Just Thinking Out Loud.....

I've Moved!

2006-05-25T09:36:00.000-04:00

I have moved to my own site. You can now find me HERE.

Please update your links and bookmarks.

Groundbreaking Ceremony

2006-05-24T10:24:00.000-04:00

These are pictures from the ceremonial groundbreaking for our new church building that took place on May 7th.

The first picture is of our elders. The man with the shovel is Roger Shriver, who has served as an elder the longest -- he helped build the building we're currently meeting in.

The second picture is of the congregation (actually, about half the congregation) standing around the outline of the center part of the new building, which will contain the foyer and the offices. One of our elders went about 25 feet up on a hydraulic lift to take that picture.

It's exciting! The building should be completed by March or April of next year.

Tigers!

2006-05-23T09:23:00.000-04:00

I know its still early, but...

How 'bout them Tigers!

Best record in baseball, winners of 10 of their last 11, and a pitching staff that has already thrown 9 shutouts!

Now, let's just hope they can keep it going through the summer. Maybe, just maybe it will be a season similar to This One.

Me Church update

2006-05-18T12:19:00.000-04:00

Thanks for your comments on Me Church.

Patrick Mead has written an excellent piece on his blog that relates to what I wrote.

Read it HERE.

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Me Church

2006-05-16T09:32:00.000-04:00

What is it about some church members who think that the local church exists for THEM? Their attitude is "What have you done for ME lately?" instead of "What can I do to serve? What can I do to help? How can I contribute? How can I serve?"

These are the people who get all bent out of shape when things don't go their way. They get upset and threaten to leave (and often do) if you don't pay enough attention to them and don't visit them often enough. If they miss a Sunday or two and no one calls or visits, they accuse the church of not caring for them.

Some church leaderships make a mistake by coddling these people, instead of confronting their self-centered attitude. When a person like this leaves our congregation to attend elsewhere, I am usually relieved. Nine times out of ten, the church will be stronger and healthier when they're gone.

Am I off-base here? What can be done about these selfish malcontents? How should church leadership respond to them? How would Jesus respond to them?

Here's a Great Video on the subject.

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Spirit-Filled Worship

2006-05-12T14:03:00.000-04:00

One thing that I just love about the Pastors of Excellence program is the daily worship. It is wonderful, God-honoring, Christ-centered, Spirit-filled, and life-changing. During Wedesday's time of worship, I found myself in tears for most of it (and I'm someone who does not cry easily).

Being a preacher, it is sometimes hard to really let go and give my all in worship. If I raised my hands, or shed a tear, or got down on my knees..... well, let's just say that the folks would have more to talk about after church than where they're going to go eat!

Also, I'm usually thinking about the sermon I'm going to preach, and am not able to focus like I should (which is no one's fault but mine). And then, it is hard to really worship when we sing songs like "Camping in Canaan's Land" -- which have little or nothing to do with praising and adoring God.

That's why those times of worship this week were so meaningful. But then I think, why should we have to settle for mediocre, bland, irrelevant, just-going-through-the-motions worship? Its a struggle my wife and I live with every week. But it really hit me between the eyes after the times of worship at P.O.E.

While listening to a worship song on the computer this morning, I told my wife, "I want Chris Tomlin to be our worship leader!"

Great Video

2006-05-11T15:22:00.000-04:00

Check it out HERE.

;-)

Pastors of Excellence

2006-05-08T22:08:00.000-04:00

I'm having a good, but very busy week. I was nominated and chosen to participate in the Pastors of Excellence program at Ashland Theological Seminary and the first retreat is this week. The program lasts two years and consists of 5 retreats and several other activities. It's just started, but has already been great. I'm beginning to 'bond' with my small group (we will be going through the entire two years together, so we will get to know one another very well).

I've also had the opportunity to connect with an old friend and mentor, Mark Frost, who is also in the program. Mark and I are rooming together. He is the Preaching Minister and an elder for the Trenton Church of Christ. My wife and I attended the Trenton Church when we were first married, and Mark served as a great example of what a minister should be.

I will try to have more to say about the program later this week.

Bob Seger

2006-05-02T11:52:00.000-04:00

I was listening to a Bob Seger CD the other day, and I got to thinking about what an amazing songwriter and artist he is. I think he has been overlooked/underrated, while artists like Bruce Springsteen have been overrated (don't get me wrong, I like Springsteen -- well, except for stuff like This -- I just don't think Seger has received the respect he deserves). As one fan said, "He wrote about Lucy Blue, Chicago Green, Already Eddie and other characters long before Springsteen created Crazy Janey and her mission man. His songs, he thinks, reflect a certain morality... 'what happens when you do it wrong and when you do it right." Thankfully, he finally made it into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

I had these thoughts when I was listening to "The Fire Inside." Check out a sampling of the lyrics:

"Now the hour is late and he thinks you’re asleep
You listen to him dress and you listen to him leave
Like you knew he would
You hear his car pull away in the street
Then you move to the door and you lock it when
He’s gone for good

Then you walk to the window and stare at the moon
Riding high and lonesome through a starlit sky
And it comes to you how it all slips away
Youth and beauty are gone one day
No matter what you dream or feel or say
It ends in dust and disarray

Like wind on the plains, sand through the glass
Waves rolling in with the tide
Dreams die hard and we watch them erode
But we cannot be denied
The fire inside"

Now that's good stuff! I wish Seger would put his songs on iTunes. I own most of his stuff, but there are a few songs I would buy if they were available. He's supposed to be releasing a new CD this year.

Any other Seger fans out there?

Easter

2006-04-16T21:53:00.000-04:00

This is my bulletin article for today, Easter Sunday.....

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The darkness was thick. So thick you could feel it. Death was empowered. Despair ruled the day. Evil smiled and Hell rejoiced.

The Light had been extinguished.

His plan – so daring and carefully planned – had been thwarted. Perhaps He wasn't so Almighty and All-Powerful after all. The only thing left to decide was what to do next. How can we capitalize on this incredible victory?

And then it happened.....

At first it was just a low rumble – like distant thunder. But soon there was no denying it. Something had happened. Something big. In an instant – darkness was scattered, death was defeated, despair was decimated, evil was dealt a mortal blow and Hell was brought to it's knees.

The Son came out.

"I am the resurrection and the life.
He who believes in me will live, even though he dies”
--Jesus

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Convicting Words

2006-04-07T08:25:00.000-04:00

Stop what you're doing and read This Post on David U.'s Blog.

You'll be glad you did.

SoulForce at ACU

2006-04-02T14:21:00.000-04:00

Below is Leroy Garrett's take on the recent visit of SoulForce to Abilene Christian University. I think it's excellent. What do you think?

(To subscribe to Dr. Garrett’s periodical email Essays, send your request to leroy.ouida@worldnet.att.net .)

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SOULFORCE VISITS ACU

Leroy Garrett

It is understandable if the officials at Abilene Christian University would be apprehensive about a visit from Soulforce, a task force of about 30 men and women, traveling by bus, whose mission is to "seek justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered people through nonviolence, and changing the hearts and minds of anti-homosexual people."

In what they call an Equality Ride, they will over a seven-week period call on a score of religious and military institutions that have discriminated, in one way or another, against gays and lesbians, as they see it. Among the universities – all professing to be Christian – are Liberty, Regent, Lee, Brigham Young, Oral Roberts, Oklahoma Baptist, Union, Wheaton, and ACU. The military institutions include Texas A&M, Air Force Academy, and West Point.

Soulforce complains that these institutions have policies that force hundreds of students to "closet" themselves lest it be found out that they are homosexual, and thus suffer reprisals and even expulsion. As they put it, they "seek freedom from religious and political oppression" for these marginalized students.

ACU was their seventh stop, and it was the first time they were allowed onto a campus and were received graciously and courteously. Lee University – located in Cleveland, Tenn. -- provided them police escort from the county line to the back side of their campus, alongside a muddy football field, far removed from the central campus. There they were to stay. Some Lee students came to see the spectacle. Soulforce formed a small mound of dirt, and a former Lee student, who had been expelled for being engaged to another female student, stood on the improvised stage and preached "the Sermon on the Mound"!

