On the passing of Mike

                Throughout this whole process of Mike’s illness, I was struck by the number of times people talked about things they, and I, didn’t know. We don’t know why Mike got this; we don’t know the effect of this treatment; we don’t know how he will communicate; I don’t know what to say or do when I visit him and he’s just asleep.  You get the idea. We were all pretty much reacting out of ignorance.  I don’t mean ignorance in a pejorative sense.  We just didn’t know.   We really never do.  I say never because, though we are thinking specifically of Mike and family right now, crisis situations like this are pretty common.  They make life what it is.  We transition from one crisis to another, which we experience in varying degrees of discomfort—from inconvenience to deepest sorrow.  But they all afford us great opportunities to live in pure faith.  We have to, have to, depend on what God has planned next.  Outwardly, I suppose, it does not look any different from what a non-believer does. We make the decisions, take the actions, consult the people, that we think are best. Then we hope.  And therein lies the difference between the Christian and non-Christian. I don’t know what a non-believer hopes in. Science? Expertise and goodness of others? Experience? Those aren’t bad choices. I look to them all the time. But they are incomplete.  Without recognizing that God works with these is to wonder if they will work next time.  Scripture gives us plenty of examples of people encouraging others to notice the consistency of nature to see how reliable He is.  And we wouldn’t know a miracle was a miracle if we didn’t know that science followed consistent laws.  When someone acts morally and expertly, we know that God has planted that moral sense in them. We know that God is the source of all knowledge. As many have said, All truth is God’s truth.  We can trust that God will direct others to act properly.  Then there is the call of Scripture to look to the history of God acting in life.  The Psalmists constantly call on Israel to remember how God has worked in the past and to trust that He will work in the future.  For us that means our individual futures. 

                Of course, this does not mean we can depend on what  science thinks is best, how others are making their choices, or if this experience will lead to what it lead to last time we depended on it. That’s why, on their own, they are wanting.  We don’t know all that science has to teach us.  Others’ expertise comes up short, and they definitely don’t always act morally. Our memories oftentimes fail to bring back to mind the right experiences.  But we have faith. Call it a brace, a bannister, or a base, but don’t call it a blind leap.  We trust in the majestic God of the universe who has been working since before time.

                God promised He would work.  This is the God who said He would send His Son to make the world right.  His Son came, died for us, and did not escape death Himself. Instead by dying, He defeated death. He rose from the grave. Now he lives to transform completely all those who trust in that miraculous, just, and historical act.

                If Mike and Sandy’s suffering can cause us to look back to Jesus, then God is truly glorified. We can mourn the loss of a good friend, a friend whose good humor is the antithesis of death, and mourn we should. But we can also celebrate that death is not the end. We will miss Mike, none more so than Sandy, the kids and a grandchild who got only a glimpse of a guy we can’t help but smile about. But it’s not the end, no more than it was when they laid Jesus in the grave.  Mike rests now, awaiting the time when he will be raised to a completely healed body.   

Overwhelmed. Matthew 1

            Overwhelmed. In Matthew chapter 1, I can figure that’s an accurate description of what Joseph was feeling when Mary told him the news of the blessed event that was coming their way.  Scripture intimates that maybe he didn’t even consider it coming “his” way.  this was going to be Mary’s problem.  He comes up with his plan to divorce her. But before he actually carries that out, he considers these things.  Thus, he decides to sleep on it.

            Deus ex machina time as God invades his dream.  But how do you like the answer he gets?  God tells him it’s all about the whole plan of God.  Joseph is probably thinking about the most discreet way to return the wedding invitations. Instead, he is told to add Messiah to the list of guests. Oh, and by the way, the Anointed One wants to bring His own children, potentially the whole world! Sleep on that, Joseph.

            Joseph was to be comforted by theology.  In this case, it was soteriology, the plan of salvation.  In short, it’s the gospel.  Actually, all theology is the gospel.  Joseph was to look at his life situation. God explained how this circumstance was to result in people obtaining a relationship with God through the Savior.  That may be why Matthew was so detailed in listing the genealogy of Jesus.  The mention of those names brought all sorts of stories to mind of Matthew’s contemporary readers. They were not all good stories.

            It’s no different for us.  When we learn Scripture, we begin to understand theology.  We then see how our situations fit into this plan that God has outlined for us and for the world.  That’s why we read the Book.  God wants us to understand that our whole lives are to result in the evangelism of the whole world.  From God’s perspective, our lives are to move us closer to God.    This comprehension takes time. But that’s what God promises us plenty of, an eternity of it.

On Louder than Words

The men's group I attend on Saturday mornings has just started reading Andy Stanley's Louder than Words. Here are my thoughts coming from one quote in chapter 2.

