What Do You Think?

College students can be irresponsible; a student was a few semesters back. He missed a test and then decided a month later that he needed to take it to maintain his financial aid. I talked with an administrator and asked what she wanted me to do.

“It’s your class,” she said. “What do you think you should do

This was not my experience at other places where the matter would require numerous meetings and memos! I was surprised that the administrator trusted me to make the right decision.

Jesus the master teacher once turned a question back to an inquisitor, causing the man to think deeply about life choices. The story is told in Luke 10.

The man, a teacher of the law, asked Jesus how he might receive eternal life.

“What is written in the law?” Jesus responded. “What do you read there?”The man responded with the two great commands to love God with all our heart, and to love our neighbor as we love our self. Jesus told him he was correct. The questioner should’ve stopped there, but he wished to test Jesus by asking, “Who is my neighbor?” In response we have one of Jesus’ greatest stories.

A lone traveler was beaten and robbed and left for dead. Two religious leaders traveled by and decided to leave him alone. Perhaps they were late to temple worship and couldn’t be bothered with a humanitarian cause. Or they may have believed the man was dead. If so, any contact with a corpse would make them ceremonially unclean for seven days. Thus, two men skilled in the law—the law that exhorted “love you neighbor as you love yourself”—decided that worship was more important than human need.

The story has two caveats. One is the hero of the story: “Good Samaritan,” an oxymoron in that day since the Jews didn’t believe there were any. And the second caveat was when Jesus asked his original questioner to think about the story and determine who was neighbor to the injured man. So once again Jesus asked the teacher of the law to think through an issue for himself.

It is liberating when employers, teachers and pastors ask us to think for ourselves and trust us to make wise decisions. The desired result is that we grow in cognitive skills and in confidence that we can make good decisions in the future.

I suppose most of the good people who listen to us pastors preach week by week know the right thing to do. They just need to hear us say more often than we do, “What do you think God wants you to do?” and, “Have you done it?”

A Case Of Mistaken Identity

My first church after seminary had a practice of asking new pastors to preach in a revival meeting. In those days we had week-long revivals once or twice a year. Nevertheless, I stopped to talk to some little girls in the hallway one day when one of them pointed to a revival poster on the bulletin board and remarked that my picture really looked good.

“Yes,” I said with a smile, “I look like Robert Redford, don’t I?”

One of the silly girls ran around telling church members that the new pastor thought he looked like Robert Redford. She told so many that I decided to address the issue from the pulpit.

“I certainly don’t think I look like Redford,” I said with mock seriousness. “I think I look more like Tom Selleck!”

Everybody had a laugh.

At least I was in better company than a pastor friend to whom a teen-ager said he reminded her of a movie star. “Which one?” he asked eagerly. “Gomer Pyle,” she replied.

At the seminary in Louisville an employee always said, “Hi, Chevy” to me, insisting I looked like Chevy Chase. I suppose when wearing glasses there is some resemblance.

I had a greater compliment recently. I met Cherry Starr in the salon where I get my hair cut. She’s also known as Mrs. Bart Starr—the Green Bay Packer legend.  Cherry was a University of Alabama cheerleader when she and Starr secretly married since he feared being married would harm his recruiting prospects. They’ve been married more than 60 years, and now she’s a faithful caregiver for him. I told her I’d purchased a car from Bart Starr Lincoln-Mercury in Birmingham while a Samford student. She instantly liked me. Then she told me I looked like Harrison Ford, and I instantly liked her! In fact, she calls me “Harrison” every time I see her in the shop.

I’ve heard the Harrison Ford comparison before and felt pretty good about it until a colleague remarked that Ford is looking “grizzled” these days.

I suppose we all have look-alike stories we share with family and friends, and of course, we always try to guess who our new babies favor as soon as they’re born.

 But it occurred to me that we who follow Christ have a greater challenge. The Apostle Paul prayed that “Christ be formed in you” (Galatians 4:19). That is, Christ needs to take over our lives to such a degree that others see him in us, rather than the rogue sinners they most often encounter. We hear of “hostile” take-overs in the financial world, but Christ’s take-over of our lives should be welcomed. He makes things better than he found them.

The Mightiest Muscle

A friend expressed disapproval of a project lately and I began to question him to better understand his thoughts. But he cut me off with, “I’m not going to argue about it.” I wasn’t planning on arguing either, but because I was puzzled I wanted to hear more of his logic.

At least I wasn’t as aggressive as the irrepressible Ann Coulter. On a talk show once her nemesis said, “There’s no use to argue with me. I’m correct.” To which Ms. Coulter responded, “I’m not arguing. I’m attacking!”

King Solomon counseled centuries ago that “a soft answer turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1). I’ve found this good advice over the years. My natural inclination is to respond in kind when someone uses harsh words or actions, including harsh driving! But the situation can be defused when calmer spirits prevail. The apostle Peter exhorted us not to return evil for evil, thus perpetuating evil. He exhorted that we return good for evil and stop the cycle of evil in its tracks (1 Peter 3:9). The same is true for our words.