While this was going on their bus was painted with anti-gay symbols, one being "Fag Mobile."

Soulforce got a mixed signal from their proposed visit to Oral Roberts University: "We love you, but don’t come onto our campus." Nine of the group were arrested when they ventured onto the campus to talk to students.

They are apparently a talented group. When allowed – or even when not allowed – on or near campuses they hold prayer vigils and have sing-songs. When permitted – as they were at ACU – they show a video depicting the persecution of gays and lesbians, especially by religious people.

Royce Money, president of ACU, in anticipation of Soulforce’s visit, explained in a mailout that the university had two options. One was confrontation, which ran the risk of demonstrations and arrests. The other was dialogue based on love and reason. They chose dialogue. Money said he wanted people to see from this that "Christians are kind, thoughtful, respectful people who can discuss any issue in the context of our spiritual values." The university would make its position clear, that marriage is between one man and one woman, and that sex is to be only in marriage, Money said. The university provided several venues in which there was just that – dialogue – with both students and faculty.

By responding in this way ACU demonstrated that we can disagree without being disagreeable, and that we can be gracious to people without approving of their lifestyle. And Soulforce at last saw Christians who responded to them not only with Christian grace, but with both maturity and security. When we are mature and secure in our relationship to Christ, we will not fear people whose sins are different from our own.

You will notice the way I put that – we are all sinners before God, only in different ways. Paul’s lethal list of sins in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 has some interesting inclusions. He lists adultery and fornication, but also name-calling or reviling. He includes homosexuality and sodomy, but also covetousness and greed.

And I suspect the apostle would see these sins as fairly equal in the eyes of God. He would not likely make a big deal of any one of them to the neglect of the others. It is altogether possible that pride, arrogance, selfishness, and greed are as offensive to a holy God as sexual sins, whether heterosexual or homosexual.

I can’t help but wonder how a busload of fat and greedy business men from corporate America – and of course well-heeled – would be treated at Lee or Oral Roberts. And if their bus would be graced with "Greedy Fat Cats" And if they would be arrested for talking to students.

I suspect ACU would also welcome them to campus, sinners though they be. Would there be protests? – ACU welcomes greedy and covetous people to campus!

But with that said, it should nevertheless get our attention that of the ten sins listed by the apostle in 1 Corinthians 6 four are sexual in nature, two of which have to do with homosexual behavior – fornication or sexual impurity; adultery or breaking of marriage vows; homosexuality or effeminacy; sodomy or intercourse between two males.

It is remarkably informing that Paul the apostle, inspired by the Holy Spirit, would include both homosexuality and sodomy in his list of ten sins. If they are sins for which one is responsible and must give an account, then they can’t be natural or innate. If one is "born that way," then it could not be a sin, and the apostle would not have listed it. This conforms to findings of modern science. There is no more of a "gay gene" than there is a "greed gene." Sin is always by choice or it is not sin.

That is not all. The apostle saw these ten sins as redemptive – people can turn from them and be changed. He goes on in verse 11 to give remarkably good news: "Such were some of you, but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." Some in the Corinthian church had been homosexuals and sodomites, but they had turned from such sins by the power of the gospel.

Pray tell me, how could it be any plainer than the apostle makes it?

If Soulforce is interested in serious dialogue – and assuming they are Christians as they claim – then we invite them to come to terms with the biblical mandate for redemption from homosexual behavior.

If their Equality Ride means they want equality in terms of justice and freedom, and to be treated with common decency, then of course we are with them all the way. But if by "equality" they mean that homosexual behavior and gay marriage are to be accepted as equal to what the church has always stood for – God-ordained marriage between a man and a woman – then we take our stand against their mission.

The church cannot – and in my opinion will not – yield ground on this biblical principle. Like our Lord, the church will lovingly work for justice and fairness for all human kind – and we will abhor and repudiate all forms of tyranny and oppression. But also like our Lord, our prayer and our mission will always be, "Not our will, but yours be done."

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Safe and Comfortable Christianity

2006-03-21T16:16:00.000-05:00

Ken Kersten tells about seeing an ad in the paper for a drive-in passion play. It was like a drive-in movie in that you could watch the story of Jesus – the passion play – without ever getting out of your car. The ad said this: “Come and experience the life of Christ all from the comfort of your own car.”

But you know what? That's just as wrong as wrong can be. The truth is that we will not experience the life of Christ or the life that Christ desires for us from within our areas of comfort. We will not be the church that God desires from within our areas of comfort.

The problem is that Americanized Christianity has become safe and comfortable. You don't want to teach a class or get involved in a ministry? Don't worry about it! Someone else will do it. You don't want to give sacrificially to the God who has richly blessed you? Then don't give! No one will know. Just show up to most of the church services and try to be a pretty good person the rest of the time, and you're all set!

That sounds nice and easy and safe, doesn't it? Unfortunately, that's not what it means to follow Jesus. That safe, easy and comfortable brand of Christianity does not come from Scripture. It's a lie that came straight from hell.

It was Jesus who said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26-27)

Loving Jesus above everyone and everything? Carrying a cross? Dying to ourselves? That's not the message people want to hear in 21st century America. And yet, that's the life Jesus has called us to live.

There are many spiritual gifts listed in Scripture – many ways in which you can be involved in the work of Jesus in this world. Being a Pew Warmer is not one of them.

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Talking About Change

2006-03-09T21:41:00.000-05:00

It's nice to have a good Seminary in town. They have a lot of great events and speakers. Today I had the opportunity to attend an interesting, practical, and helpful conference. It was called "How To Change Your Church Without Killing It" and it was presented by Gene Appel, Lead Pastor at the Willow Creek Church in Chicago. He has written a Book on the subject.

One of the sessions was called "How To Kill Your Church Without Changing It." I wish I had learned those lessons years ago -- I might have avoided some of the mistakes I've made in ministry through the years.

Overall the conference was great. I feel better equipped to help lead my church through some needed changes in the coming years.

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Good Stuff

2006-02-28T08:51:00.000-05:00

I happened to notice that I've only posted once in the month of February. Sorry about that (I know you're devastated). I'll make up for it by posting something I found at Hoots Musings.
___________________________________

This is an excerpt from John McCain's Destiny is Character where he shares a powerful experience that occurred during his 5-1/2 years as a POW during the Viet Nam Conflict.

There was one other occasion during my imprisonment that moved me greatly as evidence of God's transcending love. During the time I was held in solitary, I was caught, not for the first time, communicating with my dear friend in the cell next to mine. For my transgression, I was kept overnight in a punishment cell tied very tightly in ropes.

On this particular night as I sat on the stool cursing my bad luck, and straining against the painfully tightened ropes, the door suddenly opened and a young gun guard I had occasionally seen wandering around the camp entered the room. He motioned to me to remain silent by placing his finger to his lips, and then, without smiling or even looking me in the eyes, proceeded to loosen the ropes that bound me. His kind action completed, he left without uttering a word to me. As dawn approached, he returned to tighten the ropes before he finished his watch and another guard might have discovered what he had done.

In the months that followed, I occasionally saw my Good Samaritan when I was moved from one part of the prison to another. He never allowed himself a glance in my direction, much less spoke to me, until one Christmas morning, when I was briefly allowed out of my cell to stand alone in the outdoors and look up at the clear, blue sky. As I was looking at the heavens, I became aware of him as he walked near me and then, for a moment, stood very close to me. He did not speak or smile or look at me. He just stared at the ground in front of us, and then, very casually, he used his foot to draw a cross in the dirt. We both stood looking at his work for a minute until he rubbed it out and walked away.

For just that moment I forgot all my hatred for my enemies, and all the hatred most of them felt for me. I forgot about the Jerk, and the interrogators who persecuted my friends and me. I forgot about the war, and the terrible things that war does to you. I was just one Christian venerating the cross with a fellow Christian on Christmas morning. I saw him again occasionally. But he never looked at me or attempted to speak to me. We never worshiped together again. But I have never forgotten him or the kindness he showed me as a testament to the faith we shared.

