Anna Nicole Smith: "An American Story"

Thursday the tragic news went out that suddenly and unexpectedly Anna Nicole Smith died. At this writing the exact cause of death is still not known. She was 39 years old and is survived by her 5-month-old daughter. Her 20-year-old son preceded Smith in death.

For those visiting from another planet and wonder why every news network gave significant air time to her passing and why her picture has been prominently placed in all the American print media, Smith was a former Playboy Playmate, reality TV star, model and widow of an eighty-something rich tycoon. Her resume still doesn’t explain why she receives so much attention.

In a Seattle Times article Jocelyn Noveck writes a brief reflection on why many may be fascinated with Smith and near the end of her piece she quotes UCLA film professor, Richard Walter. “She came from humble origins and achieved celebrity and wealth, one way or another,” Walter said. “And that is an American story.”

Wow. “An American story” used to describe the journey from humble origins to significant impact on American history. Abraham Lincoln was an American story. Booker T. Washington was an American story. Even Bill Clinton is an American story.

But in this iconic, post-Marilyn Monroe/Jerry Springer day in which we live, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Anna Nicole Smith are the new American story.

I’m not slamming or putting down any of these women. I believe that they are women about whom God cares deeply and in some way are trying to find or declare their significance by living such public dysfunctional lives for all the voyeurs that will watch.

The “story” that each of them stars in is a tragedy. They reflect the reality of a culture that no longer finds inherit worth because the God of the universe has created them the unique and special women that they are, but rather chase a delusion of significance shrouded in glitz and glamour.

The American fascination with the life and passing of an Anna Nicole Smith is a telling commentary on the dysfunctional freefall that our country is in.

Beer and the Bible

The Journey is a relatively new church in the St. Louis area. As a way of helping The Journey to launch from being a small group of believers into a public church, The Journey was given financial assistance by a group of Baptists in Missouri. The Journey has had a wonderful beginning and there are a lot of formerly “unchurched” people that are now meaningfully connected to God and to a community of faith.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, this past October the annual meeting of Baptists in Missouri highlighted the good work that The Journey was doing and congratulated them. In December some Missouri Baptists became aware that one of the ministries that The Journey has successfully reached people with is a monthly discussion of theology at a local brewery.

Quick history: Baptists have for generations advocated abstaining from consuming alcohol. Traditionally most Baptists would be considered teetotalers. So, it is not surprising that the Baptists would find it inconsistent or even troubling that The Journey would accept their money and then use means to reach people that many of them would consider unbiblical.

It does raise the question of when is it appropriate to break with a tradition. Many tee totaling Baptists would concede that there is not a verse in the Bible that commands, “Thou shall not drink alcohol.” But, the tradition of abstinence is strong and there is a lot of medical and sociological data that confirms it can be a very damaging thing for people to drink. A lot of lives and families have been ruined by alcohol.

Senior minister, Darrin Patrick contends that they are compelled to go where people gather and share their faith rather than expect people to come to them for an hour on Sunday. He makes the case that Jesus was accused of being a drunkard and glutton because he attended parties where people who were disconnected from God were hanging out.

In my mind this is a great example of legalism. Legalism is when someone takes a practice or conviction that is good (avoid drinking alcohol and all the problems it can bring) and they make it a “law”. By “law” I mean, “You’re a good Christian if you abstain from alcohol. You’re a bad Christian if you consume it.”

The fact of the matter is that there are many solid, consistent, biblical Christians who drink a beer. Knowing that Baptists have a strong tradition of abstaining from alcohol The Journey probably should have skipped receiving the Baptist money if they wanted to be true to their conviction of reaching people in pubs.

Super Bowl XLI, Tony Dungy & Lovie Smith

Another Super Bowl is history. After a rainy battle in Miami the Colts prevailed and most likely the Bears will be back.

Much was made of the fact that this was the first Super Bowl with African-American head coaches. In the awards ceremony when the Lombardi Trophy was presented, Colts Coach Tony Dungy acknowledged that it is a significant time in American history for both Super Bowl coaches to be African-American.

But, Dungy went on to say that he thought it more remarkable that he and Lovie Smith were both committed Christians and that they ran their respective NFL programs with Christian values. Dungy and Smith are both known for deeply caring about their players, motivating through respect and mentoring wealthy professional athletes in how to give back to the community.

I have a friend who plays for a professional baseball team who commented to me a few months ago how pro sports treats athletes like a commodity. “We’re just meat to them,” he said. Many professional coaches motivate by intimidation and are just as lost as their young players when it comes to being responsible citizens who lead solid family lives.

