pill to erase bad memories?

An article at Daily Mail online on February 17 revealed that doctors may have developed a pill that will "erase" bad memories. Rather than make any comments or state the concerns this may raise, I think I would encourage you to think on this one.

The article is in the Daily Mail online. If you choose to read the article online, I would caution you to be careful about the site if you are easily offended. The article's title is "Pill to erase bad memories: Ethical furor over drugs 'that threaten human identity'" The implication from the article is that they are working on a pill that will erase bad memories through a chemical process. For once, they do give two sides of the issue (ethical implications and potential benefits), but we need to look at it from a biblical perspective.

A few passages of Scripture that could help you see this issue from God's perspective.
Deuteronomy 4:10; 5:15; 7:18; 8:2 & 18
2 Corinthians 1: 3-7
Romans 8:28-30
1 Peter 5:12-19
James 1:12-15
Hebrews 11:32-40

Read the passages and consider whether or not it would be a good thing to "forget" our bad memories. Does God want us to forget those memories? Do we benefit if we forget "bad" memories? Are other people harmed if we forget our "bad" memories?

Designer Babies

There was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal recently that is very pertinent to The Truth Project. The theme of the article was how families may soon have the ability to "order" their children with desired characteristics. You may not think this is an important issue, but it goes directly to the importance of human life and it's worth and value.

I had planned to write something about this issue, but, fortunately for us, Dr. Al Mohler has posted a blog about this very article. I will let his words speak for him.

My contribution to this discussion concerns awareness. You must take it upon yourself to know the implications of issues like genetic manipulation, invitro fertilization, euthanasia, gene therapy (i.e. stem cell research) and other sanctity of life issues. You must weigh those issues against God's word and have an informed understanding on how these issues can be addressed. This knowledge should then be used to inform your conversations and the influence you exert on individuals, organizations, and governments.

Read the article, and read Dr. Mohler's blog. Both will give you a glimpse at the future of the sanctity of life debate.

Darwin's Birthday

February 12 marks the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin. Articles singing his praises have already been published in most major papers this week. I could cite the articles in the Financial Times, NY Times, or Sun Sentinel as examples. All of them say essentially the same thing, "Darwin was right, and when will the uneducated masses accept it as fact?"

I'm not going to spend my time refuting Darwin's theory of evolution. Frankly, people smarter than me have devoted their lives to searching for truth, and they have done great jobs of pointing to the holes in Darwin's theory (Google people like Michael Behe and Dembenski or watch "Expelled" by Ben Stein to learn more.) What I want to do is remind us of what is at stake.

Evolution, as it is taught and defended in today's media and educational institutions, is not a scientific theory. It is a philosophical theory hiding behind a scientific veil. If it were truly a scientific theory, then dissenting viewpoints would be allowed. Evidence that refutes major points of the theory would be examined and questions would be allowed that question the validity of the theory. Instead, flimsy "evidence" from science is held up and all dissenters are thought of as "ignorant, stupid, or insane (or wicked)" according to Dawkins.

We need to understand that many people hold on to evolution as a "point of faith." In other words, they have accepted the "evidence" they have been presented, and they have filled in the gaps with faith in a theory. Most Christians have filled in those gaps with faith in the Creator. Both are residing in faith.

Why would people want to place their faith in a theory that is tenuous at best? Because this theory allows them to live without giving thought to a judgment for their actions. Faith in a theory allows them to be like Adam and Eve, and to become like God.

As Christians, we must realize that we will not change a person's heart by overwhelming them facts, figures, and logic, though these are important. Knowing the facts, figures, and having the ability to reason with others allows us to demonstrate that we have given thought to our beliefs. Also, it demonstrates that we are paying attention to what is happening in science. Engaging in the science gives us a "seat at the discussion table."

How does change take place? A person encountering the truth of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. I once had a sales training class that said that people change deeply held beliefs through one of two experiences: a near-death experience or a religious conversion. Since I wouldn't recommend the first experience, we must put people in the position to experience God.

We must be about the business of learning what the scientific world is discovering. We must encourage our children to engage in science and math, while at the same time we are pouring Christ into their lives. Our faith should be able to stand up to a hearty examination. Our God is faithful and true, so don't be afraid to depend upon Him to vindicate what is true.

Wise Decision Making In A Wicked World

One of the things I encounter most when counseling with people, whether in the church office or in personal interactions with others, is the idea of how to make good decisions. I never try and make the decision for a person, instead I try to get them to ask the right questions to help them make their own decision. Also, this trains people to start processing information on their own to start making better decisions.

I found a great article that will give you some guidelines on how to make good decisions in the world today. Please understand, these are guideline. This does not replace prayer and Bible study. You should always seek God's wisdom in making decisions, and this tool should drive you back to those basic practices.