That experience helped to form my lasting appreciation for my own religious faith, and it took the faith of an enemy to reveal it to me, the faith that unites and never divides, the faith that bridges unbridgeable divisions in humanity, the faith that we are all, sinners and saints alike, children of God. I became a better man, a stronger man, a more faithful man, who, for at least a moment, could love his enemies.
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What a Friend We Have in Jesus?

2006-02-06T15:41:00.000-05:00

Below is a passage from God Is No Fool by Lois Cheney. I first read this book when I was a teenager (many moons ago), and I've always loved it. It has recently come back into print -- I would highly recommend it.

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I had a friend; I don't think we're friends anymore. I'm not sure what happened. I missed a few of our appointed meetings. I felt sure he'd understand. A couple of times when we were talking, I saw some others approach and gave them my full attention, forgetting my friend. I felt sure that he'd understand. I didn't see him for a couple of weeks, but then when I did see him, I was careful to be enthusiastic and pretend we'd seen each other more often.

He moved away. I wrote regularly for a while, but then..... well, you know how it is. I'm sure that he knew that I thought of him often. I sent him a birthday card. It was a week late, but it was a funny one, and I was sure he would understand. I heard recently that he'd had some bad luck. I really felt very sorry. I'd like to send him a note, just to let him know that I care, for we were very close, you see. As it happens, however, I can't find his address.

Last night I went to a church service, and during it we sang the old hymn, “What A Friend We Have In Jesus.”

I felt strangely embarrassed.
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Knee-Slappin' Funny!

2006-01-24T16:39:00.000-05:00

OK -- I just laughed my head off at The Best Blonde Joke Ever.

Check it out.

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Fat Christians

2006-01-05T16:00:00.000-05:00

Last year at Summit I heard Wade Hodges say something that has stuck with me. He said that we have too much feeding going on in our churches -- and too much feeding with no exercise leads to Fat Christians.

I am starting my 13th year of preaching, and from my perspective he is absolutely right. Where I preach, we have a Sunday morning service that includes a sermon, Sunday morning Bible class, a Sunday evening service with another sermon, and a Wednesday evening Bible study. That's a lot of information every week (if you attend all the services).

Now, that would be fine *if* you were also taking the opportunity to exercise your faith on a regular basis. But what I find is that not much of that is taking place. So what we have is a lot of folks filling up on information and getting fat (spiritually).

What if we dedicated just one of those service times to actually DOING something instead of just feeding? What if we actually took off the feedbag and got involved in our community? What if, instead of sitting through another class on the book of Acts, we actually went out and did some acts?

The problem is, this would be a radical departure from the way we currently "do church" -- thus making a lot of folks uncomfortable (especially the ones who are big givers). And let's face it, its a whole lot easier to sit back and eat than it is to get out and exercise.

Any ideas?

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Narnia!

2005-12-21T08:51:00.000-05:00

We finally saw The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe last night. What a great film! Not as good as the Lord of the Rings, but that was to be expected.

I fell in love with Lucy -- she was perfect. And I liked that the film stayed very true to the book. My only complaint (and it's not really a complaint) is that they didn't include the line when Peter, Susan and Lucy were learning about Aslan from Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, and one of the children asked (concerning Aslan), "Is he safe?" And Mr. Beaver says, "Safe? Didn't you hear what Mrs. Beaver said? Of course he's not safe! But he's good."

But overall, I was very pleased with the film -- it's the best movie I've seen in quite some time. I look forward to owning it on DVD. I also look forward to the next installment in the series.

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Happy 100th Birthday!

2005-12-05T10:21:00.000-05:00

My grandmother turns 100 today. This is a picture of her, along with my sister, my brother and me. We made a quick trip to North Carolina this past weekend to celebrate with her. We got to see a lot of family that we hadn't seen in quite some time.

My grandmother has lived quite an amazing life. She was born in England, but immigrated to the U.S. and became a citizen years ago. She remembers the sinking of the Titanic, both world wars, the great depression, the assassination of JFK, the Vietnam war, the moon landings and a lot more. She has three children, eleven grandkids and twenty great-grandkids.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Michigan Fans in Ohio

2005-11-18T09:33:00.000-05:00

It's Michigan - Ohio State week. This picture describes how we feel today. There aren't too many Michigan fans in our neck of the woods. If Ohio State wins, I will have to endure a week (or more) of gloating from Buckeye fans.

Last year, Ohio State won, and my son wore his Michigan sweatshirt to church the next day. That's the definition of courage!

Hail! To the victors, valiant,
Hail! To the conqu'ring heroes
Hail! Hail! To Michigan the leaders and best
Hail! To the victors, valiant,
Hail! To the conqu'ring heroes
Hail! Hail! To Michigan the champions of the West!

Go Blue!!!

Let me hear from you!

2005-11-04T11:12:00.000-05:00

I'd like to know who visits my blog, so we can get to know each other better. Click on this LINK. You don't have to post a picture (but that would be great), and you don't have to give your full name.

I know I've had visitors from all over the country and several places around the world, so let me hear from you!

Thanks to Malibu Librarian for introducing this site.

Happy Halloween!

2005-10-31T09:13:00.000-05:00

These are the two pumpkins our family carved this year. The smiling one is my daughter's, and the scary one is my son's.

Great Book

2005-10-27T11:07:00.000-04:00

I am currently reading (devouring) Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. While I don't care for his leftist political leanings, the book is outstanding. It is causing me to think deeply about some pretty important matters relative to following Jesus.

I would highly recommend it.

I'm already looking forward to reading his other books. Thanks to David U. for his recommendation of Donald Miller's writings.

Who I am hates who I've been

2005-10-17T11:29:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite songs right now is “Who I Am Hates Who I've Been”
by the group Relient K.
The lyrics really caused me to reflect on my own life. I'll share
some words from the chorus, and then give a few observations.

I'm sorry for the person I became
I'm sorry that it took so long for me to change
I'm ready to try and never become that way again
'Cause who I am hates who I've been
Who I am hates who I've been

I'm sure we can all look back and see things we wish we hadn't
done, things we wish we hadn't said. Don't you sometimes wish
you could have those moments back? Doesn't it disturb you to
remember the person you used to be?

I think we look back on those times with regret and embarrassment
because we have grown and matured. We see who we were at one time
and it really bothers us. Our response should be thanksgiving for
how far God has brought us by His grace, to learn from our mistakes,
and to continue to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

But we must never think that we've “arrived.” We need to remember
how easy it is to get off-track and fall back into old habits.
And above all, we've got to remember to “put off your old self,
which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new
in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created
to be like God in true righteousness and holiness”
(Ephesians 4:22b-24).

Busted!

2005-10-12T23:54:00.000-04:00

Many of you may not know that I have a criminal past. This picture was taken when I was arrested for celebrating a little too much during the Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup victory parade a few years ago.

Hockey's Back!

2005-10-06T11:52:00.000-04:00

After skipping last season over a stupid labor dispute, professional hockey is back. The Red Wings look pretty good this year (although I'm not sure about the goalie situation). It sure would be nice to see the Stanley Cup back in Detroit, where it belongs.

The fans in the picture above paid $54 each for standing room only tickets to last night's game. They don't call Detroit "Hockeytown" for nothing!

Any other hockey fans among the (very) few who read my blog?

Great Words from a Great Friend

2005-10-01T21:34:00.000-04:00

Speaking at the annual Labour Party conference last Tuesday, here's a bit of what Prime Minister Tony Blair said about he ongoing war in Iraq and his critics at home:

"I know there are people, good people, who disagreed with the decision to remove Saddam by force. Yes, several hundred people stoned British troops in Basra. Yes, several thousand run the terrorist insurgency around Baghdad. And yes, as a result of the fighting, innocent people tragically died. The way to stop the innocent dying is not to retreat, to withdraw, to hand these people over to the mercy of religious fanatics or relics of Saddam, but to stand up for their right to decide their government in the same democratic way the British people do."

