Bloggophobia?

Will my blog implode if I click on the new version? Why am I petrified to switch? Insecurity? Ignorance? Fear of change? Boy there's a phrase I never thought I say about myself. I wonder if God uses our techno-insecurities to keep us humble? About the time I feel cocky about my outstanding Power Point artistry, I get crushed by fear of clicking on the wrong thing. Go figure? Fear of clicking! Sounds like the makings of a new racy novel or movie. What about a mystery like Clicking On the Orient Express, or maybe that bone chilling blood-splattering Silence of the Clicks? Before you know it there will be the TV series Law and Clicking and the sitcom Two and A-Half Clicks. Then CNN will come out with Clicking: 24/7. The only thing more frightening will be the Dr. Phil daily special "You Can Master Your Click". Soon clicking will be essential for salvation!!!!

I digress! All I really meant to do with this blog is introduce to any readers who care, the new logo for our musical production this June. The Lord of the Parables is going to be a lot of fun. We had our first "are you interested" meeting and over 100 applications were picked up. I had to print up some more. We have twenty-three songs on this play. They are Broadway and oldies parodies, and some awesome praise songs. Dates are June 7, 8, 9, & 10. Come and see it if you can.

I wonder if I could write a musical....The Sound of Clicking? It could happen!

Splashing In The Shallows

We accidentally clicked onto a TV program where three people of questionable expertise and gender were critiquing the dress and accessories of the stars as they arrived at the Golden Globe Awards. Talk about "no-bodies" saying nothing, wow! How can a bunch of non-celebrities question the tastes of real celebrities who clearly have an audience and are marketable? No one in that group ever walked the red carpet to receive a national honor, yet they were experts on how stars should dress. They should at least have other celebrities doing the criticizing. Even sports commentators are usually ex-players or coaches who have "been there done that." For the few seconds we watched the show, all I could think of was "how shallow." One star wasn't wearing "her color" and another was wearing "too much jewelry." The only thing that amazed me more than the fact that anyone would care was that a group of anonymous no-bodies had TV time to air their opinions. But then again, I feel the same way when a movie celebrity presents themselves as an expert on politics. Notoriety in one area of life doesn't make one an expert in all areas of life. Stay where you're deep, thus avoiding being shallow.

All this just made me wonder if shallowness (if it's not a real word I just made it one) is subjective. I guess it has to be - you know, in the eye of the beholder, but isn't there a way to objectively know that something is indeed shallow? You have to exclude the mundane and the routine. There is nothing intrinsically deep about brushing your teeth, wishing you'd worn a different shirt, or trying to figure out were to go for lunch. But what about priorities? I know I've been shallow in my priorities at certain times of my life. Cars? Clothes? Sports? TV? Many etc...? Unless your livelihood depends on these, how important are they? The list is endless. Things that seem so important at the time, in retrospect, were a waste of energy, drive, and focus. Though it's nothing like it used to be, I still fight shallowness at times. Worrying about what someone thinks about me; "Are people going to remember I wore this last week?"; and wondering why the guy in the bathroom mirror has so much less hair than I do. Again, just to name a few. Maybe spending ten seconds wondering why some "no-bodies" are on TV is a slip into shallowness. I guess if I define shallowness as any waste of time, I might discover that there is a lot more shallowness in my life than there should be. Even Jesus said that worrying about food or clothing was a waste of time. How much does that convict us of shallowness? His remedy was to "seek first the kingdom of God." Loving God and loving one another is always deep.

I really hope you're happy!

In Westerhoff's levels of faith, he talked about "affiliative faith." It is a faith we have simply because of our desire to affiliate with certain people. People we like, agree with, or even family. We connect with them, agree with them, and have our faith supported by them. It's nice, even biblical to a point, but it's not an "owned faith." It's a faith of association, identification, and acceptance. Again, it's part of God's plan, because He wants us to be with folks who will encourage, edify, and equip us, but the goal is to have a faith that is our own - that is a personal walk with God. Look at Eph.4:11-16 again and the goal is clearly maturity, Christ-like, and the headship of Jesus.