However, there is a time to speak unvarnished truth. For example, the experience of our first lady Betty Ford as she struggled with alcohol and prescription drugs popularized the intervention. This method is commonly followed today when friends or family are trapped in addictive behavior. The intervention is done with concern but without hesitancy. I’ve known parents who had to practice tough love with additive children to shock them out of bad life choices.

Pastors sometimes feel compelled to speak unvarnished truth. My generation remembers the segregated South. As a boy I saw the “white” and “colored” restrooms and water coolers. As a man I saw hard racial attitudes among believers in Christ. A racist man once observed he understood I couldn’t preach on brotherly love without someone seeing racial overtones.  I preached on brotherly love then, and still do. The 60s “Jesus movement” song said it well, “They’ll know we are Christians by our love.”

But I also remember going to the pulpit a few times with anger instead of compassion. I’m not sure how effective it was for me to raise my voice and scold the congregation when only one or two people had angered me. I always regretted this afterwards. The apostle Paul insisted we’re to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).

Sometimes Christians must, as we say, “agree to disagree.” I might say to a brother or sister, “I don’t think your opinion is correct, but I hear you. I value you as a co-worker in Christ.”

The tongue has been called the body’s mightiest muscle. We need God’s wisdom to exercise it properly.

On Being Gracious To One Another

I heard about a presumably wealthy Texas cattle ranch owner who boasted about his holdings. When asked how he got such a big ranch, he replied that he bought up a bunch of smaller ranches and made them into one bigger ranch. He said he kept the names and made the new ranch a composite of them all. Thus he owned the "Lazy J Rolling S Mighty Texas Bar Seven Triple L Buffalo Nickel" cattle ranch.

"Well, how many head of cattle do you own?" his friend asked.

"Only seven," he replied. "I had a lot more but most of 'em didn't survive the branding!"

I often remember this story as we approach football season and see how some fans take something that's supposed to be fun and turn it into a shouting match with friends and acquaintances. One friend told me they had an "Alabama/Auburn" night at their summer revival and it turned into a disaster! Apparently people focused on the red and orange more than they focused on repentance.

One pastor customarily cautioned people on the Sunday before the Iron Bowl to be kind to one another on the Sunday following. It would seem this would be unnecessary to say, but I've followed suit and usually say this myself come November.

This fall is fraught with another peril since it's election season. Candidates on both sides have said regrettable things, and some who support them have said some regrettable things, too. I just returned from a political items collectors convention where my conservatism was a target of some barbed comments, so I had to simply smile sweetly and press on.

I suppose the world will always be full of such kind of conflict. It's sad, however, when this kind of division creeps into the church.

We lived in another county years ago. A local congregation, St. John's Church, got unwanted publicity when several public brawls broke out in the congregation and were reported in the local press. A new pastor came who chided his people somewhat sternly that if they were named for the Apostle John, the apostle of love, they must live like it.

John wrote, "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death" (1 John 3: 14).

And John recorded the lord of the church himself who said, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you" (John 15: 12). Everyone has their football favorites and a political party they support. This is America and wehave freedom to do so. But let's remember we're Americans first. And Christians most of all.

The Me Too Movement

Kevin was minister of education in a church I served. He’d often say pastors and musicians get accolades after worship services, such as “Thanks for the wonderful sermon,” and “Thanks for the beautiful music.” But in contrast, church members would tell Kevin which toilets needed repairing.

I thought about Kevin a few weeks ago when a lady stopped me before a mid-week service to tell me there was a wad of paper in a toilet I needed to check. I promptly forgot and went on to other things, and then a second lady approached me with the same news. In my present mission station, I don’t have a minister of education to call when the toilets need repair. Before I could  check it, one of the ladies fished the paper out of the toilet herself and proudly came to tell me she’d been successful. I thanked her and laughingly asked if she’d call the pastor if this happened at home!

One doesn’t have to be an ordained preacher or a singer to serve God. All Christians are called to serve in some unique way. Martin Luther said, “A milk maid can milk cows to the glory of God.”

I think of my dad who loved his church, but never felt he could teach or sing. He turned down deacon nominations every year believing himself unworthy of the honor. But he spent many afternoons at the church replacing glass, repairing toilets and doing minor electrical repairs. His service was necessary.

I think of a lady in another church who had an unelected, yet important, job. She policed the sanctuary after the morning worship by discarding trash and chewing gum wrappers (!), straightening hymnals and saving reusable bulletins. She said, “I love to do it and I believe God is pleased.” Her service was necessary.

Countless others over the years have had glad and generous hearts to contribute to God’s work. They have given their money to support the work of the gospel, and they’ve given their time to staff the benevolent ministries of their church. I’ve frequently noted that most ministry in the church isn’t done in the spotlight. The pastor and musicians are in the spotlight. But most ministry is done in the shadows. It’s done in love because there’s a need, and the laborers aren’t looking for public acclaim.

The ancient prophet Isaiah is honored among the prophets because he wasn’t a reluctant servant of the Lord. He didn’t run from the call of God like Jonah or complain like Jeremiah. He volunteered for service. “Here am I, Lord. Send me,” he said (Isaiah 6: 8).

Every Christian ought to follow Isaiah’s example and say, “Me too, Lord.”