Blair also defended his partnership with President Bush, saying "Britain should remain the strongest ally of the United States." "I never doubted after Sept. 11 that our place was alongside America and I don't doubt it now. And for a very simple reason," he said. "Terrorism struck most dramatically in New York but it was aimed then and is aimed now at us all, at our way of life."

Sensitivity Police on Patrol

2005-09-28T20:58:00.000-04:00

Apparently, some young, wet-behind-the-ears law professor at the University of Iowa is deeply offended that the visitors locker room at the football stadium is painted pink. Read about it here at Baron's Blog.

Why can't the self-righteous, politically correct do-gooders just leave the athletic department alone? I remember back in 1991 when Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherril had a bull castrated in front of his players before a game against Texas (for you animal rights activists out there - the beast was going to be castrated anyway -- coach Sherrill did it in front of his team to motivate them). A coach would have a hard time getting away with that today. How sad.

Let's hope the University of Iowa does the right thing and tells this law professor to get back to teaching.....or else.

Social Justice

2005-09-26T09:49:00.000-04:00

Check out this Great Article about social justice from two prominent conservatives. That's right, conservatives. Liberals don't hold exclusive rights to social justice. In fact, I would argue that the left's approach to social justice has been tried and proven to be a failure.

Steer Clear of "Flight Plan"

2005-09-25T15:50:00.000-04:00

You've probably seen the trailer for Jody Foster's latest movie, "Flight Plan." Before you spend your hard-earned $100 (including popcorn and Coke) to see this piece of Hollywood propaganda, you might want to check out Debbie Schlussel's review.

Read the review here.

Hollywood has been putting out a lot of this *crap* lately. Is it any wonder that fewer and fewer people care to go to the movies anymore? Let's hope they don't mess up "The Chronicles of Narnia".

Interesting Book

2005-09-21T22:23:00.000-04:00

Here's a good book to get for your local school library -- it might help balance some of the other stuff your kids might find there. The book is titled "Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed."

It is the story of two boys who open a lemonade stand to earn money for a swingset. But they are disillusioned when they are forced to pay half their money in taxes, and serve broccoli with their lemonade.

It's interesting to hear some in the mainstream media rail against this book but have nothing bad to say about such works as "Heather Has Two Mommies"; "It's Just A Plant"; or "King and King."

Stupid Quote of the Day

2005-09-12T12:39:00.000-04:00

"[Gasoline prices] are ridiculous. I had to take out a loan to fill up my minivan. It's crazy," --Katie Couric.

Ummm, Katie..... you make $15 million a year.

Some people just don't have a clue. And Katie Couric is one of them.

The Blame Game

2005-09-08T13:36:00.000-04:00

This is part of a comment I left on James Wiser's blog.
=================================================

I don't know if ANYONE is really to blame for all that's happened in New Orleans. I think it caught everyone off guard. At first, it seemed like N.O. had dodged a bullet. Then the levy broke on Tuesday, and we quickly realized how bad it really was. I think FEMA could have hit the ground running sooner, and the President could have arrived on the scene sooner -- so they certainly don't get a free pass. And neither do the mayor of New Orleans and the governor of Lousiana. There's a report today from the Red Cross saying that there WAS food and water available, but either the mayor or the governor didn't want it sent to the Superdome for fear of a riot.

Mistakes were made and we should learn from them. But what we don't need is another stupid investigation that will only lead to a bigger bureaucracy which will make it even more difficult to deal with the next crisis that comes along.

I just think there needs to be a bit of balance in all this. If you only listened to the New York Times, CNN, the mainstream media and the democrats in congress, you would come to the following conclusion:

President Bush used his hurricane machine to send Katrina to Louisiana. He then intentionally breached the levy because everyone knows he doesn't care about black people. The aid was delayed because the administration is racist.

I'm glad we've got Fox News to provide a little bit of balance to all that.

Heartbreaking

2005-09-02T09:03:00.000-04:00

It is just heartbreaking to see what's happening in New Orleans and Mississippi. I can't even imagine what those people are going through -- to have your life just completely turned upside down. To lose everything and have no where to live. May God be merciful and may He intervene in a powerful way.

Last night my son let us know that he wants to donate his allowance for September to help the hurricane victims -- he decided to do this completely on his own, we had not mentioned it (but he and I have been praying for the hurricane victims each night). My daughter decided to follow his example. One of our deacons at church suggested that we take a big chunk (if not all) of the money that's in our building fund and use it to help out.

Liberalism and Poverty

2005-08-31T08:59:00.000-04:00

The Motor City

I was born in Detroit and raised in the Detroit area. I still love the city. But it is distressing to hear about all of it's problems. Earlier this summer there was a report from the Bay Area Center for Voting Research that said Detroit was the most liberal city in the nation. And then today I read about a report from the U.S. Census Bureau that said Detroit is the poorest city in the nation. This begs the question:

Are liberalism and poverty related?

I wonder if there has been any study done in this area? Perhaps there are conservative cities that are high on the poverty list and liberal cities that are enjoying prosperity. History seems to indicate that liberalism (high taxes, out-of-control spending, redistribution of wealth) does not lead to prosperity, but just the opposite. Now, at this point someone will always bring up Bill Clinton's presidency -- saying that he was a liberal and we enjoyed prosperity under his regime. Well, Clinton embraced some conservative policies during his presidency -- like welfare reform and frugal spending (thanks to a conservative congress). We also had the dot com boom on his watch. The last time we had a liberal president with a liberal congress was Jimmy Carter. If you lived through those years, you know they were anything but prosperous.

So what do you think -- does liberalism lead to poverty? It seems to be the case in Detroit. I wish the leaders and citizens of that great city would embrace a new paradigm. Perhaps if they did, there would be brighter days ahead.

Attack of the Nannies

2005-08-29T20:32:00.000-04:00

Read this column by John Leo of U.S. News and World Report concerning the do-gooders in our society who think they know what's best for us.

Excellent, just excellent.

A different take on The War on Terror

2005-08-24T09:59:00.000-04:00

Melanie Morgan, a radio talk show host on San Francisco's KSFO, visited Iraq recently, conducting interviews and talking with the troops. The San Francisco Chronicle had promised to run her written account of the experience upon her return. The paper reneged (I suppose her article didn't fit their agenda). Melanie's take is quite different from what you hear day-to-day in the Mainstream Media.

After reading this, it really angers me when I hear Cindy Sheehan say that the deaths of our brave soldiers over there are "meaningless." Is she not spitting on her own son's grave when she says that?

Read the article here.

Is it time to Rethink this thing?

2005-08-23T11:09:00.000-04:00

Below is something I posted on a Bible Discussion list. I don't know how many people read my blog, but I am interested in your thoughts on this. It's something I've been thinking about lately.

===========================

Perhaps (and this is a big perhaps) we need to rethink
how we do church in our rapidly changing culture. We
could make some radical changes and still be biblical.

Is owning a building and scheduling a few services per
week (that we EXPECT the faithful to show up for)
while sending a few bucks to a missionary in Africa
each month and maintaining a small food
pantry/clothing bin for the poor while sending a few
dollars to a children's home...etc, etc., etc. really
working anymore? Are we impacting our communities?
Do our communities even know we exist? Are we doing
Matthew 25 stuff, or are we just taking care of our
own, defending our long-held positions, singing songs
about heaven and waiting to go home to our mansion?

I think we need a few brave souls willing to rethink
this whole thing, and a lot more folks willing to step
out of their comfort zones and get on board.

I talk to a lot of young people who desperately want
to serve the Lord and do His will -- more so than a
lot of folks who are "life-long, faithful members of
the church" -- but they are not excited about serving
Him in the tired, old forms we are all so used to.

Now, let me make clear that I am speaking in
generalizations. I know that some congregations are
doing just fine. And I know what I'm suggesting
probably sounds like it's coming from way out in left
field. I do believe we must remain true to Scripture.
But I believe we could make some big changes in how
we do church and still be "Scripturally sound."