This article is found on the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission website. This is a great tool that can equip you with information in the on-going battle within our culture. The site covers topics ranging from government, family, movies, and cultural issues. I would putting this in your favorites list and visiting it occasionally to stay current.

Evolution Up for "Debate" in Texas

A recent article in the New York Times is very appropriate for what our church has been studying and discussing recently. The article concerns the on-going debate on how to describe evolution within textbooks, and whether or not to include a discussion of creation.

What I would like for you to do is to read the article and determine what perspective or agenda the author is advocating. Do you see the Richard Dawkins perspective in that anyone who questions evolution is ignorant, stupid, or insane?

Don't let the potential derision or ridicule keep you from engaging in the battle. Take what you know to be true and jump into the fight with confidence and humility. That is the only way we can hope to gain ground in this battle over truth.

Chimps As Smart As Humans?

The weekend of February 1, 2009 was a "banner" day for evolutionists and environmentalists on The Times Online edition. I have already mentioned the story about limiting families to two children for environmental reasons. A second article that caught my attention carried the title, "Hello smartypants: baby chimps are as bright as human infants."

Obviously, the article captured my attention. It appears that researchers are ready to say that a nine month old chimpanzee is as smart (or smarter in some instances) than a nine month old baby. The research, in and of itself, does not really matter to me. To me, I see evidence of God's wisdom in how He created creatures to be unique within the world.

As I considered the information contained in the article, I started evaluating how the article was written. The article has assumptions built within it's language and context that lead to terrible conclusions though. In my opinion, the article was written with the objective of saying that chimps and humans are the same. Cultures that has reached that point, always leads to atrocities against people.

Of course, the Bible is clear that man is different than the rest of creation. The Genesis account points out that man is the crown of God's creation. This is most clearly seen in man being described as bearing God's image. Because we bear the image of God, which includes but not limited to having a spirit or soul, humans are different than the animals.

Man has been created to have a relationship with God and to have dominion over the earth. Any thought that equates the value of man with animals is to denigrate the value God has placed upon mankind. The Creator, above any other person, would be able to accurately weigh the worth and value of the creation. We must always understand the world in light of the way God views the world. By doing so, we remain in touch with reality, the way the world really is and can interact with God, other people, and creation appropriately.

Environmentalism and the Clash with a Christian Worldview

There was a revealing and fascinating article in this past weekend's Times Online, which is the London Times online edition. The article is titled "Two Children Should Be The Limit Says Green Guru." The U.K. is a great glimpse into our future since they are obviously a post-Christianity culture, and this glimpse should be frightening and a warning for us to be sure about what we believe.

Sarah-Kate Templeton writes about the beliefs and probable recommendations of a chair of a government commission charged with looking at environmental issues for the U.K.. The most frightening and chilling statement is found in the second paragraph.

Jonathon Porritt, who chairs the government’s Sustainable Development Commission, says curbing population growth through contraception and abortion must be at the heart of policies to fight global warming. He says political leaders and green campaigners should stop dodging the issue of environmental harm caused by an expanding population.

Let that sink in. We have government officials who are advocating for the "good of the environment" for the government to impose limits on the number of children allowed per family. This is the logical outcome from a god-less worldview.

As we saw in Tour 3 of The Truth Project, the results of humanity depending on our own thinking and logic on the value of human life has led to horrifying genocides in our world. The depravity of the human heart cannot be underestimated, and holding a biblical worldview is critical to combating this kind of thinking.

For those of you who lead a small group, this should be a wake-up call to you as to why leading others and teaching truth matters. If we wait to equip people with the truth, we may find entire cultures killing babies in the name of saving the planet.

The question I got repeatedly after Tour 5a was "How can they not see that what they believe is a lie?" My best guess at an answer for that question is self-delusion. People want to live for themselves so badly, and so desire living without the thought of judgment, that they delude themselves to the truth. I'm reminded of a child who will put their fingers in their ears and shout "la, la, la" to keep from hearing the truth. That is how many people live today. The Scripture below describes them well.

For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Romans 1:21-23

A Secular Worldview On Public Display

Our church is 1/3 of the way through The Truth Project. I hope you have been enjoying this great study as we gaze upon the face of God and consider what is truth. I have continually found myself learning something new each week as I watch the video and listen to the discussion taking place in my group.

I am about to bring up a politician, but please note that I am not making a political statement. I am taking the words of a politician and pointing out how her worldview can be seen in a policy statement she has made. Of course, our Christianity should influence our political views, but that is another discussion.

This past Sunday (1/25), we got to see a secular worldview on display. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was asked about an upcoming bill that is, ostensibly, intended to stimulate the economy. The question she was asked concerned hundreds of millions of dollars that were intended for "family planning" services, which means anything from abortion to contraceptives. What made this remarkable was her response to the question of how this money can "stimulate" the economy.