Remembering With Gratitude

It was a trip down memory lane when I determined to spend a little time in the loveliest village on the plains. I’d not been to Auburn in a while, so en route to Georgia I took a slight detour and visited the campus. After graduating from Samford, I decided to pursue a master’s degree in communications. Auburn offered the program I liked. This was a fortuitous decision since I made my living for 15 years teaching speech and journalism and have been an adjunct in half a dozen other schools over the years.

I discovered the sixth floor of Haley Center no longer houses Communications. It’s now the Foreign Languages department. And the tiny office I had as a graduate teaching assistant is now the copy room. It was interesting to see food trucks in the area around Haley—an innovation we didn’t have in my day.

An innovation we did have was The Streak. Ray Steven’s song was released when I was at Auburn, and we had a campus streaker who ran through the Haley quad several times wearing a ski mask and not much more. The campus newspaper, “The Plainsman,” interview Mr. Streak without revealing his identity. I was never sure what he was trying to do other than fulfill a fraternity prank.

A Samford friend from nearby Chambers County told me his home church needed a pastor, and he put me in contact with his dad who was one of he deacons. I served the Cusseta Baptist Church as pastor for the 18 months I was in grad school. I remember with fondness the wonderful people who listened to me and encouraged me during that time.

One unique facet of Southern Baptist life is that we don’t have a denominational apprentice program or a bishop to follow our progress and assign responsibilities. Young men (98 percent of Southern Baptist pastors are male) declare their call to ministry and in many cases are thrust into the work immediately. I read about a pastor lately who took the pulpit at age 17. I hope he was more profound than me when I preached my first sermons. My simple sermons were hardly stimulating!

But I remember with gratitude God’s grace and the peoples’ prayers. Faithful church members encourage their young ministers and are patient with us. They know we don’t become old and wise without first being young and dumb!

The older I get the more I realize my indebtedness to wonderful Christians who helped me along the way. And I realize more the enduring value of God’s work. The old adage is yet true: “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Baptizing Our Pocketbooks

Giving has always been an important way to worship and to invest in the Lord's work. It's also a spiritual barometer that measures our love for God. Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there is your heart also" (Matthew 6:21). The principle is that our hearts follow our treasure.

How might we determine the priorities of one’s life? An important gauge for most of us is the checkbook. I've found that younger people don't write many checks anymore, and some don't own a checkbook. Great Britain will stop using paper checks at some point, so the USA is probably not too far behind the move to electronic banking. I saw Metro riders in D.C. swipe their wallets on the turnstile to ride the subway. Someone explained electronic readers could see the fare card inside the wallet. Maybe we'll do this at American supermarkets one day.

In whatever way we spend our money, our money is a solid indicator of our priorities.

March 6 is a memorable day when we commemorate 180 brave Texans who died at the Alamo in San Antonio in 1836. The commander-in-chief of the Republic of Texas was Gen. Sam Houston who turned the tide and defeated Santa Anna on April 21 at San Jacinto.

Houston was a hard-living man who finally came to Christ about 10 years before his death in 1863. His conversion was in large measure the result of his wife Margaret's witness.

Margaret Lea grew up in Marion, Ala. and was schooled at the Judson Female Institute, now Judson College. Her father, Temple, had been a circuit-riding Baptist preacher, and her mother, Nancy, had the distinction of being the only female delegate to the meeting in Greensboro in 1823 when the Alabama Baptist Convention was founded.

Houston met Margaret in Mobile and married her in 1840. Margaret was his third wife, and by all accounts, his favorite!

On the day he trusted Christ, Houston came forward and took the hand of the pastor. "I give you my hand and with it I give my heart to the Lord," he said. Houston was baptized in a local creek the same day. When the pastor raised him from the water he said, "Sam, all your sins are washed away." To which Houston replied, "God help the fishes!"

Another interesting fact is that Houston found he'd mistakenly left his wallet in his baptism clothes.

"Preacher," he said, "you baptized my pocketbook!"

This was prophetic, for Houston gave generously to his church for the rest of his life, and also supported a new Baptist school in Waco that was to become Baylor University.

On the day of our baptism, we all should've baptized our pocketbooks, too.

Deliver Us From Evil

The 17th anniversary of 9/11 brings back many memories. All of us who remember that day recall where we were and how we heard about the attack. And our lives will be forever different.

When tragedy occurs, we see the worst of humanity and the best of humanity. Christians around the nation rushed to the stricken city to help. One of those was police chaplain Tim Storey of Alabaster who was part of a team sent to encourage fellow police officers some six months after 9/11.

Officer Storey showed some pictures at our church from his visit. One was from a fire station where 30 officers had been lost. Their comrades posted a memorial that read, "No farewell words were spoken, no time to say goodbye. You were gone before we knew it, and only God knows why."

The presence of evil is one of the great mysteries in scripture where we find a three-way tension between Satan and demons, the sovereignty of God and human will. The Bible affirms that Satan is the author of evil, to be sure. The late comedian Flip Wilson made famous the phrase, "the devil made me do it," but I don't see any evidence that Satan forces us to choose evil. The truth may be that "I made me do it."

The second part of this equation is the toughest. Scripture affirms God is in control and holds all power in his hands. But why would God allow errant jetliners to crash into buildings? We don't know. The firefighter memorial is true: "only God knows why."