I made the observation in a lesson yesterday while talking about Romans 1:16 (as part of a lesson on vs.8-17), that being ashamed of the gospel (i.e. being a Christian, Jesus, representing His point of view, etc.) is a good indication that our faith is affiliative rather than owned. How hard is it to have faith when you're around faithful people? How do you know that what you have is real faith? How do we know we have convictions and not co-dependency? I have struggled with this regularly through the years because I know how driven I am to be a people pleaser (yes kids, it's in your genes). When you are primarily around other Christians, and you want them to think highly of you, it gets easy to be driven by acceptance rather than a genuine Christ-likeness. If it is not real faith, we become like whoever we happen to be with at the time. On the other hand, if we do have an authentic faith, if we do sense His presence wherever and with whomever we are around - even when we are alone, then there is a consistency of life in our example, our witness, and our hearts. Can we truly say we are seeking Him if He is not the one we want to please - first? Authentic faith can only come from an authentic relationship with God and Jesus. If God is happy, God's people will be happy. Everyone else is a prospect.

The Purpose Drivel Church?

In my opinion, there is no tougher problem facing any congregation of people than being honest about their purpose as a church. I can't begin to estimate how many times through the years I have worked with my church leaders to hammer out a clear sense of direction. Through the years I've been part of focus groups, planning groups, goals setting groups, and dozens of elders retreats, meetings, and workshops - all trying to clarify what the church should be doing. There were several times when I had it figures out too! At least I thought I did, with the knowledge I had at the time. It's not as easy as it sounds. For one thing, church leaders are never objective. It's rare to find a leader who can step back, look at the big picture, and dump all the extra baggage of traditions, politics, and people-pleasing. For another thing, we assume that those who've gone before us have worked out the details of "What the church is and does" and our job is to simply develop the most efficient and effective way to carry it out. I remember how dumbfounded I was thirty-five years ago when I asked, "Why hasn't anyone wondered why worship IS NEVER described, used, or performed in the New Testament like we do it today?" How could the "most important thing we do" (at least traditionally) be so "undescribed" in the Bible? Well, you get the point hopefully, without me quoting chapters from one of my books. Those who went before us DID NOT WORK OUT ALL THE DETAILS - at least not always correctly. They weren't always "restoring" as much as they were adjusting.

Today, the last thing I want to do is hammer out a Mission Statement or create a new Vision for the church. I like God's. Building a church is not always the same thing as seeking God! We get it twisted around. It's not the big church that God is looking for but the big heart that seeks Him! It's not about the church! The church is a tool to help people develop a deeper relationship with Jesus! Anything that doesn't contribute to that, is a worldview church. At the risk of being repetitious, the church exists to facilitate the building of spiritual relationships. It was never in the plan of God that the church would become the Temple of the New Covenant. So I'll close this theological tantrum with two ignored or at least diminished principles that any child of God can place scriptures to.

1. A deeper relationship with Jesus comes from having deeper spiritual relationships with one another.

2. The best way to have a deeper relationship with Jesus is to help someone else have one.

The real question then becomes: How does the church help make this happen?

Ice and Nice

It was wonderful to have Elizabeth and Deborah with us for a couple days last week. They both managed to arrange for Dad's and Grannies to take care of their kids and come to St. Louis to do some serious scrapping with their mother. While I forced myself to not participate in said activity, I did join in when it came time to dine either in or out. It was really nice to spend some time visiting and not have the love-child distractions. Of course, we would love to have seen those precious grand children too, but like I always say, it doesn't matter how old they are, our kids are our kids, and it was great to share some special time with them. A huge "BRAVO" to Chad and Pat for making it possible! That was some serious marital investing!

While they were with us, we got hit by the ice storm that has been in the news for the last several days. A lot of our church family lost electricity, but fortunately we never lost ours. And, thank the Lord, the girls were able to drive home without any problems. As bad as it was, the ice on everything was quite beautiful at times. I took the picture of the cardinal from our back window. It's sitting in our backyard cherry tree. What an artist our God is!

God told me...

I know it scares people to hear a preacher (esp. in C of C) discuss God talking to them - personally, but we know/believe He answers prayer, so what makes us think He's trying to hide? I believe He talks to us through His Word, His people, and through godly thoughts. I find nothing in the Bible that says He can't or won't or doesn't put thoughts into our head. We have no problem believing Satan can! But I say that to make this point, when things of spiritual significance seem to be repeating themselves to us, could it be that God is trying to tell us something? When we pray and are patient, giving God time to speak to us, we often are surprised to see the same passage of scripture popping up, and others talking about the same topic, and our thoughts starting to clarify and focus on what the answer should be. Could this not be God's guidance? Is this one way He molds our spiritual maturity as He leads us from milk to meat? I think He does it all the time and would do it more if we were more sensitive to His presence and power in our life.