I see a definite problem, and I am just thinking out
loud about solutions.

What do you think?

Great Post

2005-08-18T15:53:00.000-04:00

Patrick Mead hit a home run on his blog today. Check it out here.

We're Back!

2005-08-16T18:55:00.000-04:00

We're back after spending a week at the beach (Emerald Isle, North Carolina). We had a great time -- the sun was hot, the ocean was nice, and the waves were great. We go every other summer with my wife's family. I had the chance to do some reading. I read Velvet Elvis: Repainting The Christian Faith by Rob Bell. It was excellent -- really made me think. If you are familiar with the Nooma DVDs, you know who Rob Bell is (if you are not familiar with the Nooma DVDs, get familiar with them -- it's good stuff). I'm teaching a class using the Nooma series this fall. I also made a lot of headway in The Chronicles of Narnia. I never read "Chronicles" when I was younger. What a great story.

Best of all, we got to spend a lot of time doing nothing. What a blessing to run a few miles in the morning and then jump in the ocean. It was a nice break. It's been a long time since I got to take two consecutive Sundays off. But I'm ready to get back to work (and catch up on my blog reading!)

Who said that?

2005-08-16T18:36:00.000-04:00

Love this quote from Alice Cooper (yes, the rock star):

"Drinking beer is easy. Trashing your hotel room is easy. But being a Christian, that's a tough call. That's rebellion."

I am Ephesians

2005-08-02T08:14:00.000-04:00

You are Ephesians.

Which book of the Bible are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Get a free iPod!

2005-07-28T11:24:00.000-04:00

Free iPod

Do you want a new iPod for free? It sounds too good to be true, but it is for real.

Click on the link below and follow the instructions. It is legitimate and has been featured in the mainstream media. You have to complete one offer (the offers are easy to do, easy to cancel and inexpensive or free). Just be sure to use an e-mail address you don't use very often, or create a new one with yahoo or hotmail. You then have to get 5 people to sign up under you.

I signed up for the BMG Music Club. I've done it before and it's easy to do and easy to cancel. I get 12 CD's for the price of one and then I can cancel my membership and be done with it. It will take about a month and a half to complete it and have it canceled. You do have to pay for the one CD and shipping costs, but it's a small price to pay for a $299 iPod.

This is *not* a scam. Those of you who know me know that I would not scam you. Click on the link below and give it a try.

http://www.freeiPods.com/?r=20516760

Thanks for your time.

Great Quote

2005-07-21T12:13:00.000-04:00

I came across this quote on bike forum today:

"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ...'Wow...What a ride!'"

I'm not a Nerd

2005-07-19T10:28:00.000-04:00

I found this on Tina's Blog. Check it out and see whether or not you're a Nerd.

BalloonFest Pictures

2005-07-17T14:59:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the delay in getting these pictures posted, but I was away at camp last week (more about that in another post). This is a picture of several of the balloons off in the distance after they had passed our house.

2005-07-17T14:57:00.000-04:00

This one is called "The Purple People Eater." It is a favorite of the kiddos.

2005-07-17T14:56:00.000-04:00

Several of the balloons lifting off together from Freer Field.

2005-07-17T14:55:00.000-04:00

The Pepsi Can balloon. This is pretty neat to see -- just a giant can of Pepsi floating in the sky.

2005-07-17T14:53:00.000-04:00

The American Flag balloon. This one was cool -- I had never seen a regtangular hot air balloon. This was taken as it went right over our house.

A Family That Runs Together.....

2005-07-05T09:14:00.000-04:00

My kids and I showing off our awards from the Balloonfest races here in Ashland. My daughter got 4th place in the 1-mile Fun Run, finishing in 9 minutes and 3 seconds -- she missed out on 3rd place and a medal by about 7 seconds. My son and I ran the 5K and we both got 3rd place in our age groups. He beat me by about 5 seconds. It was a lot of fun. And I'm encouraged that my kids seem to like running. I'll post some pictures from Balloonfest soon.

Justice for a Justice

2005-06-29T08:14:00.000-04:00

The Supreme Court recently ruled that the government can sieze anyone's private property and give it to a private developer if the government can generate greater tax benefits and revenue. One of the justices who supported this ruling was David Souter.

Well, a private developer is now seeking to use this law to build a hotel on Souter's land in Weare, New Hampshire.

It will probably never happen, but don't you wish it would? It would be justice for the Justice.

Read about it here.

Read a great opinion piece about the Supreme Court ruling here.

Baby Dedication Service

2005-06-22T15:34:00.000-04:00

I need some input.

Our church will be having a Baby Dedication Service for new babies and their parents this fall. I've never put a service like this together before. Any ideas?

If you've done this (or seen it done), give me some ideas and suggestions -- or point me to some resources.

Thanks!

Theological Worldview

2005-06-21T17:26:00.000-04:00

I've seen this on a few other blogs..... so here's mine.

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern.
You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology.
You feel alienated from older forms of church,
you don't think they connect to modern
culture very well. No one knows the whole
truth about God, and we have much to learn
from each other, and so learning takes place
in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in
relationships rather than through crusades
and altar-calls. People are interested in
spirituality and want to ask questions, so
the church should help them to do this.

Emergent/Postmodern 75%

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 64%

Neo orthodox 57%

Classical Liberal 43%

Fundamentalist 43%

Charismatic/Pentecostal 39%

Reformed Evangelical 36%

Roman Catholic 29%

Modern Liberal 21%

What's your theological worldview?

Running like the wind

2005-06-06T11:50:00.000-04:00

Yep, that's me passing lots of runners in the beginning stages of the Bayshore 10K (the Paramedics were following close behind me...just in case). As you can see, I am terribly out of shape (though I did finish the 10K better than I thought I would). I'm hoping to run the Crim 10 miler in Flint, Michigan at the end of August. I've got a lot of work to do.....

We did get to see some good friends we hadn't seen in quite some time at the race (the Hendersons, the Perretts and the Sims). I decided to do the 10K at the very last minute (urged on by friends). I was glad I did -- it was a lot of fun and it felt good to do a race again. I'll try to post some more pictures as I have time.

Excellence in Blogging

2005-06-01T16:42:00.000-04:00

If you haven't taken a look at Patrick Mead's Blog then stop what you're doing and check it out. He always seems to have insightful, challenging and encouraging things to say. I know you will be blessed by his words.

How Not To Be Poor

2005-05-22T22:10:00.000-04:00

Check out this interesting and thought-provoking column by Dr. Walter Williams:

How Not To Be Poor

I'd be interested in your thoughts on this.

Read more from Dr. Walter Williams here.

It's Not About Me...

2005-05-21T14:15:00.000-04:00

Patrick Mead has a powerful post over at his blog. Here is one paragraph:

"The most worshipped God I know is the god in the mirror. We spend our money on him, our time on him, and want to make him happy and comfortable. Even in our worship we want to please that god that stared back at us as we shaved that morning. If something upsets us we act as if the True God was offended for... He would have to be offended if we were, right? Somehow we have bought into the idea that this life, this world, and this church are about us. And yet, God -- remember God? -- doesn't act like that even though it really is all about Him! Instead, He stoops to conquer us with love. He gets on the floor with us even though -- like those lovely little souls in St. John's Villa and Sunshine Children's Home -- we have no real hope of getting much better. He feeds us, cares for us, showers us with rain and sunshine and, more than this, loves us deeply just because we exist."

Check out the rest of it here (scroll down to the post for Monday, May 16th 2005). You will be blessed by it. By the way, if you haven't read It's Not About Me by Max Lucado, do yourself a favor and read it as soon as you can.

Safe?

2005-05-18T08:28:00.000-04:00

David U. has a great post about playing it safe over on his blog. It would definitely be worth your time to check it out.

Read it here.