For some reason God allowed evil men the freedom to choose an evil course. One of my seminary teachers, the late Frank Stagg, suggested that one way to understand the wrath of God is his determination to let sin run its course. In other words, God steps aside and lets the full weight of our wrong decisions impact our lives and the lives of others.

Whatever the causes of evil, Christians have an obligation to roll up their sleeves and help others. To quote Flip Wilson again, he once identified his religion. "I'm a Jehovah's by-stander," he said! Jehovah has some by-standers, but they're living outside his will. God's people don't stand idly by. As Dr. Leo Eddleman of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary noted years ago, the nearest pocket of need is a mission field, and the nearest Christian is a missionary.

We don’t know all the reasons 9/11 occurred, but we can celebrate the heroes of 9/11: a host of fire fighters and police officers and followers of Christ who unselfishly rushed in to help others in need.

Being In The Spirit On The Lord's Day

The Apostle John was exiled to Patmos in the Aegean Sea—the fortress reserved for Rome’s worst criminals. John was only guilty of preaching the gospel of love. But he like Peter, Paul, John Bunyan and others, took time to write from prison and encourage others. It was on Patmos that John was given the vision we call the book of Revelation.

Theologians debate about his use of “the Lord’s Day” (Revelation 1:10). He either referred to the end of time, or the first day of the week Christians selected for worship after the resurrection. But it’s true that we must be “in the spirit” on Sunday.

Being in the spirit begins on Saturday with determination that we’ll honor our worship appointment the following day. We also should be well-rested to participate fully in worship and Bible study. It’s hard to believe the average American watches more than five hours of television daily, but surely, we do ourselves no good staying up late on Saturday night for mindless TV.

Being in the spirit continues Sunday morning. We used to sing “Rise, shine, give God the glory” at youth camp. Rising early on Sunday beats rushing in late. We can nourish our souls with Christian music or a broadcast worship service. And we can avoid family conflicts on Sunday morning by being sweet!

And we should continue being sweet when we arrive at church.

I remember a dressing down I received one Sunday when a mother participating in a baby dedication on the platform wore an LSU sweatshirt. LSU had just beaten Alabama the night before and a deacon chewed on me for “allowing” her to wear her sweatshirt. I gingerly explained that I didn’t inspect clothing on Sundays. I agreed it probably was inappropriate for her to flash her colors when our focus was on something else, but I also reminded this deacon that he wore his team clothing to church sometimes, too.

Especially in football season we need to be sweet to each other!

Being in the spirit on Sunday morning means we come prayerfully, participating in Bible study and worship. We sing hymns of praise and follow the lessons in our Bibles. We give an offering as an act of dedication and do nothing to take away from the impact of worship.

A new pastor told me about five or six ladies who stood during the invitation time one Sunday and noisily left the sanctuary. They left to warm the bread for the lunch following worship! He patiently explained to them the propriety of the invitation when pastors plead for the souls of men and women. Respecting this time is a significant part of being in the spirit.

Following The Good Shepherd

Scripture doesn’t tell us all we’d like to know about spiritual gifts. The writers paint in broad strokes telling us that God has gifted every believer in a unique way to do his work. Thus, not only are we commanded to serve God, but we’re enabled to serve God.

Sincere believers disagree on the fine points. I tend to agree with Bible teacher Charles Swindoll about several gifts being first-century gifts enabling the church to launch, like the booster rockets on the space shuttle got it into orbit and then were jettisoned. For example, the apostle gift. An apostle was commissioned to plant churches around the Mediterranean world but was also a witness to the resurrection of Jesus. He could stand and say, “I saw the risen Christ. He is alive.” Paul argued for his apostleship when he insisted he saw the risen Christ on the Damascus Road (Acts 9).

But some gift inventories propose the apostle is a modern-day church planter or an international missionary.

A group of us took an inventory lately in our church, and I failed the apostleship section. This inventory suggested the apostle is the modern church planter. I don’t criticize those who genuinely feel called to do so, but my interest has always been the strengthening of our present churches.

Over the years I’ve known several who were zealous to plant new churches “to reach people,” but whose efforts were unwise.

A couple became interested in an Illinois church that pioneered the “seeker-friendly” worship. They began to show a video from this church in their home to other couples from their church, suggesting they could reach more people with a church in this mold. This work was done in secret until they announced plans to the mother church and asked for her blessing. One church leader said, “This hurts me that you believe our church can’t reach people and you won’t help us do it. If we felt directed by God to start a new work we’d do this publicly and prayerfully, not in secret.”

Government agencies have “sunshine laws” allowing the public to know what their government is doing. Churches should be no less transparent.

A pastor in another community had the same idea, so he took half the mother church with him to begin a new church with a worship service, he argued, that would reach unbelievers. He left the mother church in shambles.

Every church is called to mission. We follow the good shepherd who searched diligently for the lost. If we’re lethargic, we need to pray for revival and renewal. And if God leads us to start something new, we do it together as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Words On Worship

Christians have sung it for years but may be unaware of its origin in scripture. We sing, “Holy, holy, holy,” and talk about “cherubim and seraphim.” These terms come from the call experience of Isaiah in chapter six of his book in the Old Testament.