In a day of spoiled, entitled, crime ridden, selfish professional sports, Dungy and Smith stand out not because of their color but because of their character. Sounds a little like a “dream” espoused by Martin Luther King, Jr.

In defeat Lovie Smith said, “Of course I wanted the Bears to win the Super Bowl. But if we couldn’t win it there is no one I’d rather win it than a Tony Dungy coached team.” It’s the picture of class, graciousness, professionalism AND Christlikeness.

Hey, I’m a Seattle Seahawk fan but I would welcome another Super Bowl that matched Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith coached teams!

Binge Eating Is Most Common Eating Disorder

Thursday was my day off. My wife had been looking forward to my day off because we lost a tree during the wind storm a few weeks ago and she was very ready for me to haul away all of the debris. When I lost my tree my nice neighbor let me borrow his chainsaw so that I could cut my tree up. So, I thought I should return the favor and I offered to haul away his debris with mine.

Rented the U-Haul truck. Loaded it with my tree. Filled it to capacity when I added my neighbor’s debris. I’m ready to drive to the transfer station, dump my load and enjoy the rest of my day off. Then the conspiracy took place. My neighbor suggested that while I have the mighty U-Haul truck that I attach his rope to my remaining tree stump and pull it out. He will help me chop it up so I can haul it away. I didn’t want to. I heard the clock ticking away and my day off disappearing. His wife and my wife in harmony began cheering for me to pull out the tree stump. So…we did.

Yes, that 20-year-old tree had a wonderful root system that was wrapped around my underground waterline. When I successfully pulled up my tree stump a beautiful gushing of water appeared in my yard. Now, I’m dealing with the local water service, rushing to the transfer station to dump my load, driving a U-Haul through rush hour traffic and waiting in line at the gas station so I can return the truck with a full tank.

Guess what comes to my mind? I want a Blizzard from Dairy Queen! Even though it is lousy rush hour traffic, I get rid of the truck and fight my way across town and get a delicious Blizzard. I deserved the treat, right?

You may be like me and through the years have learned to comfort yourself with food. What happens if you need a lot of comfort because you have a lot of pain in your life? An occasional ice cream treat or candy or potato chips is no cause for great alarm. But, for many the “occasional” is now out of control.

According to an AP story binge eating is now more common than anorexia or bulimia according to a national survey. The survey revealed that 3.5% of women and 2% of men suffer from binge eating. They might for example eat a full dinner, and then a quart of ice cream, followed by a bag of chips, without being able to stop, says Dr. Harrison Pope of McLean Hospital of Harvard University.

“It's a little bit analogous to something you hear from an alcoholic, when they might say, ‘Well, I wanted to have one drink,’ and they've had 12 drinks and they're passed out on the floor,” he said. “Even though they feel full, even though they feel disgusting and guilty, they can't stop.”

Many alcoholics and other addicts have found help in breaking free from dealing with their pain by consumption of some thing by working 12 Steps. It is basically a program of bringing God into your life in such a way that your relationship with Him brings healing to the deep places in your life that you have been “medicating” with drink, drug, food, sex or whatever.

Today I’m praying for you that are hurting that you might find healing and wholeness in a personal relationship with God.

Where Do You Feel Close To God?

Yesterday I heard a friend of mine speak at church on the topic getting closer to God. She talked about prayer and Bible reading and being with Christian friends. These are the things you normally hear. However, she took a trip down memory lane and shared with us a few anecdotes from her childhood, adolescence and her current life as an adult. These were simple but compelling stories of how real and how close God has been to her through the years. My friend described wonderful answers to prayer. There were times where God comforted, guided, strengthened and simply gave a loving touch as a Father would to a daughter. Though she spoke only about 6-7 minutes it was probably the highlight of the hour of worship for me.

It got me to thinking. In this forum and others I’m the one that often shares how I’m seeing or experiencing God. Let’s trade places. How do you connect with God in ways where you feel close to Him? Would you share a couple of sentences with others?

I’m blessed to not only have a consistent readership from the Seattle area but many of you also check in from various points around the country. How about a little more of a virtual conversation today? Share a thought. Reflect and comment on the thoughts of others.

Where’s your place where you regain intimacy with God?

"Bleep" bless you--Editing God Out

If you have ever traveled some distance by plane then you have likely seen an in-flight movie. Because the plane is filled with people of various ages and values airlines hire media companies to edit movies so that they are suitable in language for all audiences. That technically means editors search for and delete and/or bleep profanities and blasphemies.