            One quote caught my attention.  It is on page 33: “…when we have not clearly defined what character is, we have a tendency to fill the void with the hollow imitations offered by the popular culture.”

            It’s not just popular culture that is ready to hand out hollow imitations.  The Christian world does, too.  These are the more dangerous ones.  For example, a lot of Christians were trying to live their lives according to WWJD.  I understand the earnestness of these people and the seriousness of the question.  The bracelets were nice and probably made a lot of money for some Chinese factory.  But I think it missed the whole point.  This philosophy would have us face a situation, stop, and then try to figure out what Jesus would do.  It becomes that cartoon of the devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other.  Then we make up our mind and do what we think is right.  The problem is that I don’t think Jesus ever did that.  He wasn’t wearing a WWID bracelet, wondering, when the devil tempted Him, “Hmmm.  What would I do?”  No, what Jesus did in any moment was what He always did.  He lived His life in constant awareness of the Holy Spirit’s direction.  That way, He knew He was in the will of God.  He took in Scripture, prayed about it, and the Holy Spirit brought it to Him.  One of the problems with WWJD is that it isolates the circumstance from the rest of the Christian life.  Then we get concerned that we do the right thing in this instance.  That becomes law and we aren’t under law.  The danger there is that we become overly concerned with the details of life—What school should I go to? What should I do with this money? How much should I give?--instead of maintaining that connection with God.  I believe this is what Jesus modeled for us: proper fellowship with God and others.  I don’t believe He was necessarily an example for situational living.  When I read Scripture, I don’t always see Him in the situations I face. Do you?  True, “He was tempted in all ways, just as we are, but never sinned.”  But no one has ever asked me to supply drinks for a wedding.  Nor did I ever read that Jesus was tempted to look at porn on the internet.  He was tempted to find fulfillment outside of a relationship with God.  I think that verse speaks to the generalities of temptation.  It forces us to see how Jesus lived His life on the whole.  And that leads to what we hear nearly every week (because we need to): Our faith is a relationship, not a religion.  Jesus maintained and sustained that relationship daily.  If this relationship grows, our character grows.

           

News that Must be Told

            I wish money were not such an important part of our daily lives, but it is.  For me, it (the lack thereof, that is) is usually a source of stress.  So, when it is actually a part of something truly amazing, something that can only be explained as the work of the hand of God, I must share it.  A lengthy introduction but necessary to the event.

            Ten weeks ago, Hope Baptist Church started a new series of messages called The Big Journey. It was an explanation of the goals of the church as we ministered to a Big God with our Big Life in a Big World.  Some may say it was just a glorified building fund campaign.  While it did have this element, it gave it context.  We were not just attempting to raise money to erect another church building.  We were building a jumping off campus to reach Las Vegas, the Western U.S. and the world.  In eight years God has used Hope to already do that.  I encourage you to listen to the sermon podcasts during this time.

Here's a link to the church website and to a video about the series.

http://www.hopebaptistchurch.com/

            So, about 6 weeks ago, Pastor Vance set out our financial goals for the campaign.  A consultant told him we could expect pledges for the next three years of about $3,000,000 from a congregation our size.  So, he, and the board, set it at $4,000, 000. Since the former amount was what we could do, we had to do what God could do.  Part of that included a goal of raising an upfront cash offering of $275,000. 

            Four weeks ago we took the offering.  Finally, one week ago, Pastor Vance announced the results.  They were jaw-dropping.  The church pledged $4, 100, 000 for the next three years.  This in the middle of the worst financial time in the last 60 years at least, when our city of Las Vegas is close to double-digit unemployment.  You amy think of this as just getting just enough.  What I like about virtually hitting the goal on the head is that every pledge ends up being necessary.  It would be great if we raised tens of millions, but then the less fortunate would think their offering was not needed.

            Then there is the matter of the cash offering.  As our pastor said, we can pledge based on how we think things will be in a couple of years, but would we give today?  Well, I guess so.  In responding to a goal of a quarter of a million dollars, God blessed us to give over a $1,000,000 in cash.  Again, remember the financial situation.

            I am bragging on Hope Baptist, but it’s also part of my celebration of being part of such a great work of God, right here in the middle of a city that no one associates with the work of God.

Slumdog Millionaire

When I first heard of the movie, it automatically went on the "Not gonna see it" list. After all, why do I want to see a movie about the world of rap? That's what I assumed it was about. That's what the title sounds like. And I know I'm not the only one who felt that way. Then the word of mouth started. They let me know it had nothing to do with inner-city music, although it has plenty of such music in it, and plenty of the inner (and worse) parts of a big city in it, namely Mumbai. Then they said what a great movie it was. I hadn't heard word of mouth like this since "The Sixth Sense."