It was in the year King Uzziah died after a reign of 50 years. The country was in mourning and felt keenly the loss of stability. Some believe the king and the prophet were relatives; if so, Isaiah’s grief was compounded. He went to the temple and found God in a fresh way.

In the temple, Isaiah saw God, but didn’t describe God. Wouldn’t it have been wonderful had he spent a little time telling us what God looked like? He probably didn’t describe God for the simple reason that God is indescribable. The best we can do is use what theologians call “anthropomorphism”--understanding God by using human terms to describe him, such as his eyes, his arm and his heart.

Then Isaiah saw himself. In the presence of God, he saw himself in a new light. He was unholy in contrast to the holiness of God. Whenever we come into God’s presence, there’s no question who’s sinless and who’s sinful. It’s like wearing muddy boots on white carpet.

But Isaiah also learned about the mercy of God. The heavenly creature took a coal from the altar of God, touched the young man’s lips and pronounced him clean. The God of the Bible is merciful and kind, and delights in removing our wrong when we honestly confess it.

The freshly-forgiven prophet then heard the voice of God issue a call for volunteers: “Whom can I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah eagerly responded, “Here am I Lord, send me.” We honor him today for his willingness to serve God in contrast to so many others in the Bible who were reluctant to obey.

Encapsulated in this beautiful passage is a good model for Christian worship. We come into the presence of God to worship him. The church is “God’s house,” and it’s a place set aside for a special appointment with him every week. We approach him humbly for he’s holy and sinless and we’re not. We need his cleansing forgiveness and we’re assured of it when we admit our wrong to him. 

But worship isn’t complete until we volunteer for the service of God. 

The First Baptist Church of Montgomery has a sign in their parking lot visible to those who exit: “You are now entering the mission field.” How true! Worship isn’t complete until we go into a world of need to share this message of forgiveness and love.

On Using A Smart Phone

I’m relatively new to the smart phone world, having used a basic phone for many years. When my son-in-law upgraded and offered the gift of his old phone, I determined the price was right and the opportunity good to try it out. He insisted it would change my life. It’s been fun to learn some new things I couldn’t do before.

Until last week.

I found myself at a traffic stop, so it was a good time to pull out the phone and start a voice text. A church member called earlier with a request and I’d not yet had time to respond. The light changed, and I laid the phone aside. However, the line of cars in front of me was backed up and I couldn’t proceed. The driver behind me tried to blow me out of his way, though he couldn’t go anywhere either. I made the “palms up” signal as a way of non-verbally asking, “What am I supposed to do?” But he continued to blow his horn. I muttered an accusatory noun under my breath. In a few seconds the line of cars moved and we were on our way.

Imagine my surprise a few minutes later when I picked up the phone to hit “send,” only to discover that at the end of my sweet note to our church member was the word “idiot.” I’m glad I didn’t send the message prematurely! I was also ashamed that the voice text picked up a word I shouldn’t have said.

I got to visit the Richard Nixon Library a few years ago. One interesting feature is the White House tape recording exhibit. Visitors can put on headphones and hear some of the actual recordings from Nixon’s presidency—the tapes that brought about the only presidential resignation in our history. Former Texas Gov. John Connelly urged Nixon to burn the tapes, but he didn’t, and they came back with vengeance after the Supreme Court ruled Nixon had to give them up.

Jesus said, “What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs” (Luke 12:3). God warns us in scripture to be careful of the words we say since they’re being divinely recorded for judgment.

It’s also true that we mustn’t be quick to condemn others. In responding as I did to a rude driver I let him set the agenda for my response. I lowered myself to his level.

I guess the smart phone has, indeed, begun to change my life. Last week I prayed, “Lord, keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3).

When Life Hits Us Head-On

On my recent visit to Superman’s hometown of Metropolis, Illinois, I purchased several pieces of Kryptonite. The store had a barrel full of this mineral. I asked the attendant if it was real. She assured me it came from genuine meteor fragments! Whether this is true or not, at least I now have a conversation piece, though I wonder why a place to honor the Man of Steel would stock the substance that makes his knees buckle.

We remember Kal-El (aka Clark Kent) was born on the Planet Krypton, and the fragments of the now-destroyed planet make him as weak as the rest of us.

I’m convinced that all of us are vulnerable to a Kryptonite-like substance called life. Life often hits us head-on and our knees buckle, too.

I visited with a nice couple lately who told me about the death of the lady’s mother and the recent cancer diagnosis of her dad. She also told me her younger sister had died, and that she and her husband took in the sister’s son to raise. The young man is now grown and gone and living a profligate life.

Life hit them head-on.

We struggle with the tragedies of life. I’ve often remarked to our congregation how most of us take on the care of aging parents, though this is an area we’re not instructed in nor often prepared for. Sometimes these duties include dread diseases like the afore-mentioned cancer, or dementia. And there’s often financial challenges when dealing with senior parents.

We struggle with bad choices. I had a relative who died prematurely due to his addiction to cigarettes. I’ll never forget watching him with a cigarette in one hand and an oxygen mask in the other. Even at that stage he couldn’t quit his habit.