Jaguar Distribution is one such media company that is employed by Delta Airlines to edit their movies. Currently Delta is showing on some if its flights The Queen, an Oscar-nominated movie about Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Tony Blair in the week following Princess Diana’s death in 1997.

Surprisingly all mentions of God are bleeped out. In one scene in the movie a character is speaking to the Queen and the viewer hears “(Bleep) bless you, ma’am”, as the reference to God is deleted. Jeff Klein, president of Jaguar Distribution, says that it was a mistake, committed by an “overzealous and inexperienced” employee. Klein said that they are editing the movie again and leaving the references to God in.

I’m not picking on Delta or Jaguar Distribution. Mistakes happen. They are working to correct mistakes. I’m just wondering what’s going on in someone who is editing out profanities and hears the name God and in his zeal decides that God should be edited out.

Yes, I know that some people use the name God and Jesus Christ like swear words and frankly I’m offended when I hear people do that. One of the 10 Commandments forbids us to use God’s name in such ways. Some who are devout take that command so seriously that they won’t even speak God’s name at all for fear of uttering His name in a less than reverent way. However, to speak a blessing, as in “God bless you, ma’am,” cannot possibly be construed by a film editor as a questionable use of God’s name.

One is only left to conclude that this “inexperienced” editor has an opinion of God (and perhaps God-followers) that seems profane or offensive to him. Therefore it was an automatic reflex to hit the delete button when hearing God’s name.

The film editor has been exposed in his effort to edit out God. However, many of us edit God out everyday without others knowing it and many times without our knowing it. God is constantly pursuing us, whispering something of His love, His wisdom, and His guidance to us several times a day, every day.

When I was a kid I used to go visit my grandmother. When spending the night I would be awakened several times during the night by the sounds of trains that would speed past her house. The next morning I would ask, “How do you sleep here with all of the trains that pass through in the night?” My grandmother would just smile and say, “I’ve learned not to hear it.”

I’m afraid many of us learn not to hear, to sense, or to acknowledge God. We edit Him out. There’s not a lot of consequence to editing God out of a movie. There is an eternity’s worth of consequence to editing God out of your life.

Is Atheism Winning? Is Christianity Real?

Steven Weinberg is a Nobel laureate and Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Texas. He has recently published a review of Richard Dawkins’ blockbuster tract for atheism, The God Delusion in The Times (London). In his review Weinberg argues that Dawkins is missing a very big point – that atheism is already winning the day in the West. Weinberg wants Dawkins to calm down and see the victory.

Weinberg points out that Europe is so thoroughly secularized that churches are virtually empty. And, millions of Americans claim to be Christians but have virtually no idea of what Christianity really is. Weinberg explained, “Although most Americans may be sure of the value of religion, as far as I can tell they are not very certain about the truth of what their own religion teaches.”

Weinberg shares anecdotes from his own experience. He says that he has good friends in Texas who are professed Christians but that they never try to convert him. He said, “This might be taken as evidence that they don’t really mind if I spend eternity in Hell, but I prefer to think that they are not all that certain about Hell and Heaven.”

Weinberg also recounted that an American priest told him that it is not so important what one believes; the important thing is how we treat each other. “Of course I applaud this sentiment, but imagine trying to explain ‘not important what one believes’ to Luther or Calvin or St. Paul. Remarks like this show a massive retreat of Christianity from the ground it once occupied.”

I believe that Weinberg is accurate in his assessment of American “Christians”. I hope he and Dawkins are both wrong about atheism winning the day.

Friend, if you have thought about examining Christianity and then thought not because of your observation of “Christians” around you I plead with you to once again give Christianity consideration.

I once had a family physician talk to me about eating right, exercising and staying away from tobacco. He was a smoking, fat, out-of-shape forty-something. However, I believe his medical counsel was correct though he didn’t practice it.

I’m nowhere close to a perfect Christian but I do take my faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to His commands seriously. I know a lot of other serious Christians too. And by serious I don’t mean that we’re against fun, laughter, happiness and joy. Many of the Christians that I know and hang out with live deep, rich, connected, full and significant lives. They love others well. They are generous and sacrificial with their stuff. And, if they were a friend of Steven Weinberg, at some appropriate time they would bring up his need for Jesus Christ.

Attention-Getting Baristas

I guess it was just a matter of time. In a world where millions of dollars is spent for a 30 second commercial spot during the Super Bowl, the question for all who market a product or service is, “How do I get attention?”