"Honest to God!" It's what some people say to support their veracity. It's probably disrepectful and flippant to say it, because no one knows if we are honest with God except us - and Him of course. I've been focusing a lot lately on talking with God (i.e. "Coffee With God" blog), because I have discovered that it's the ONLY way we truly have a relationship with Him and it's the most important way we increase our faith. It's how we develop a sense of His presence in our life - everywhere - all the time. BUT - it means NOTHING if we are not honest with Him, recognizing that He knows us better than we do, and He wants genuine love, faith, and seeking after Him.

One of the ways these things were brought together for me - by Him, was through the old story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). I see now that the lesson is not so much the story, but why He had to tell it. The guy talking to Jesus was interesting and sadly familiar. He was "an expert in the law" and he wanted to "inherit eternal life." Sounds like preacher or elder material to me! And when Jesus questioned him about what God was really after, HE GOT IT ALL RIGHT! He understood that it's all about loving Him and showing it by loving others! And Jesus told him to do it and live - thinking the conversation was over, but no! He wasn't being honest with Jesus. The Bible says, "But he wanted to justify himself," so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" It wasn't about seeking God! It wasn't about relationship building! It was about self-righteousness! Look at me! Aren't I amazing! Aren't I better than most religious folks?

On the short list of impossible things, we must add; Never play Charades with Jesus or God! If I could sit down and have coffee with God, and ask those most important questions about life and eternity, would I feel the need to "justify" myself. Not if I'm honest with Him. Not if I respect His omniscience and His desire to hold me tightly. To Him, my heart is like my wife's iced tea. He can see right through it. There is nothing to justify and every reason to glorify Him. An open heart and open lines of communication mean an honest relationship with our Father. Have you heard Him lately?

Seven in Seven?

This past Sunday I shared with my church family my personal goals for 2007. I called them "Seven in Seven" so it would be easier to remember them. They're not surprising, spectacular, or super spiritual. They are just simple common sense things that I need to remember as I build a deeper relationship with Jesus. In fact, that was the focus as I thought and prayed about these. Seeking Jesus is passionately wanting to know Him better, be closer to Him, and have a clear sense of His presence. We do that the same way we build any relationship - because we seek it - we work at making it happen. So here they are just in case you may be interested in trying these yourself.
1. Pray - 7 days a week (there is no relationship without communication so don't miss a day)
2. Read - 7 chapters of the Bible every week (at least - because we need listen to Him)
3. Encourage - 7 people every week (we draw closer to Him by helping others do the same)
4. Share Jesus - w/ 7 people this year (not set up Bible studies or baptize, but simply commit to helping 7 people have an opportunity to know Him and/or draw closer to Him)
5. Love myself - enough to live healthy, exercise, eat less, and lose weight = 7% (after all, our bodies are His temple and must glorify Him) Personally, I am committed to at least being in good enough shape to do the Race for the Cure 5k run in June.
6. Learn - read 7 inspirational books this year.
7. Relationship growth - 7 new friends (particularly church family folks I don't know like I would like to).

Granted, some of these I purposely place in the "do-able" range so others could and would join me. I talk to God all day every day and I always read more than 7 chapters of the Bible each week and 7 books a year. Still, I need to remember to be INTENTIONAL about building a deeper relationship with Jesus. 7 in 7 is not another checklist - but a way to remind myself and maybe help others. Have you got a plan?

Preachers Meetings?

In thirty-three years of full-time ministry I never wanted to go to a preachers meeting. In those early years, the only thing the area preachers talked about at their meetings was all the liberals who were "changing everything" and were leading the church down that "slippery slope" of destruction. I had better things to do. Besides, I was one of the "heretics" they were talking about. To be truly honest, there haven't been a lot of preachers that I admired and respected enough to want to meet with and share my ministry with. I've always had some "best friends" who were preachers and there have always been some incredible spiritual giants in ministry who I deeply appreciated, but they were few and far between. Unfortunately, a lot of the really good ones have left full-time church work because of - well I don't want to start down that road, but I would love to know how many of the dozens of guys I graduated with in 1974 from Harding (then College) are still in ministry. I have a sad feeling that there aren't many of us around.