Still Rockin'

2005-05-16T09:11:00.000-04:00

The Rolling Stones will be touring this year. You've got to admire them. When bands like the Beatles and Led Zeppelin couldn't hold it together, the Stones just kept on going -- putting out new music and touring. And it's not like they haven't had adversity. They've had band members leave, they've had band members die, one of them has had cancer, and there have been numerous scandals. But here they are, in 2005, with a new CD and a tour. Amazing. I hope to get to see them on this tour (I saw them back in 2002 and they were great).

Napolean Dynamite

2005-05-11T10:44:00.000-04:00

For all the Napolean Dynamite fans out there, there's a great site that has some sweet audio clips from the movie.

Check it out here.

Lookin' Good!

2005-05-03T13:41:00.000-04:00

This is my sister, Karen and I. This picture was probably taken in 1979, which means I would be 15 and my sister would be 18. This picture is a painful reminder of how much hair I've lost in 26 years.

Revive Us, O Lord!

2005-04-27T10:06:00.000-04:00

This Sunday, May 1st, our congregation will begin 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting. Members are signing up to fast for at least one day, so that as a church we will be praying and fasting for 40 days.

Last Sunday, we used our Sunday morning assembly to have a prayer service. Normally, because of seating and parking limitations, we have two Sunday morning services. But last Sunday, we squeezed everyone in for one service, and we spent most of our time together in prayer. It was wonderful. Everyone seemed to be blessed and encouraged by what we did. Above all, God was glorified by it.

This is all part of the series I'm preaching on Revival. We are getting serious about humbling ourselves, praying and seeking God's face, and turning from our wicked ways (2 Chronicles 7:14) in hopes that God will visit us powerfully and bring Revival to His people here in Ashland, Ohio.

This is Spring???

2005-04-25T09:10:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of my house taken at 8:00 this morning (April 25th). Yes, this is springtime in north-central Ohio. It started snowing on Saturday night and continued until the wee hours this morning. If the ground hadn't been so warm, we might have received a foot of snow! But I think we only received a few inches. It was over 80 degrees here just last week!

Cherishing Sin

2005-04-22T10:38:00.000-04:00

I am currently preaching a series on Revival (our theme this year is 'Revive and Come Alive in 2005'). In my sermon two weeks ago I referenced Psalm 66:18 where David said: "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." God has not let me forget this passage -- He just keeps putting it on my heart. He has made me deal with it.

Yes, we all sin. We all sin every day -- and sometimes we make the same mistake time and time again. But I think that's different from actually "cherishing" sin. I can certainly think of times in my life when I have not just sinned, but have really cherished sin. I looked up the definition for cherish and two things in the defintion stood out: 'hold dear' and 'entertain.' Isn't that what we do with sin sometimes? We entertain it and hold on to it dearly.

David speaks of God refusing to listen to our prayers when we cherish sin. How many of my prayers have been rejected because I continued to entertain sin? How many blessings did I forfeit because I was holding dearly to my sin?

O God, please forgive me. Give me strength. May I be absolutely ruthless about letting go of sin.

Happy Birthday to our Odyssey

2005-04-19T21:39:00.000-04:00

We've had our Honda Odyssey for one year this month. It is a great vehicle and we are extremely happy with it. If you're in the market for a family hauler, I would highly recommend the Odyssey!

Great Concert

2005-04-18T12:53:00.000-04:00

My wife and I went with some friends from church to see Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, and Steven Curtis Chapman last Saturday in Cleveland. It was a great show -- more than that, it was an awesome time of praise and worship. Steven Curtis Chapman was the headliner, and he did a great job (though he talked too much). But we were blessed even more by Casting Crowns and Chris Tomlin -- especially Chris Tomlin.

All I knew about Chris Tomlin was that he had written a lot of worship songs. But he was great in concert -- definitely a talented worship leader. His song "Indescribable" is a powerful worship song (I bought it from iTunes today). I'm going to try to get the music to it, and include it in our songbook supplement.

Convicting Quote

2005-04-15T14:27:00.000-04:00

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have, was once among the things only hoped for.
– Epicurus

This was posted on Kirsten's Blog

iPod Playlist

2005-04-11T09:04:00.000-04:00

Things Like You

2005-04-04T14:39:00.000-04:00

I bought a song off of iTunes last week and the lyrics really spoke to me. The song is "Things Like You" by Sanctus Real. These words hit me right between the eyes, and I think they speak loudly to our culture. I've included them below. See what you think.

Things Like You
by Sanctus Real

Loving things like you has wrecked my life, made me cry
Loving things like you has made me lose my mind
And I can't figure out why I've been hanging on
To all these things I've tried to leave behind me for so long

And I think it's time to find a better way to live my life
Than loving all those things that keep me wrapped so tight

Everyone wants everyone else's eveything
Some time's the more we have the less we really gain
I'm tired of life and all that money has to buy
Get out of my heart, out of my mind, leaving you behind

Loving things like you has left me bruised, black and blue
Loving things like you has made me so confused
And I can't figure out what I've been waiting on
God I can't be living for things I know are wrong

Now I think it's time to write a better chapter in my life
Leaving all those things that keep me wrapped so tight

Why are we obsessed with possessions here on earth?
Go and take a look at the flowers and the birds
God is always taking care of nature's every need
And how much more important in The Father's eyes are we?
I said, how much more important in The Father's eyes are we?
He sees everything

Postmodern - Emergent

2005-03-17T23:00:00.000-05:00

Brian Burkett has an interesting post on his blog about the "postmodern - emergent" thing we hear so much about in Christian circles today. You can read it here.

Any comments?

Clearing out broken limbs

2005-03-17T08:42:00.000-05:00

I was driving past a wooded section of town this week and I noticed all the broken limbs and downed trees from an ice storm we had this winter. Slowly but surely, city workers are clearing out the broken limbs. Last night I thought about how my life sometimes resembles that wooded area with broken limbs and downed trees. At times, the storms of life leave damage behind. Occasionally I allow garbage to clutter up the area. And other times, my own carelessness messes things up.

But regardless of the cause, I need to take a good, hard, honest look at myself on a regular basis to see what needs to be cleaned out. And then I need to do the hard, and sometimes painful work of clearing out all that trash.

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said:
"Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you." (Ephesians 5:8-14)

My new (Free) Ipod!

2005-03-07T14:01:00.000-05:00

My new Ipod Mini. Absolutely free! Just go to offergift.com and sign up for 3 offers. I signed up for two offers that I could cancel before the 30 day trial was up, and I applied for a credit card (you have to activate and use the card -- but that is no problem. Just pay it off immediately and cancel it). There was a $1 fee for the two offers I signed up for, so basically I got a brand new $249 Ipod Mini for $2 (so I guess it wasn't "Absolutely Free"). It really works!

Great Quotes from President Reagan

2005-03-01T10:17:00.000-05:00

Some great quotes from President Ronald Reagan.

Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose."
- Ronald Reagan

"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help."
- Ronald Reagan

"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant: It's just that they know so much that isn't so."
- Ronald Reagan

"Of the four wars in my lifetime none came about because the U.S. was too strong."
- Ronald Reagan

"I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandment's would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress."
- Ronald Reagan

"The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination."
- Ronald Reagan

"Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other."
- Ronald Reagan

"If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under."
- Ronald Reagan

"The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program."
- Ronald Reagan

"It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first."
- Ronald Reagan

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."
- Ronald Reagan

"Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book."
- Ronald Reagan

"No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.
- Ronald Reagan

Quote without comment.....

2005-02-24T20:54:00.000-05:00

"No one will ever be induced to fly in refuge to Christ as long as his heart remains unaffected. Likewise no saint has been weened out of the cold and lifeless state of mind, or recovered from backsliding, without having his heart affected. In summary, nothing significant ever changed the life of anyone when the heart was not deeply affected." Jonathan Edwards

FAX of Life

2005-02-21T23:20:00.000-05:00

The FAX of Life by Rubel Shelly was excellent today. I've included it below. You can access the archives for The FAX of Life here.

Subject: Unbending Realities
Date: For the Week of February 21, 2005

Our self-indulgent culture is teetering on the brink of an important insight: We have been mistaken to reject our common-sense belief in right and wrong.