I went to see it. Let me tell you, you can't spend a better two hours at the theater this year. You will see real parts of a country that are devastatingly poor. The story it tells about two orphans who live there will break your heart. That these two, plus their third musketeer, can still be beautiful, while covered with dirt, sweat, and the worst that humanity produces, is testament to great filmmaking. We can be a pretty impressive species at times. But this is just part of what the director, Danny Boyle, wants to get across, that humanity can shine, while everything around it wants to dim that light.

The director also has a theme of destiny that will keep people talking. Let me give you a hint, without spoiling anything: Arminians might not like Boyle's conclusion. As a Calvinist, I thought it was great. Stepping away from the theology, anyone will enjoy this movie. This movie was destined to be great, and it is darn near perfect.

There is more to say about this movie. Maybe in a later post, after I see it again.

Parenthetically speaking, I don't know who created the trailer for the movie "Revolutionary Road," but said person should be fired.  This looks like the most depressing movie ever.  I turned to the  person  next to me and said, "There's a real pick-me-up." Her husband said, "Feel good movie of the year."  If that trailer is any indication, please try  not to slit your wrists afterwards.

Testicular Virility

Right now it is all questions. Here are mine.

1. Governor, is this what you meant by having the testicular virility to be governor? That you could find out how valuable a senate seat could be for you?
2. Wouldn’t you be considered a bully referring to your own physical prowess, i.e. the aforementioned “testicular virility” as the reason for getting power?
3. Can’t you at least find the decency to use better language when discussing what you want to do, corrupt or not? Why do you have to call the president-elect an “m-f-er?" It’s nice to know your wife picks right up on that language.
4. Why didn’t you learn from those who are obviously your heroes, i.e. Gary Hart and Richard Nixon? Hart challenged the media to follow him if they thought he was doing wrong. They did and followed a woman right onto his lap. Nixon told us he was not a crook. You said everything you said was lawful.
5. If you really wanted sympathy for George Ryan, wouldn’t you go about it a different way, other than breaking the law yourself?
6. Finally, to those of you who voted for Illinois’ current favorite son: Why shouldn’t I think that this doesn’t taint everyone who comes out of Illinois?

I'm so excited

Sunday was filled with praise for the one who is “the hope of the entire world.” One religious leader declared that he was “sent by God,” and that he works “through the glory, by the glory of God.” People were seen wearing shirts that stated “I love” him. Associates went on national television declaring that he rules. All this after having been assailed by his opponents for the ones he associated with.
Of course, none of that is new. What is new, is the subject of this praise. The subject wasn’t Jesus Christ. In this case, it was for the President-elect Barack Obama. Most likely you figured that out already. Actually, many supporters of Mr. Obama are used to doling out such praise, and to the real Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. But a huge segment of his support is finally getting an idea of what makes us Jesus worshippers so excited. The people engaged in this excitement were not doing anything extreme. In the contexts in which they were said, all the statements above were correct. I was amused by the irony of it all. This is what we’ve been excited about for 2,000 years!
The same people who would be offended by Christians excitedly sharing the Gospel, are going on TV and other forms of media to extol one whom they believe to truly be source for hope and betterment for America. While I don’t share their optimism in him or his policies, I share their excitement, because I am looking forward to the same changes.
There is a clip done by The Onion that I saw on maxgrace.com. It “reports” on the aftermath of all the Obama supporters now that he has been elected. The reporters say they no longer can relate to the real world and that even Mr. Obama finds them extremely annoying. It reminded me of new Christians and how the unbelieving world receives their newfound faith. Sometimes that enthusiasm dies, but it does not have to. It can last because the object of that eagerness is not dead. And it’s not just His promises that filled with fervor. It is the One they believed in.
I believe in One who offers hope to a world that is troubled by all sorts of ills, but not just those of an economic, or physical, or intellectual nature. He does offer economic relief when He promises to clothe and feed us in ways that the richest kings could never dream (Matt. 6:29-34). He does promise to restore the physical well being of us all. As a physician, He came to seek us and to save us from what really ails us (Matt. 9). And in the end, we all will need the health insurance only Jesus can provide. He also promises to give us the knowledge that will restore our relationship to God because He is the knowledge (John 1:1). It is no “secret.”
I also believe in hope. Jesus is the Provider of that hope: “…guide me in your truth and teach me, 
for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” Finally, I affirm the statement “Yes, we can.” Paul tells me that is a promise from God Himself, when He tells us “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”
I am not trying to mock the President-elect with a childish, “God said it first” attitude. I believe these thoughts from the Word inform his philosophy. I have a problem with him trying to use the government to bring his promises about.
What is ironic is that now I can talk to a true-blue Obama supporter and tell him or her we have some of the same goals in mind and we are just as enthusiastic as they are. In fact, I can tell them, we’ve been meeting with others to talk about them for years.
We finally have an “in” with them. Now, they know what we’ve been excited about for so long.