I've said that to say this (how's that for a classic preacher transition?), I meet with a truly classy group of preachers here in St. Louis who have truly been a blessing to my life. There are about 18 or 20 of us who meet the first Thursday of each month during the school year. We spend time praising God, sharing our lives, and talking to our Father. I'm one of the "old guys" of the group (except for Coy of course - and Jerry Jones who comes when he can - really old guys!) and it's a joy to see the commitment, the compassion, and the seeking after Jesus that each of these men bring to the get-together. It's a wonderful church family of partners in the gospel. We're black and white, young and old(er), Christian church and C of C, large congregations and smaller congregations, from MO and IL, and all passionate about our Master. I confessed to them this week that every month I think about not going simply because I have so many "other things" to do, and then when I get with them I mentally smack my forehead and think, "Boy, I'm glad I came to this!" I think one of the best parts of the sharing is just reminding each other that we all have the same problems and struggles in ministry, and with God's help and a clear focus we can deal with anything. They are good men, and I am thankful for their friendship, their prayers, and their work for Jesus. As the years pass by, we will start hearing more people moan about the shortage of preachers and young people preparing to preach. I've been saying that for years. But for now, I want everyone to know that there are some truly amazing servants of God in our churches. Men who are desperately seeking a closer relationship with our Father and who passionately want to lead others to His Son. I thank God for each of them and thank Him for letting me get to know some of them.

Thank you for another year.

Dear Father,

Another year has ended - another gift from you has been used up. Thank you sweet Father for giving me 365 more chances to draw closer to you, to serve and glorify you. Forgive me for being so slow and so selfish. Forgive me for the years that I spent trying to impress others over you. Forgive me for the years that I took for granted and spent them like cheap tickets to a carnival ride. Thank you for being so patient and forgiving. For letting me run back to you from the pig pen over and over. Thank you for the ring that represents my life with your servant Donna for thirty-four years; thank you for the robe of family that covers me with love and wonderful times of togetherness; thank you for the sandals of service that take me in your Son's steps and keep my feet beautiful because of the message I get to share; and then, there's that calf that represents - not a sacrifice, because forgiveness was already given, but taking care of my every physical need. Forgive me for enjoy it too much. Thank you for finding us a home at Florissant. It's been two years since we arrived, immediately feeling incredibly loved and needed - wounded far more than we realized - but thrilled to be with a family so deeply in love, so united, and so happy in Jesus. Thank you for leading us to good men with true shepherd hearts. Please, please protect them from political thinking and power grabbing. Keep us all humble and prayerful. Thank you for answering so many prayers for our family and friends. Thank you for a good heart catheter last week, but even more, thank you for giving me a clean heart, with no secrets and no pretending, just an honest desire to know you more. May I do my part in making 2007 glorify you in every way possible. May our plans be your plans. Help me to be a living sacrifice to you 365 days or whatever days you decide to give me. I love you and long to be like my brother Jesus. Help me to do a better job in '07 than I have in the past. Help my life to be all about Him for there is still salvation in no other name under heaven. Jesus! Amen!

Seek Or Swim!

Have you ever tried to figure out why we do such a terrible job of fighting sin? When I think back through my spiritual journey, one of the biggest puzzles for me personally, is why I was such an awful warrior for God. Please don't think I'm saying that I've arrived and that I have totally conquered sin. Far from it! I just understand it now. I understand why I did such a pitiful job of winning the sin battles and why it seemed to be the same battles over and over. The truth is, I wasn't fighting for God - I wasn't HIS warrior, I was fighting for me not him! The other night in a Bible class, I asked the question (from Psalms 101:4) "Why is it so hard for us to hate sin?" While there are loads of ways to look at it, the biggest problem is that we're fighting an unwinable battle and we know it! It's unwinable because we are fighting sin without seeking God! Anything we do, or try to do, that is not connected to and motivated by our desire to draw closer to God, is simply an act of self-righteousness.