Mrs Pelosi said that "contraception will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government". She went on to say, ""The family planning services reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children's health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs.

"One of those - one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government," she said in an interview on Sunday on ABC's This Week.

This is a very utilitarian view on human life. In this circumstance, Mrs. Pelosi assumes that the question of human life is determined, not by the worth of a person based upon man being created in the image of God, but upon how much money this person (or potential person) may cost the state. I hope this disturbs you as much as it does me.

The implications are staggering and the results of this type of worldview would be (and have always been) catastrophic. If a culture accepts this assumptive language in regard to abortion/contraception, it cheapens human life to a commodity. This worldview makes a human life's value to be determined on dimes and nickels. This leads to atrocities like euthanasia and infanticide within a culture.

The antidote to this utilitarian worldview? Simple. View the world from God's perspective. When you look at people the way God does, you will hold life to be precious and valuable. David's words in Psalm 139 reveal the truth about mankind.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I that full well. My frame is not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Names, Titles, and Descriptions of the Holy Spirit

This is the last of the postings containing the names, titles, and descriptions of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. I hope you find this helpful and encouraging. For myself, I find my heart rate picking up and a little bit of excitement as I read from these lists. Our God is an amazing, awesome, and powerful God, and He has chosen to reveal Himself to us. Enjoy learning more about the Holy Spirit. Research of few of these titles or descriptions in the Bible and learn to experience Him in the way He is described.

Names, Titles, and Descriptions of the Holy Spirit

a deposit
Holy One
Holy Spirit of God
seal
Spirit of Christ
spirit of fire
spirit of grace and supplication
Spirit of holiness
Spirit of Jesus Christ
spirit of judgment
Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord
Spirit of life
Spirit of sonship (adoption)
Spirit of the Sovereign Lord
Spirit of truth
the gift
Voice of the Almighty

Names, Titles, and Descriptions of Jesus

My previous post mentioned a few of the names, titles, and descriptions of God. I thought I would expand that list to include Jesus. The next posting will look at the names, titles, and descriptions of the Holy Spirit. These lists just barely scratch the surface. As I mentioned in the previous post, these lists are from Henry Blackaby's book Experiencing God. His list covers two pages.

Names, Titles, and Descriptions of Jesus

Alpha and Omega
Ancient of Days
Anointed One
author and perfecter of our faith
bread of life
Chief Shepherd
Christ Jesus my Lord
Faithful and True
firstborn from among the dead
great high priest
head of the church
Holy and Righteous One
Immanuel
Jesus Christ our Savior
King of Kings
Lamb of God
light of the world
Lord
Lord of Lords
Lord of the harvest
man of sorrows
my friend
Physician
Prince of Peace
ransom for all men
resurrection and the life
Rock eternal
Savior of the world
Son of the living God
Teacher
the Amen
the First and the Last
the Living One
the One and Only
the true vine
the Word
Wonderful Counselor
Word of God
Word of life
your life

Names, Titles, and Descriptions of God

One of the things that Dr. Tackett mentions in tour #4 is his personal study of the names of God. This is a great way to learn more about God, His character, and His nature. This posting will be rather simple and short. I want to list for you just a small handful of names, titles, and descriptions for God. This is from a list Henry Blackby has in Experiencing God.

I would encourage you to look over the list and pray. If one of the names or titles captures your heart or attention, then study more about that aspect of God in Scripture.

Creator of heaven and earth
defender of widows
father to the fatherless
God Almighty
God my Maker
God my Rock
God my Savior
God of all comfort
God of grace
God of hope
God of truth
God who avenges me
Holy One
I am
Jealous
Lord (Adonai)
Lord my Banner
Lord who heals you
my advocate
my refuge in times of trouble
the consuming fire
the gardener
the Glory of Israel
the God who saves me
the one who sustains me
the potter
the true God

God of the Living

I must admit, it has been great to transition from lesson 3 to lesson 4 in The Truth Project. Lesson 3 is a little depressing as we considered man and the evil that is in the world. On the other hand, lesson 4 is so exciting as we consider who God is.

This last Sunday, I mentioned that God is the God of the living and not the dead.

"He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive." (NIV) Luke 20:38

Consider for a moment the significance of this statement. Wherever God rules and reigns, He brings life. This reminds me of a professor at seminary who said about Jesus that "every funeral that Jesus attended He busted up and turned it into a family reunion!" God brings life, even to death.

This is no small thing. Man's enemy is death. It is the one thing that man has no power with which to overcome this issue. Man can never be good enough or penitent enough to overcome death. So God, in His infinite grace and mercy, overcomes death through Jesus dying on the Cross. All that we need to do is to place our faith in Him to have life.