More than a quarter century ago now, some of our opinion leaders came up with the idea that tolerance is the single real virtue and that self-esteem is the most important element in child-rearing and education. That misguided notion was rooted, in turn, on the earlier thesis that there are no fixed moral standards that apply to all people everywhere and at all times.

With absolute standards abolished, all that mattered was acting with some degree of consistency with one's culture when possible and always with a view toward personal self-realization and happiness. Everything from sexual behavior to spelling and grammar to corporate bookkeeping became "just your opinion." And the uniform mantra for child-rearing and education was limitless praise.

Have we ever paid a price for traveling that path! Promiscuous sex, drug abuse, unlimited abortion rights, suicide -- why not? It's my body, and nobody can tell me what to do! Businesses producing child pornography, music to glamorize violence against women, and television to legitimate homosexuality -- why not? There are groups that value such things, and it's just terrible to be judgmental!

Religion has had very little credibility for stemming this tide. It discredited itself long ago with its abuse of power, hairsplitting judgments, and neglect of the very people with whose life circumstances Jesus was most directly involved.

So today every child athlete gets a ribbon; every adult athlete gets a pass for anti-social behavior. Fifth-graders all get smiley faces and As; every college student needs counseling for a D or red ink on a paper. Immature children are permitted to throw tantrums as self-expression; employees can't understand why promotions and raises aren't automatic. Could these things be connected?

Psychologists and educators who blazed the trail of boosting self-esteem and protecting children from failure are now reversing course. The unyielding realities of an adult world that requires showing up, doing real work, and being accountable have combined to pop the bubble of phony praise. Self-esteem really is important, but "Whatever you do is great!" is neither true nor helpful.

The answer isn't cumbersome rules, hypocritical religion, and nitpicking morality. It is mutual respect among persons who see the image of God in one another and who create communities where right and wrong can be distinguished.

Interesting Billboards

2005-01-29T16:51:00.000-05:00

2005-01-29T16:49:00.000-05:00

These are billboards that will be displayed near the Kodak Theater during the Oscars.

Shepherding

2005-01-26T11:31:00.000-05:00

It is great to work with elders who truly SHEPHERD the congregation (I previously worked with elders who saw themselves as the Board of Directors). In our elders/ministers meeting this week, we spent nearly 45 minutes in prayer for the congregation -- and this is commonplace in our meetings. Our elders visit members, pray with the sick, and counsel with those who are struggling.

You may be thinking, "What's the big deal? Isn't this what all elders do?" Well, the answer is, No. These are the things all elders should do, but my experience has showed me that not all elders are interested in Shepherding.

I am thankful to God for the 6 godly men who lead and shepherd our congregation.

Great Thoughts

2005-01-20T10:33:00.000-05:00

I came across a great post on someone else's blog, and wanted to share it with those of you who read my blog. As a huge Lord of the Rings fan, it meant a lot to me. See what you think.

Read it here.

The Day After

2004-12-24T14:20:00.000-05:00

My son Eli, taking a break from building his snow fort.

2004-12-24T14:19:00.000-05:00

Wow.

2004-12-24T14:18:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from the aftermath of the big storm. We got about 16 inches here in Ashland. Very pretty, but a bear to shovel.

Merry Christmas!

2004-12-23T20:13:00.000-05:00

To all of you who occasionally stop by my blog:

I hope you and your family have a Wonderful Christmas!

"I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11)

Jeff

Snow!

2004-12-22T14:54:00.000-05:00

Our first big snow storm this winter. We've already got 5-6 inches and a lot more is on the way. Notice the great job I did shoveling our driveway -- all done by myself with nothing more than a snow shovel. Snow blowers are for wimps! Now, would someone please get me a snow blower for Christmas!

The sad thing is, I'll have to shovel it again before tomorrow afternoon. But since we've got no place to go.....let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2004-12-16T22:26:00.000-05:00

We had our first measurable snow this week ( it is that time of year again). We're used to it and life just goes on here in northern Ohio. Not so in the south. When we lived in North Carolina, it was always funny to see everyone panic if the weatherman even mentioned the word 'snow'.

2004-12-16T21:22:00.000-05:00

Our dog, BeeJay doing his impression of a Christmas present.

Great Column

2004-12-02T08:57:00.000-05:00

Syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker of the Orlando Sentinel has an excellent column today concerning the direction our culture seems to be headed and why. Read it here.

Any comments?

The Big 1-0

2004-11-30T23:42:00.000-05:00

My son Elijah (Eli) turned 10 years old today. I now have a child in double digits. Since we were celebrating his birthday, he got to choose where we would eat, and he chose Outback Steakhouse (why did he have to choose such an expensive place?).

I can't believe how fast these past ten years have gone. I still remember the feeling when the doctor said, "Its a boy!" He is such a blessing, and I am so thankful for him and so proud of him. Happy Birthday, Eli.

Ahhh, Thanksgiving!

2004-11-30T23:21:00.000-05:00

Isn't Thanksgiving great? Of course, the food is wonderful. My wife's aunt is a terrific cook, and I ate too much as I always do (but enjoyed every minute of it!). The setting was great (every other year we spend Thanksgiving day at a cabin belonging to my wife's aunt and uncle on a lake near Bloomington, Indiana). And it is especially good to spend time with family. The only downer this year was that the Lions got spanked 41 - 9 by the Colts.

This Thanksgiving really gave me a chance to reflect on just how blessed I am, and how undeserving I am of those blessings. This is not false humility or anything like that. It's really how I feel. We had a rough, painful, uncertain year in 2003. But God overwhelmed us with blessings of every kind this year -- and helped us to see how 2003, though difficult, was a wonderful blessing as well.

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good
and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues
through all generations."
Psalm 100:4-5

Election Thoughts

2004-11-12T08:35:00.000-05:00

Well, the election is over, and I am relieved. I had grown weary of the campaigning, the TV ads, the talking heads on the news, etc. Actually, I was tired of it all back in September. I like Peggy Noonan's take on the election results. I've included part of her column below -- I would encourage you to read it in it's entirety here.

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I actually think all elections come down to issues, to great questions that are answered vote by vote in the ballot box. But I put that wisdom aside for the fun of free association.

This is what I said: The president won re-election by a relatively healthy margin because the American people judged him to be the better man. He seemed to have the better character of the two candidates. He'd tell you what he was going to do, and why, and then he'd do it. He'd been doing that for four years. He did it in the campaign, too. He was dependable, and he was predictable. It's nice to have a predictable president. It's not nice in the nuclear age to have a surprising one.

Mr. Bush was not known as a sneak or a liar. We have had presidents who were known as sneaks and liars, some quite recently, but that wasn't Mr. Bush, and I believe it was a relief to normal people. That relief was never articulated by anybody I remember hearing, but I believe it had a real if unquantifiable effect on the voters' choice.

I think the people tended toward Mr. Bush because they saw him as a good American man, a man they know--an imperfect one with an imperfect past who turned his life around with grit and grace. That's a very American story. It's one we all know, and respect. There are Democrats--Chris Heinz was reportedly one, at the end--who amuse themselves referring to President Bush as a former cokehead. I don't know about that, but I know America went through the 1970s, and America is still in recovery. When nice people hear things like "former drunk" they tend to put the internal emphasis on the word former.

The American people arguably did not pick the more interesting man in the race. Mr. Kerry strikes me as a complicated and intelligent person, and the one time I spent any time with him he seemed to be bright, and to have an interesting range of thoughts on many issues. Mr. Bush, on the other hand, does not strike me as the most interesting man in the world. That's one of the things I love about him. I sort of have a theory that Americans don't necessarily desire terribly interesting men as presidents. "Interesting" tends to bring with it a whole bunch of other attributes--"complicated," "hard to figure," "unknowable," "startling," even sometimes "tortured and tragic." A lot of us are Republicans, and we just hate tortured and tragic. Or rather we like it in our plays and novels and TV characters and even in our friends. But not in the guy with his finger on the button.