Our primary motivation in life is receiving approval and acceptance from those we value. It starts with our parents and then broadens to include family, friends, students, co-workers, neighbors, and church people, to name a few. Since they determine our value, being "good" is defined by what we think they are looking for before they anoint us with that tag or any other spiritual appellation (i.e. faithful, dedicated, spiritual, righteous enough to serve communion or appoint as elder). So we fight sin to be good, to convince others we're good, and even to feel good about ourselves. But we fail most of the time, so we learn to cover sin up, to replace the obvious with the secret - the hide-able, the closet kind of sin. We don't do the "biggies" just the socially acceptable sins, the - you're-okay-because-you-haven't-brought-reproach-on-the-church-sins. You know, like pride, greed, anger, and selfishness - to name a few. And don't get me wrong - we have some victories! We grow out of some things - Praise the Lord! We lose the desire for some sins - finally. But most of the time we feel guilty, hypocritical, and empty. All the "good acts" and all the back pats in the world don't really make you feel fulfilled and at peace. All the approval and acceptance of all the good church people in our life doesn't do what a genuine relationship with the Father can do. He didn't call us to be approved and accepted by others! He didn't call us to be called good! He didn't tell us to fight sin! Well, yes He did tell us to do all those things - JUST NOT FIRST AND FOREMOST. What He wants and has wanted from the beginning - what He clearly tells us is the secret to all the other things - is to seek Him! Long for Him! Draw close to Him! Hunger for a relationship with Him! When that is our deepest desire, we stop being the Lone Ranger of sin fighting. Seeking Him changes our motivations, our goals, and our desires. Seeking Him means that we are working from the inside out not the outside out! Trying to be righteous without seeking a relationship with God is phony faith and shallow fellowship. Others may say we're good, but maybe it's good for nothing!

Just think about it! Where did we get the innate urge to be accepted, wanted, and desired? Is it surprising that we want what God wants? He's just waiting for us to want Him as much as He wants us! SEEKING HIM simply means that we set our hearts on knowing Him and as we know Him, we seek to please Him! Seeking is the bottom line! It's what He is looking for in the heart of every person! To seek Him is to believe in Him, and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Ever wonder how David, with all his sins, mistakes, and short-comings could be "a man after God's own heart?" In his heart he was seeking God! At times he got distracted and forgot who he loved the most, but when he remembered ( or was reminded), he turned to God with a passion that God wants to see in everyone of us.

It's not like we haven't known this all along. It's not a secret. It really is that simple. We've always known that relationships don't "just happen". They have to be sought, built, and cherished. That's what God wants. Quit seeking to be good. Seek to know and love God, and he'll take care of the good. No one knows "good" like He does!

Go Chad!

Okay, I'm pretty proud of some of my surprise gifts. I remember an opal ring I secretly bought for Donna thirty-something years ago when we didn't have two nickels to rub together and we owed the in-laws an arm and a leg. I wanted it for her and she still wears it and shows it, and receives compliments regularly for it. Then there was the twenty-fifth anniversary diamond ring to add to the puny little engagement thing I bought her while we were still in college. The new one had several nice diamonds to surround the sentimental speck I gave here in '71. And how about that surprise 30th anniversary trip to Disney World for four days? If you know Donna, you know she'd take that over a diamond any day. It's her favorite place in the world! We had a wonderful four day adventure at the four kingdoms of Disney and she literally wore me out going to so many things. Of Course my favorite was the custom made necklace I had made for her that year too. A white gold replica of an old pop-top from a soda can. It has precious stones on it to represent different things, but most of all I knew she'd love telling the story to anyone who asked her about the strange meaning behind it. It had to do with how we got engaged and she has told the story hundreds of times. To quote Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:1 (NAS of course) "Nevertheless"- (it's my favorite word since it follows "It's good for a man to not touch a woman.") nevertheless, I must pronounce that my son-in-law Chad has given the ultimate gift to my daughter Elizabeth. He had all her blogs, pictures and all, made into a book as a keepsake and to honor her wonderful words of wisdom, sharing, and love. It's beautiful, and yes guys - romantic! It means he must turn in his camo at once! Not! It was a wonderfully thoughtful gift, and something that will bring joy to her, their family and friends, and anyone who sees it, for lots of years. Good job Chad! I say it a lot, though maybe not to them, but Pat, Chad, and Holly are three incredible people who have blessed our family in so many ways. The law says they are my sons and daughter in-law, but I say they're my kids, just like the three they married and I thank God every day for answering our prayers and bringing them into our lives.

It IS a wonderful life!