We struggle with our mortality. Death stalks us. Young people don’t think much about death, but seniors think about it when our bodies won’t do what they used to do. Death is among the top three fears people have. Even believers who have the assurance of Christ’s friendship shudder at the thought of death, feeling that we have much remaining to do in our lives.

The apostle Paul wrote in the New Testament about his mysterious “thorn”; a bodily affliction or a tortured memory, we’re not sure. He said he earnestly prayed for God to remove it, but the Lord determined not to do so. Instead God gave him more of his presence to endure and survive. Paul lived his life in partnership with God despite his weakness.

Life often hits us head-on. We should hear the triumphant testimony of Paul and seek God’s partnership to endure and survive just as he did.

You Deserve A Break Today

I attended the biennial convention of the American Political Items Collectors in Springfield, Illinois recently. This group enjoys political memorabilia including buttons, ribbons, books, autographs and 3-D items, and share a passion for history. I got acquainted with the club many years ago and have attended some meetings over the years, but never one this far from home. The location this year afforded opportunity to see the sites associated with President Lincoln who called Springfield his hometown. He lived there 20 for years before moving to the White House, and his tomb is in Springfield, too. The new Lincoln Museum is a spectacular place as well.

The APIC has a number of sub-chapters. I’m treasurer for the Republican Political Items Collectors, and vice-president and newsletter editor for the Jimmy Carter Political Items Collectors. The Carter group has had a banquet meal with the Carters every year for the past 20.

I wish I’d known about these groups years ago and had opportunity to learn history and make friends outside my normal circle. Everyone needs a diversion. On one occasion, Jesus told his disciples to turn aside and rest (Mark 6:31). As the late Vance Havner used to say, “We need to come apart and rest, or we’ll come apart!”

A biographer of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy told of a visit by Ambassador Joseph Kennedy to the Oval Office, accompanied by his son, Bobby. Learning that the lad also collected, President Roosevelt called Bobby to his desk, showed some of his albums and gave him stamps for his collection.

How striking that the president who directed the course of World War II and held the weight of the world on his shoulders found some respite with his stamps.

I think about FDR when I read the media criticizing presidents taking time for rest and relaxation, such as Reagan retreating to Rancho de Cielo or Bush 43 to Crawford or Obama to the golf course. Everyone needs a diversion, especially those who carry nuclear codes in their pockets.

I’ve met scores of displaced ministers over the years through the Ministering to Ministers organization. Their stories of crisis are heart-breaking. Many have been through involuntary termination and have exhausted hope, options and finances. One recurrent theme in their stories is how they worked relentlessly, neglecting families and health. Therapists who guide these discussions often chide ministers and spouses for not finding healthy diversions and making friends outside their congregations. After all, if you lose your congregation, those friends outside the church may be the only ones left.

The reformer Martin Luther once told his friend Philipp Melanchthon, “Come, Philipp. Let God run the world today. Let’s you and I go fishing!”

The Good Ol' Summertime

It’s a great time of year, except for the bugs!

Or so says a survey once reported in "USA Today." Insects are the most often mentioned detriment to backyard outings and picnics. But there are other irritations. Fifty-one percent of respondents don’t like flimsy paper plates, 36 percent don’t like unsteady lawn chairs, 35 percent don’t like plastic utensils and 31 percent don’t like the squeeze bottles with mustard and ketchup drippings on them.

The survey even included the hard core complainers, since 15 percent of men and 10 percent of women don’t like checked tablecloths!

In spite of all these negatives, summer is a great time. A time for family and friends and travel and baseball. For grandparents it's a time to take the young ones to the zoo or fishing or to the beach. Grandparents enjoy these outings as much or more than the grandchildren.

But, alas, summertime is not usually a good time for our churches since attendance plummets and finances falter. I’ve never really understood why attendance goes down in the summer. If our members went to church when they were out of town, the out-of-town churches would have good attendance, and the churches back home would have good attendance from the out-of-towners who were visiting. I’m afraid the truth is many of us simply take vacations from church when we travel.

So, a few suggestions to keep your church healthy in the summertime.

First, attend church someplace while out-of-town. We can be encouraged and refreshed worshiping with another congregation while traveling. And it does us good to see what other churches are doing--we might learn some new ideas we can bring home with us. Be sure to pick

up a worship bulletin and give to your pastor or music minister when you return. They usually like to look these over for new ideas, too. Many ministers don't get to visit other churches very often and they enjoy knowing how others are doing things. (Just be sure not to brag too much on the sermon you heard while on vacation).

Second, be sure your responsibilities are taken care of before you leave. Enlist someone else to usher or teach or count money. Nothing is more disconcerting than having tasks go undone when no one is aware of a planned absence.

Third, leave your tithes and offerings with your church before you depart. Expenses go on even when you’re not there. 

Enjoy your trip, but don’t take a vacation from God. We need him and his church-- even in the summertime.

Let's Stay For Church

It’s one of those images burned into my mind from many years ago. I drove past the neighborhood church often as a teen-ager. Their sign identified the church on the front side, and on the back side it read, “Let’s stay for church.” The back side of the sign was clearly visible from the church’s parking lot, so this was a message to the membership about the value of corporate worship.

