Using God for Gain

Our church is currently in the middle of a series in the book of Malachi entitled "What People are Saying." Constantly throughout the book, God tells His people that He knows what they are saying - and why they are saying it. In chapter 2, God deals directly with the priests who are failing to give glory to His name. They are misrepresenting God to the people. And yet, at the solemn feasts, these same priests still take the choice parts of the animals sacrificed for their own livelihood. One of those choice parts is the maw (or stomach). It doesn't sound very appetizing to me, but then again, I pour hot sauce on everything I eat - so I'm probably not a very good judge. Apparently, before you can eat the stomach, you must clean it out thoroughly because it has refuse in it. In Malachi 2:3, God tells the priests that He will spread the refuse (from the sacrifices) on their faces. It's as if God is saying, "This is how you are causing people to think of me." The priests used their status and position to get what they wanted, and did not care how the people viewed God. It reminds me that as a pastor, I must always present God for who He really is. When Moses struck the rock (Numbers 20), instead of speaking to it as God commanded, he misrepresented God before the people and paid a terrible price. We are all called to give glory to God's name and the best way to do that is to show the unchurched who God really is. When people come to us with real problems, they need us to introduce them to a real God.

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Little Like Me

I know I blog an awful lot about my kids, but isn't it amazing how God refreshes our thinking vicariously through the experiences of our children? A few days ago, my son (excited about his Christmas toys) asked, "Daddy, do you want to play with me?" I told him I did and the next words he spoke were profound - "Daddy, you'll have to become little like me." In his mind, I couldn't truly have fun with him unless I was little like he was. What does that remind you of? Matthew 18:2-3 says, "Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." True faith is childlike in its simplicity and that is what the world cannot comprehend. My brother-in-law is a gamer and asked me to get on YouTube and do a search for XBox 360 - Project Natal. I was intrigued by what I saw because in the near future, gamers will no longer need controllers to play games. The game system will be able to recognize body movements - making controllers obsolete. How is it that R&D scientists can invent technology that will allow us to move our hands and feet to control a video game, but we have a hard time believing that an omniscient intelligent designer (God) can create the universe and order everything in it? Evolutionists will not allow themselves to think like children, even though science mimics the creation process. How big is our God? The bigger He is, the littler we all must become.

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Going Primal

Nineteen months ago I went to The White House for the National Day of Prayer and thoroughly enjoyed hearing President Bush speak (for the last time as president) on the importance of prayer. I invited a pastor friend to go with me and afterwards he suggested going to a coffeehouse near Union Station called Ebenezers. He told me about a creative pastor named Mark Batterson and hoped we would get a chance to meet him. I must admit, I had never heard of Mark but he sounded like someone I could appreciate. As it turned out, Mark Batterson was available and took time to talk with us. He was very gracious and answered all our questions. My friend asked me if I had read Mark's book, In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day, to which I said no. One week later I knew why he raved about it so much. After getting my own copy I devoured it within a few days. How could Mark ever hope to best In a Pit and his last publication, Wild Goose Chase . . . by going primal. Primal - A quest for the lost soul of Christianity just came out and all I can say is "unbelievable!" Mark Batterson was already a good writer, but Primal proves that he has matured into a great writer. In Primal, Mark takes us on a journey down the stairs in The Church of San Clemente in Rome, and backwards through the portals of time to a place where Christianity is raw and untamed. He invites the reader to rediscover the wonder of who God is, and helps us to understand how we can know the Creator of the universe in new and more meaningful ways. For me personally, I appreciate Mark's transparency about his own Christian walk and his honesty to admit what most pastors are afraid to - namely that there are times when God seems silent. There are times when pastors walk in the wilderness too. The important thing is not to stay there and Primal is a great book for helping Christians renew their love relationship for God and His Word. If you are looking for a great read this Christmas, I would highly recommend Mark Batterson's Primal. If it hasn't hit your local bookstore yet, you can find it by going to RandomHouse.com. Have a Merry Christmas.

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Thoughts from the Festival of Marriage

It might seem strange that I am blogging about the annual Festival of Marriage (FOM) from nearly two weeks ago, but it has taken that long to digest much of what happened there in Ocean City. First, all of our workshops were well attended and we thank God for that. Some couples even brought chairs from other rooms to attend. We can prepare the material and pray for God's blessings - but He is the One who gives the increase. This was our third year teaching for LifeWay and we appreciate the professionalism of Mark Satterfield and the event staff. All we had to do is show up and minister to the couples, and there were a lot of couples in need. As a pastor, when I counsel, there are usually opportunities to see the end result, but at these conferences we have to have faith that the couples we train will follow through, using the new tools in their marriage toolbox. FOM is an incredibly fulfilling and powerful event that leaves you in amazement days (and even weeks) after it is over. As we said last year, there is no way of knowing how many years the Lord will allow us to continue teaching at FOM. So until the invitations stop, we will seek to impact as many couples as we can.

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Not Ashamed to Beg

On Thursday we will leave for Ocean City, Maryland to teach at the Festival of Marriage(FOM) for LifeWay. This is the third year that we have been asked to lead workshops for FOM and we don't take the privilege lightly. One of the realities that keeps us grounded is knowing that these workshops could make the difference with couples who are about to call it quits. The last time we were in OC, we spent nearly as much time counseling between workshops as teaching. Couples are hurting and marriages are in danger of falling apart. So this is a begging blog. Since you are reading this, won't you please take a few minutes and pray for those couples coming to FOM? Crystal and I need your prayers for strength to teach in the power of God's Holy Spirit. Powerless teaching is not an option because the kids of these couples will ultimately suffer if their parents can't make it work. So add us to your prayer list. Everyone is busy, and you might not have much time - but if you can't give minutes to pray, we'll take whatever moments you can spare. Just throw us a bone. Thanks.

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Like Pulling Teeth

Last week I went to the orthodontist to have a tooth extracted. Believe it or not, it was a baby tooth that did not have a permanent tooth underneath - so it just sat there for all these years. Before the extraction, I asked my tormentor if the tooth really had to come out. The pain I experienced a couple of days before had subsided a little, so maybe pulling it was unnecessary. He told me that I could deal with the problem now with minimal pain, or come back later when it would be excruciating. I opted for minimal pain. Problems are a lot like a bad tooth. If you deal with them quickly, there will be discomfort but soon things begin to heal. If you wait too long, problems never go away - they always get worse. It may seem like there is peace for awhile but the infection is still there under the surface, ready to come back with a vengeance. Are you putting off dealing with something because you know there will be conflict? Are you resisting having a talk with that person who really needs it? Don't! In the end you are only prolonging their handicap. Deal with it now and learn whatever lessons God has for you. It may be like pulling teeth, but trust me, you'll be glad you did.

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Faking It

I believe God is leading our church into greater depths of authenticity, which is why we are starting our Fake message series this Sunday. Over the next several weeks we will be taking a hard look at things in society that are fake - religion, friends and finances. But perhaps the most difficult thing that we will examine is the fakeness found in ourselves. As I see it, this is what is missing in our churches today. How could that ragtag band of believers in Acts 2 stay in prayer for ten days waiting on the Holy Spirit? Where did that passion come from? I believe it came out of the authenticity of their relationship with Jesus. We are living in the last days and there should be a sense of urgency in the church about reaching lost people with the gospel. But we will never have a corporate sense of urgency in our churches if individual members (and pastors) are not willing to find what's fake in their lives and trade it for truth. Don't be fake!

When you have time, read Matthew 7:21-23

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