There hasn't been time to add to my blog pile in the past week. We had an early Christmas in Nashville last Friday so the grand kids could have Christmas with the in-laws. It's tough sharing! It was wonderful to be with our family, minus Jonathan and Holly of course, who couldn't leave NY due to "professional demands." It's nice to be on Broadway, but "the show must go on" is not just a catchy slogan - it's a business reality. So, we missed them a lot, but our "show must go on" too, and it did. As usual, we were blessed through giving, and honored by receiving. Mostly, we saw again how much we have to be thankful for. Thanks to our Father for another chance to be together and have safe travel. Thanks to everyone for the well-thought-out-gifts. Thanks to Carter for letting us have his bed. Thanks to Chad and Elizabeth for sharing your house and making a special trip to have coffee for me. Thanks to Ashlyn for sweet kisses and smiles. Thanks to Pat and Deborah for hosting Christmas, fixing an awesome Christmas dinner, and (to Pat) for not over cooking the venison on the grill. Ummm! Thanks to Joshua and Caleb for the pocket knife and Wet-Wipes! I've needed both on many occasions. Thanks to Mamaw and Papaw for driving all the way from Searcy to share Christmas with us. Even if you left your gifts (accidently) at home, you were the best gift we could all have been given. God is good to allow us to have so many wonderful memories.

Parables and Movies

In a couple of weeks I plan to present a lesson on the Prodigal son. I love that parable! I love the picture of the father looking for his son, hoping he'll return, and looking for the opportunity to forgive him. The irony of the parable is that it's really not about the wayward son, and as much as I love the description of God as the father, he's not the focus either. The context seems to show that it was about the older brother, the one who truly didn't know his father or realize what a wonderful relationship he was missing out on - even though he stayed home. Jesus was trying to help the religious leaders realize their detachment from God. They were the older, self-righteous brother, and they needed to get past good works and move toward a deep relationship with the Father. I thought of this as I watched Lord of the Rings this past weekend. Yes, all three, mostly late evening, and even some of the special features. It's the second time since seeing them at the movies, and I'm finally starting to understand most of it, or at least get the names straight. You know what? You don't have to understand everything or even remember the names of everyone to appreciate the wonderful message of friendship. I love the growing relationship between the Fellowship of the Ring. I love the emphasis on loyalty, courage, and sacrifice. When you watch it looking for all the unselfish acts of friendship, it becomes an amazing portrait of commitment and love. I'd use some examples if I could remember the names, not to mention spell them correctly. What does this have to do with the Prodigal Son? I think the argument could be made that The Lord of the Rings is not about Frodo, the carrier of the ring, but about Sam, whose friendship and loyalty was totally unbreakable. There are several times in the movies when I find myself getting teary eyed, but when Sam tells, Mr. Frodo "I can't carry the ring, but I can carry you" and he proceeds to carry him up that mountain - well, it gives me chills just thinking about it.

I thank God for the good friends He has given me through the years. There have been many who I know would carry me up the hill, and many I would carry or die trying. That's an awesome blessing. What more could anyone hope for in life than to have a loving family and loyal friends? It's especially wonderful when that friendship includes our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. That's a ring of fellowship that will last a lot longer than this life.

The Nativity

If you're looking for a telling of the nativity story that compares to the church children's plays you've seen, prepare yourself for a shock. This is a wonderful movie. It's powerful, accurate, and emotional without being "Hollywood". They did a marvelous job of being culturally and historically accurate and they did a great job of providing a balance between being too "stone age ancient" with the poor country folks and too glittery with Herod and his palaces. The best part of the experience for me was seeing and feeling the struggle and turmoil that Joseph and Mary went through. They were real people with real doubts and real challenges. The actors were amazingly believable. Not super-spiritual giants, but simple Jewish towns people trying to survive in a harsh world. I found it to be very emotional. Legal eagles will find stuff to pick at and continue the smug elitist grumbling that "It's the death and resurrection that counts not his birth." But, I'm not sure it didn't take as much sacrifice and submission to leave heaven and take the form of a poor carpenters son as it did to go to the cross 33 years later. You can't have the ending if there's not a beginning. The spirit and power of the story transcends the timeline problems and the traditional number of wise men. Two simple people struggling to obey God when they don't understand all that's happening is more meaningful and relevant than any movies that will ever come out of Hollywood. And this isn't a fantasy. If you're overwhelmed by how God could love us so much, this movie will truly touch you. If it's just about seeing another Christmas story, stick to the church children's play.

Thirty-Four!