Their schedule reflected the typical evangelical Sunday morning schedule many yet follow: small group Bible study, or Sunday School, earlier in the morning, then “church,” or worship, following. Apparently church leadership felt in that day that members needed reminding that the day wasn’t complete if they short-circuited the two hours they could spend in God’s house.

Things really haven’t hanged much in 40 years! Some Christians yet find excuses for not supporting worship, be it for family get-togethers, trips or rest. But sometimes Christians neglect worship altogether. This was a burden for a pastor friend in another county. He lamented that church members took the entire morning away from church for family birthday dinners and the like. Clearly frustrated, he told me, “We don’t have night church, so they have all afternoon to party with their family!”

The Old Testament prophet Malachi was likewise frustrated when his people brought unworthy sacrifices to the Lord. He chided them, “If you offer the same to the governor, will he be pleased with you?” (Malachi 1:8). We might extrapolate this passage and ask, “Would your employer accept the same excuses you offer the Lord?”

Corporate worship is commanded in scripture. It’s valuable time for at least three reasons.

One, we gather to praise God. Worship is God-centered, not person-centered. The Bible says God dwells among his people when they praise and worship him (Psalm 22:3). We need God’s presence to encourage us in our broken world.

Two, we gather in fellowship with God’s people. An old preacher used to define fellowship as “two fellows on the same ship”! We don’t serve God alone, and it’s encouraging to be with other believers, to make friends, and to support and pray for one another.

Three, we gather to equip ourselves for ministry in our world.

One of the late Robert Schuller’s rationales for a glass church was his belief that churches shouldn’t “hide” behind stained glass, but always focus on the world outside their four walls—a world in need of God’s love. Certainly, stained glass has its place, but Schuller’s idea is a good one. Worship isn’t done until we’re inspired to take our faith home and to the marketplace.

It’s not a bad motto to remember every week: “Let’s stay for church.”

A Hill To Die On

I remarked to a church member lately that a certain matter wasn’t “a hill to die on.” We tried something new, but I told him if people didn’t like it, we’d go back to what we had. It occurred to me that I’ve mellowed in my senior years. There was a time I had several hills picked out for my last stand—just like Gen. Custer.

One was the weekly newsletter we had years ago. The church secretary thought that if she could hurry up, get it printed and mailed before the weekly deadline she earned God’s approval. I always instructed her to let me proof the copy before she went to press. One week I had a conference and was out for a day. True to form, she went to press the Tuesday I was away. When I returned I saw she’d had my Sunday scripture listed as Psalms 23 instead of Psalm 23. “Psalms” is the entire book, but individual chapters are a “psalm.” I had her re-do the newsletter before mailing.

Whereas she needed to know I was serious about proofing, in retrospect, I might have been the only person who noticed the incorrect reference had it been mailed as printed originally. I believe now this was a molehill rather than a hill to die on.

The trade-off for wisdom is that it comes with time after bad choices. We often joke about exchanging our aging bodies but keeping our mature brains, but, unfortunately, life doesn’t partner this way.

The scriptures extol the value of the elders—the aged of the faith community who imparted wisdom in decision-making. Elders received some of their wisdom from God, to be sure, but they also received it from a lifetime of choices, disappointments and regrets.

One Presbyterian elder told me about a session meeting they’d had with the pastor. The young minister grew incensed over some policy about which he was overruled, and my elder friend told him to calm down and hush.

“There’s no use in arguing,” he said. “It’s just a matter of calendars. We’ve been around much longer than you and have more wisdom!”

I’d never heard this phrase before, but it’s a good one. Calendars bring wrinkles to our faces and gray to our temples, but also wisdom to our minds. The church needs the wisdom of her seniors.

That’s not to say we don’t need the enthusiasm of the young. We certainly do. Paul instructed Timothy not to let any man despise his youth, but also not to rebuke an elder but afford him double honor (1 Timothy 4: 12, 5:1, 17). Mutual respect makes the church effective in the work of the Lord.

The Futility of Worry

I suppose I’d not realized that the second thing I do upon entering the car, after the seat belt of course, is turning on the sound system for radio or podcast. A few days ago I pressed the power switch, but the radio did nothing but stare at me with a black screen. I pressed the power switch a time or two to no avail. Then I dug out the owner’s manual to find which fuse controlled the sound system. Of course, the fuse wasn’t in the under-dash box that was easy to find, but in the engine box that was a bit harder to find.

I stopped at an auto parts store and asked them to test the fuse and discovered it was good. The attendant told me that the unit had a fuse behind the radio, and I’d probably have to pull the radio out of the dash in order to fix it.

My heart sank. I began to think in reality the radio was dead and I’ve have to shell out $150 or more for a new one, plus installation. However, I put the old fuse back in place and the radio came on as normal. I suppose the fuse had worked loose or been nudged in the last oil change. But I was happy the problem was solved so easily.

It occurred to me that many of the major problems I’ve dealt with in life are like this radio issue—imagined, not real. This is akin to the oft-told story about the senior adult who thought she was going blind before realizing she was still wearing her sleeping mask! Most of us are adept at anticipating trouble to the point we run half-way to meet it.