I think Mr. Bush, the better man in terms of character, was also the more normal man. And we like normal. He loves sports and business and politics, and speaks their language. Normal. His wife is important to him, and his kids seem a bit of a mystery to him, and perhaps even to some degree intimidating. Normal. He thinks if bad guys attack New York City and the Pentagon, we go after them and kill them--normal. He thinks marriage is between a man and a woman--normal. He thinks if Baptist preachers in a suburb of Louisville have an after-school plan that has an excellent record of turning kids from juvenile delinquency to thinking about college, those Baptist preachers should be helped and encouraged every way we can, and it has nothing to do with "church and state." Normal. He thinks if there's an old plaque bearing the Ten Commandments on the wall of the courthouse you should leave it alone--it can't hurt, and it might help. Normal.

Finally, you look at President Bush, and you can tell he's not going to change much anymore. He's 58 and he's going to stay who he is. He is not emotionally or intellectually labile or subject to great swings--he's not going to shock us and announce tomorrow that, on reconsideration, Osama had a point, or he actually doesn't like Jesus. He's not going to say tax increases are good. He's not going to say we need more regulation of small businesses. He liked to brag sometimes in the campaign "You know who I am--I say what I mean and I mean what I say." Actually, it wasn't bragging, for it was true.

Some liberals, misunderstanding Mr. Bush's support, think that in the red states they think Bush is a god. They do not. They do not think he is perfect; they do not think he is Pericles; they do not think he has the subtlest political mind since Harry Hopkins (if Hopkins was subtle--I forget). They just like him, and respect him. Some love him, but they all make teasing jokes about him. This is a man whose very White House called its political strategy shop "strategery." The American people are in their own way fiercely sophisticated. They know the history of second terms: woe and error. They expect Mr. Bush to make mistakes. But they don't expect him to make amazing out-of-character mistakes. They expect him to make George Bush-type mistakes. They can live with that.
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Busy, Busy, Busy

2004-10-25T09:13:00.000-04:00

I haven't blogged for a while, and for that I apologize. I hope those who faithfully check my blog haven't given up on me. I have been very busy/distracted for the past month. We had our Friend and Family Day a few weeks ago -- there is a lot of preparation work before and a lot of follow-up after. I went on my annual week-long Sabbatical last week -- had no access to the computer. And I had to perform a wedding last Saturday. It will be nice to get back into a (somewhat) normal routine this week.

My son and I went with some other folks from church to see Third Day and Toby Mac a few weeks ago. It was great. I didn't know if I would like Toby Mac -- he does a lot of rap. But he was really good (will there ever be a rap song in our hymnals?). My son *really* liked him. Third Day was outstanding, as expected. The Newsboys, Rebecca St. James and Todd Agnew are coming to town. I would love to go, but it is on a Sunday night, so it seems unlikely.

Favorite Movies

2004-09-29T15:19:00.000-04:00

Mike Cope has an interesting discussion going on at his blog regarding favorite movies. I am not a big movie fan -- it has to be something really special (like the Lord of the Rings films) for me to take the time, trouble and expense to see a movie at the theater. Here is what I wrote concerning my favorite films:

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is high on my list, as is the first Rocky film (won the Oscar for Best Picture). Hoosiers, Field of Dreams and Miracle for sports films. Regarding Henry -- a movie that preaches the gospel. A Christmas Story is one of my favorite holiday films.

One of the best scenes in a movie is the end of "Return of the Jedi." Luke is trying to get his father -- Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader) off of the Death Star before it is destroyed. Luke says, "I'm going to save you!" Anakin says, "You already have." Wow! Big time chills.

I would also have to put Caddyshack and Groundhog day in there, as well as Blazing Saddles and Monsters Inc. Also, there is The Passion of the Christ -- but that would be in a different category, as it is not entertainment.

What are your favs? Put them in the comments section.

Don't Waste Your Life

2004-09-23T09:22:00.000-04:00

I currently reading Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper. It is really challenging me. I've been led to see how I get caught up in so many trivial things that, in the end, are just meaningless. It has helped me to see how fleeting this life really is and why it is so important to die to self (notice the importance Jesus places on that). Yes, I'll still watch sports, follow politics, and play the occasional video game. But I now see those things for what they are -- meaningless, insignigicant distractions from the Kingdom of God.

I'll be going on my annual week-long sabbatical in a few weeks, and I will likely spend a lot of that solitary time reflecting on and praying about this.

Coffee House Hymns

2004-09-07T18:54:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here in a rather trendy coffee house in Ashland, Ohio (yes, Ashland has a trendy coffee house) drinking a cup of Java and trying to work on a sermon on my laptop. There is an elderly lady playing the piano and I just noticed that she is playing old hymns (she just finished playing “O Happy Day”). It just struck me as strange to hear these songs in a place like this. But I like it. I think I'll stay longer than I planned.

Just wanted to share. OK. Back to work.

Good Quote from Alice Cooper

2004-08-26T14:54:00.000-04:00

Rocker Alice Cooper comments on the rock stars who are campaigning against President Bush:

"If you're listening to a rock star in order to get your information on who to vote for, you're a bigger moron than they are. Why are we rock stars? Because we're morons. We sleep all day, we play music at night and very rarely do we sit around reading the Washington Journal."

"Besides," he continued, "when I read the list of people who are supporting Kerry, if I wasn't already a Bush supporter, I would have immediately switched. Linda Ronstadt? Don Henley? Geez, that's a good reason right there to vote for Bush."

You can read the full article here.

My Favorite Olympic Moment

2004-08-24T12:39:00.000-04:00

My favorite moment in the 2004 Olympics was when Deena Kastor won the Bronze Medal in the Women's Marathon. It is the first medal in 20 years for the USA in the Women's Marathon. No one gave Deena a chance, but she ran a smart race and moved from eighth to third in the last few miles (if the race had been one mile longer, she may have captured second place). Over the last 200+ yards of the race, her family and friends were jumping up and down in the stands and cheering her on, and Deena was crying her eyes out. It was such a great moment.

Third Day at RNC

2004-08-23T19:50:00.000-04:00

Third Day will be performing at the Republican National Convention! This is great news! Michael W. Smith and Jaci Velasquez will also be there. I will have to find out when Third Day will be on stage. Perhaps I can catch them on C-SPAN.

On a related note -- it is hard to believe that President Bush is holding his own against Kerry in the polls. It may just be the liberal-slant of the mainstream media, but it seems like the entire world is against W.

Andy Stanley on Church Leadership

2004-08-18T11:37:00.000-04:00

This is excellent. Any comments?

"Speaking from my limited view I feel like so much of the problem with pastors is they are just scared to death. They're scared of their people, they're scared of deacons, they're scared, they're scared, they're scared. You know if you're scared of someone you can't lead them; you can hardly even influence them. Here's the pastor who's been hired — I tell our business guys all the time, "You'd never go to work for an organization where the customers can hire and fire the president of the company they bought products from." But that's the church world. The people hire the leader and say, "We'll follow you unless we don't like the way you're leading us, then we'll get us another leader." What other organization can the clients and the customers hire and fire the leader? So the church is set up upside-down. It's an environment that is not conducive to leadership in some ways. Consequently to lead a church you just have to have a lot of courage because the group to which you're saying "follow me" can get together after you leave and fire you. Well, that's just the way it is. That's not going to change but it requires a lot of courage — otherwise we start bending toward the people that hired us and we're in trouble.
The irony is we stand up and talk about Daniel in the lion's den but then we won't even confront elders. All of these bible heroes — David and Goliath — and we love to preach those sermons and draw these parallels and then we're scared to confront people. I think that dynamic alone is a big part of why the church is where it is. The leadership — or lack of leadership — is just so much fear of people. I don't know where that comes from...

When I see pastors who are scared I want to tell them, "Just lead. If they fire you and you don't think God will take care of you, then you have no message for your people anyway, because we get up every Sunday and say God's grace is sufficient. He's going to take care of you, He'll meet your every needs and you'll never see the righteous go hungry." It's what we preach but if our lack of faith in those practical things causes us to not to be able to lead then what's our message anyway?"