This picture was taken tonight after a wild night of partying and eating too much! Well, at least we did eat too much at Longhorn's Steak House. Today is our thirty-fourth anniversary! I can't remember what the precious stone or metal is that symbolizes thirty-four. Right now I think it's Tums. And by the way, yes we were only five years old when we got married in 1972. Actually it was a cold and snowy evening, and we'd both taken two finals at Harding that day. We laughed tonight about leaving for our honeymoon with $60 and a gas credit card. Our honeymoon consisted of a two day trip from Searcy to Washington, D.C. to spend Christmas with my family. We still had a year and a half of college to finish and we'd have starved to death if my sweet in-laws hadn't let us eat with them so much. God is good. Besides, thirty-four years wasn't THAT long ago. In fact, I'm still making payments on college loans for Harding University. Some things never change. (Boy I hope that's not true!) Also, I don't think I had such a huge forehead back in '72. But how about that good looking girl-friend? She still looks awesome!

Coffee With God?

Wouldn't you love to sit down and have coffee with God? Some might think of it as blasphemy, but I've been wondering what I'd ask God if I could have an open discussion with Him and receive some clear and immediate answers. It's not like I don't talk to Him, and it's not as if He doesn't respond - and "NO" I'm not talking about still voices in the night or writings on the wall. He answers through His Spirit who helps us understand His Word. He sends others to teach and share things with me (even if they thought it was their idea), and He gives wisdom and understand as we pray for it (remember James 1). I do know a little something about what the Bible teaches. Not enough, but enough to know He's given me enough. Still, if I could just sit and interact with Him, and ask those questions that, well, even if I know the answers, I'd love to hear Him say "You're right." It'll happen - if it's up to me, about three seconds after my travel angel drops me off in heaven. And there has to be good coffee in heaven. None of that fancy, foamy, frew-frew stuff. A mild "heavenly blend" of coffee that won't give bad breath or brown teeth. But I digress. What WOULD I ask if I could, right now, sit and have coffee with God? I'm actually thinking that I'd like to write a ficticious (dah!) telling of the event. Would it be presumptuous to say what I think He would say? Can I talk for God? I hope so. Several hundred brethren are paying me a salary to do that every week - several times throughout the week! But I mean, really making it the "voice of God," the final word, the ultimate answer! Would it be disrepectful to think of God in a three-button Henley, and maybe a "SAINTS" baseball cap, sitting at a cafe table, with me, talking about what He really wants, what we've really missed, and what He really has in store for us? What would He say? What would you ask? What are the real meaty things that it would be wonderful to hear God clarify, simplify, and explain? Every time I have an open forum Q & A the same three questions are always asked. It's always something about divorce, instrumental music, and the role of women in the church. When I think of addressing those to God over coffee I feel - shame. Shame, because I can see His sad eyes saying, "Do you really think these are the biggest problems you have?" I feel like it would sound like that "resounding gong or a clanging cymbal" He talked about in 1 Corinthians 13. These things are not unimportant, they're just not the stuff I need on the table with our coffee mugs. Why do I sense that all the questions would well up in my throat and get stuck? Maybe it's because the only question that counts is the one He will ask. He smiles, looks into my watery eyes and asks, "Do you love Me?" And my heart leaps with joy - not fear. Joy that he didn't ask me that thirty years ago - twenty, well, ten, and that He didn't ask me that back in my "I'm right, let's debate" days, and joy that He gave me so many opportunities to trust Him and draw close to Him, be healed by Him and, most of all, be His child and be His Son to others who needed to see Him. My heart leaps with joy because the answer is "YES" - I know it's "yes" and He knows it's "yes"and that's all He ever wanted from me. And the voice of God said, "Well then, pass the sugar."

Almost Show Time!

I'm ready to announce for anyone who is interested or who needs to plan their entire 2007 calendar. The 2007 flourishing musical is done! I finished writing it last week and all the music is chosen and being rewritten by me, yea verily this day. Anyone who attended "Fiddling On the Ark" or who saw the DVD version will know that this is a huge event at flourishing and we had a full house every night! The best part was the 300 plus families that we were able to follow up with and place on our mailing list. I fully expect this next year's production to be even bigger, more entertaining, and reach far more people. After all, we had nearly a couple thousand people see it live and probably ten times that now have seen the DVD. I'm planning to add at least one more nights performance and maybe have members attend the dress rehearsal so they can help with greeting, parking, ushering, and such the four nights of the play. So, here it is: The Lord of the Parables: The Trilogy! Right now we have 23 songs planned, but that may change, plus or minus one or two, depending on need. The stories will be The Good Samaritan (in Broadway musical style), The Ten Maidens (using oldies R&R songs), and The Prodigal Son (primarily praise songs). It will be a mixture of instrumental and acappella songs. I could tell you more, but I haven't even told the flourishing family yet, so I better wait until we kick off the prep work next month. So, if you want to see it live, mark down June 7, 8, 9, &10. No reservations or tickets required, but I predict a real challenge in seating all who want to come. Last June we filled up our seating each night, as mentioned, but what I didn't mention was that it was ALL WORD OF MOUTH! We did very little advertising and the post response was awesome. We'll add a couple hundred chairs and extra night and see what happens. Can't wait! Can you picture the five foolish maidens as The Supremes and the wise maidens as The Andrews Sisters? I can - aint it scary?