Worry is one of the primary maladies of our age. Doctors insist physical repercussions include ulcers, insomnia, indigestion, heartburn, headaches and irritability. Surely there’s a better way, especially since many of our fears are unrealized and our worrying useless.

Jesus’ counsel in the gospels is a word we need to hear. “Don’t worry about tomorrow,” he said. “Tomorrow will have enough troubles on its own. Your heavenly father knows what you need. Seek first the kingdom of God . . . and everything else will fall into proper order” (Matthew 6: 32-34).

The Apostle Paul had similar advice. He wrote, “Don’t be anxious about anything. Instead bring your earnest concerns to the Lord, and don’t forget to thank him” (Philippians 4:6).

Prayer and praise beat worry any day of the week. Most of us need to hear and heed the admonitions of scripture that we trust in the goodness of our God who loves us and does all things well.

The Difficulty of Doing God's Work

In his new book, “Faith,” former President Jimmy Carter includes Millard and Linda Fuller as examples of those whom he’s known and admired. The Fullers founded Habitat for Humanity, an organization that has built or renovated 2 ½ million homes in 70 nations. One of Millard Fuller’s greatest accomplishments was convincing the Carters to partner with Habitat, and the former first family has helped with Habitat builds for the past 35 years.

I was intrigued by a quote Carter included from a Habitat staffer: “Millard has the dreams, and then we inherit the nightmare of fulfilling his vision.”

I suppose every church deals with the “nightmare” of fulfilling vision. We’re committed as disciples of Christ, following him into pockets of need in our communities. But superintending ministries can be difficult for several reasons.

One reason is that ministries are staffed by fallible human beings. Leadership guru John Maxwell often says the joy of ministry is people, and the difficulty of ministry is people! That’s because we all possess two natures: vipers and violets as F.W. Boreham used to say. People can be wonderfully cooperative and generous, and people can be petty and obstructionist. But Christian leaders realize we must work with those we have and develop people into greater Christlikeness.

Another reason ministry is difficult is because of criticism. The old adage is that it doesn’t take much size to criticize, but criticism is part of every ministry I’ve ever known.

The late televangelist Oral Roberts was accosted by a critic who castigated him for a ministry.

“How do you do this work?” Roberts asked.

The man sheepishly admitted he didn’t do this work.

“Sir,” Roberts replied. “I like the way I’m doing this more than the way you’re not doing it!”

Another reason ministry is difficult is because of resource shortages. Churches aren’t to be savings accounts, piling up larges amounts of money for the proverbial “rainy day,” but rather checking accounts, receiving gifts from God’s people and investing these funds in worthwhile endeavors. Even though we know this, most churches still struggle with a lack of resources.

In our church we often say that we could spend ten times our current benevolence budget to help so many people in need around us. But we also have other ministries we’re committed to. Some studies suggest the average Christian gives just over two percent of their income to the church. We can only imagine the ministries we could do if more people moved to the biblical model of the tithe.

Ministry is hard, but we must do it. The Lord of the church insisted, “as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you” (John 20:21).

On Saying ‘I’m Sorry’

It was a strange encounter in an unlikely place.

I attended a national nominating convention in 2012 as an alternate delegate. Delegates sometimes exchange credentials with their alternates allowing us to be on the main floor of the convention rather than in the bleachers. The main floor is a fun place to be! Delegates and alternates meet counterparts in other states, and political and media personalities we see on television. It’s a great talk-fest.

I was wandering about on the main floor in my delegate’s stead when I came upon former Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina. I greeted him and told him it had been our privilege to have him in Alabama a few years before as a convention speaker. In those days he was rumored to be interested in the White House. The governor said to me, “Mike, I let you people down in Alabama. I’m ashamed of what I did, and I need you to forgive me.”

Sanford disappeared for a few days after his Alabama trip, and later revealed he’d been in Argentina with his “soul mate.” Now, years later, his marriage was done and he’d narrowly escaped impeachment in South Carolina. I was struck by his desire to apologize, as though I had some power in his life. But I’ve never forgotten his humility that evening.

Sanford was elected to his old congressional seat the next year, but lost a primary this month, allegedly due to his criticism of the president.

President Clinton had a unique apology, too. He delivered his Map Room Speech on Aug. 17, 1998. Robert Shrum revealed in his book, “No Excuses,” that he was hired to write Clinton’s apology to the nation about the Lewinsky matter. However, the president’s advisers urged him not to “grovel,” especially since Saddam Hussein was threatening in Iraq. Accordingly many hands wrote the televised speech. We often compare the two speeches in public speaking class and most people find Shrum’s speech humbler and the delivered speech angrier. It’s interesting that Clinton was questioned about his apology to Lewinsky again in recent weeks, some 20 years later.

What makes an apology good or bad? I suppose it depends on the situation and the number of people involved. As a pastor I’ve gone to people privately to ask forgiveness for a slight, but I’ve also made apologies publicly when the offense involved a larger group. Apologies must be sincere and the apologizer must not claim any justification for bad behavior.

But apologies also need reinforcement. An apology without a life change is a hollow thing, indeed. As Jesus said to a woman he forgave, “Neither do I condemn you, but go and sin no more” (John 8:11).