"'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (NIV) 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

Even as we see terrible things going on in the world today, we should not be discouraged. God is bigger than any economy, government, or sin in this life. We know that those who call on Jesus as Lord and Savior have eternal life. The only true safety and security that we have is Him.

"The the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord god will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever." (NIV) Revelation 22:1-2, 5

Stopping The Lie

One of the central themes of tour #3 in The Truth Project is the lie that "man is inherently good and evil is a result of the culture." This is the best attempt of the secular humanist philosophy to describe human nature and the existence of evil. This lie has led to issues like abortion, euthanasia, moral relativism, environmentalism, and other abhorrent thoughts and behaviors in the world.

One of the most distressing aspects of the lie is that it is believed by so many Christians. Far too many Christians don't see the evil that is inherent in the above topics. Unfortunately, they believe those behaviors are acceptable in our society. As Christians, we must recognize that we are created in God's image and that each person is born with a sin nature. We must think, speak, and act to demonstrate that there is right and wrong in the world. We must oppose evil, even when that evil is "socially acceptable" like abortion.

There is so much more I would like to say, but I think I will end with a simple appeal to Christians. Stop spreading the lie. Before we start going out and telling others, we must stop working for the enemy in spreading the lie. Make sure the way you think, speak, and act line up with God's truth.

"I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments." (NIV) Galatians 2:4

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of the world rather than Christ." (NIV) Galatians 2:8

"The world is too dangerous to live in- not because of people who do evil, but because people sit and let it happen." Albert Einstein

"Let us not forget that violence does not and cannot flourish by itself; it is inevitably intertwined with lying. Between them there is the closest, the most profound and natural bond; nothing screens violence except lies. and the only way lies can hold out is violence. Whoever has announced violence as his method must inevitably choose lies as his principle... The simple act of an ordinary courageous man is not to take part, not to support the lies! Let the lie come into the world, even dominate the world, but not through me." Alexander Solzhenitsyn

A Vision For Growth

As a small group leader, it can be very easy to fall into the habit of looking only at your own group and to lose sight of how your group fits into the larger picture of the life of the church. I hope you noticed in my recent email how many groups we have started in the last two weeks. These new groups bring a new energy to our church and have made for an exciting two weeks. This "new life" makes it exciting as we realize that God is at work.

We should not resign ourselves to losing that momentum and excitement though. Often, we fall into the trap of thinking that this will only last for a moment, then everything will return to "normal." I want to call our small group leaders to accept a "new normal."

I believe we can perpetuate this sense of excitement and movement within our church, if we transform our thinking to envision our small groups birthing new groups on a regular basis. Each group should have the goal of seeing new leaders being raised up within the group, then those leaders starting a new Bible study group.

It is certainly harder to do in South Florida. Our core group of long-term South Florida residents is much smaller than in other areas, but that just means it should be easier for our groups to multiply because we are familiar with "releasing people" to go to other places. Instead of fixating on the sorrow of letting people leave, you should focus on the satisfaction in seeing God raise up new leaders within your group, knowing that God used you to help them mature.

Some of the most fun I experienced in small group ministry was as a small group leader at Wedgwood in Fort Worth, TX. In the four years I attended, our Young Married department birthed another department with three classes and another 3 classes within our department.

So what do you need to do to start this process?

1. Make sure your attitude is one of wanting to raise up and release new leaders, not hoard group members. Unfortunately, leaders sometimes feel threatened if people leave the group. Our God is big enough to send new people, so don't fret when a person or couples leave to start a new group.
2. Pray for God to raise up new leaders from your group. Matthew 9:28 tells us to ask God to raise up laborers, so this is where we start. As the discipleship pastor, I ask people to lead. I ask because I observe a level of maturity in their life, but you are in a better position than I am to do this. You get to see how God works through each person in your group each week. Pray for God to show you who He may want to call out to lead.
3. Give away some teaching responsibilities to group members. Give away a section of the study or have the person guide the group through a question from the study. This gives them a chance to put their teaching skills to work, while you can observe how they do in a teaching environment.
4. Ask people to substitute for you when you are out to give them a chance to lead. When you come back, quietly ask others how the person did. You may discover your new leader through this opportunity.
5. Suggest they step up and be a co-leader. Start sharing the burden of leadership. This will lighten your load and equip the new leader for the next step.
6. Finally, if you have navigated a person to this point, its time to consider starting a new group. There are several ways the new group can start, the point I want you to consider for now is that you can see a person you have been grooming to lead now being ready to lead.

A great blog about multiplying groups is found here.

I hope you will catch a vision for developing new leaders from your own group to start new groups. One of the greatest measures of success for a small group leader is how many new leaders you develop from your own teaching ministry. I personally cannot think of a greater joy than knowing God has used me to equip others to teach God's word.