A Healthy Discussion

We had another discussion at yesterday's preachers meeting about healthy churches. I like it! I am so excited to see us finally shift our focus in church growth from numbers to spiritual health. At a time when there's more church-hopping and style seeking than real relationship building, how can anyone define "church success" by large, medium, or small, as if they were talking about pizzas instead of living bodies of believers. Most church folks still pick congregations like they were shopping for curtains or, and maybe more appropriately, the newest DVD. Church is all about "what I like," "what I need," or "what really makes going to church enjoyable." If we happen, by the shear number of times attending, to get close to someone and develop a good friendship, well - that's just icing on the cake. Thus church success is defined by how many we attract and hold, and church health is defined by how many people are in an uproar about something. As much as I love church health over church growth, I am still troubled why how quickly we equate health with happiness. We joke about troublemakers, brainstorm about including the left-out, and worry about how the next change is going to be received by Pre-War, Post-War, Baby Boomer, Gen Xers, Me Gen, Old Folks, Power Hungry, the New Members, the still Dead, the Wild Ones, etc., etc., so forth and so on! Wait a second! Spiritual health is not about numbers, or labels, or being mega or mini, or being free from conflict. Symptoms? Maybe! Spiritual health is faithfulness! Faithfulness, the kind that is not about image management, is a relationship with Jesus! There is no relationship with Jesus without a deep prayer life, because it is a relationship based on faith and prayer is the single most important act of faith in our life. So what is church health? Jesus! He's not a topic or a course of study - He's Lord, Master, sovereign, friend, and imitating Him is the goal of every child of God. Church health is a body of believers totally focused on HIM! It's a praying church! A compassionate church! A group of givers not receivers, which makes assembly style and ministry organization insignificant supports! Of course, if health is all about Jesus, then love will be what defines any congregation as belonging to Him. The next time I'm asked, "What is a healthy church," whether it's a preachers meeting or group of children, my answer will be: Any group of believers that Jesus would point to and say, "They're mine!" The question is not what we think, but what does He think! Here's to your health!

"It's Beginning To Look A lot Like Christmas"

See - we really did put our tree up. Okay, so it was several days after I said we were going to put it up, but at least it was in the same week. We still didn't get the outside lights up. I'm not sure when the ice on the house will melt enough to allow us to attach all the lights. Maybe we'll just bask in the glow of our neighbors extensive light show. It's just a few feet across the street and if we open our blinds up, it almost looks like their lights are in our yard. Alright! That'll work - at least until we get some warmer temperatures. Anyway - the tree is up - though bare of wrapped gifts, and the stocking are hung on the window with care. It's safer than the fireplace! I'm sure it will just be a matter of time before all the "things" tucked away in all the closets up stairs get wrapped and placed under the tree. Maybe there will be one with my name on it!????

Snowed In But Power On!

It was so wonderful to wake up this morning in a warm house. Nearly all the houses in Florissant and surrounding areas are without power and the temps are in the teens. They're talking about 4 to 5 days before all the power will be restored. We lost our power for eight days back in July, but it's a lot easier to relax and stay cool in July than to get warm in bitter temperatures. These pictures make it look like a light snow, but under that four inches of snow is about two inches of ice and its the ice that is bringing down power lines, even while they are still repairing the first lines that came down. We also lost power at the church building and had some serious damage in the office area - the new office area - from water leaking through the roof. What makes is even more weird is that on Wednesday it was in the upper 60's and had been for most of the week prior to that. Of course, the toughest part is that it's too cold and the roads are too nasty - to go hunting! Just kidding! Sort of! Actually I'm so sore from shoveling snow and scraping the layer of ice off the driveway that I can hardly move. Hmmm - didn't use to do that to me.