Seattle is arguably the coffee capital of the world. In most areas around here you’ll find coffee shops and stands on virtually every corner. A caffeine addict has many choices about where to buy their “cup of Joe”.

Some baristas put out a-board signs advertising, “free double-shot” today or “free flavor” today in order to draw you to their stand. Now, according to the Seattle Times, “Some Coffee Stands Get Steamier”. The story’s opening line reads, “In a short, sheer, baby-doll negligee, Candice Law is dressed to work at a drive-through espresso stand.”

As I said, I guess it was just a matter of time. Marketers use sex to sell cars, toothpaste and hamburgers. Now it’s coffee’s turn. “Customers pull their trucks up to the window, where Law greets each with an affectionate nickname, blows kisses, and vamps around as she steams milk for a mocha.” One coffee stand owner confessed that the tips are better when the skirts are shorter.

The story reminded me that many of us seek to get attention and we use a variety of means to get others to notice us. Attention somehow validates us and gives us a sense that we matter.

God one time told a young man named Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.” (Jeremiah 1:5) In the New Testament Jesus comments that our Heavenly Father knows when a sparrow falls to the ground and that you mean much more to Him than a sparrow. God knows you so well He even has the hairs upon your head numbered (Matthew 10:29-31).

Friend, you don’t have to use your sexuality, intelligence, prosperity, accomplishments or anything else to be noticed by God. He knows your name, your heart, your dreams and your failings. Still, He loves you so much He daily pursues you in order to have a relationship with you. An old Psalmist counseled, “Cease striving and know God.” (Psalm 46:10).

Obedient Motorist Crashes on Satnav Command

According to a Reuters’ story, a 46-year-old German motorist driving along a busy road suddenly veered to the left and ended up stuck on a railway track -- because his satellite navigation system told him to, police said Sunday. “He did what he was ordered to do and turned his Audi left up over the curb and onto the track of a local streetcar line. He tried to back up off the track but got completely stuck," a police spokesman said.

About a dozen trams were held up until a tow truck arrived to clear the car off the track. Several German motorists have crashed their cars in recent months, later telling police they were only obeying orders from their satnavs.

What’s guiding the navigation of your life this week? To what/whom are you turning to receive input concerning which direction to go with the thousands of decisions you have to make?

I saw some friends yesterday for the first time since coming home from the hospital with their new infant daughter. That wonderful, intelligent, loving couple is going to need a lot of wisdom beyond themselves in order to parent their child well. How do you know when to change jobs? Careers? Houses? How do you know how to love your spouse well? Be a good friend? Separate yourself from destructive habits?

God has said that if you ask Him to, He will be your Guide, your Teacher, your Wisdom (see John 14:26). And, there is no subject or destination in this world that God doesn’t know about. You won’t take wrong turns when following the prompts of God.

"Freedom Writers" Illustrates the Power of Hope

Yesterday my wife and I saw the Hillary Swank movie, “Freedom Writers”. I was pleasantly surprised at how inspiring the story is. The story line itself is predictable in that a naïve young lady goes to a racially/ethnically troubled school, finds creative ways to connect with her students and they get the education that they need.

Based on a true story, what we discover is that real life teacher, Erin Gruwell, goes to Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California and encounters kids who are having their friends killed, learning to survive on the power of hate and by being gang members, and overwhelmingly do not finish school nor receive an education that will help them escape their scary and deadly lives.

Gruwell cares about the students, builds trust with them, breaks down barriers and most of all instills hope. These kids didn’t care about their present or future because they were hopeless that anything would ever change. Through the exercise of reflection and writing journals these students began to see each other as people and not adversaries that need defeating. Gruwell introduced her students to the horrific tragedy of the holocaust and got them to read “The Diary of Anne Frank”. Gruwell exposed her students to museums and parks and other cultural experiences. Collectively these encounters raised the vision of her students so that they could believe that a better life was possible. Check out the Freedom Writers web site and see the movie.

Tonight I sat at dinner with friends and the observation was made that most adults actually don’t have the lives that they thought they would have when they were young. I live on the Eastside of Seattle in a suburb that is upwardly mobile, educated and affluent. In my world most people can pursue virtually any dream they want. Yet I see most locked into careers and lifestyles that they don’t like but won’t seek to leave. Why? They say that the money is too good for what they do and they don’t want to give up the “stuff”. Maybe.

I suspect that they don’t have hope that change is really possible and really worth it.

Biblical hope is not just wishful thinking or strong yearnings. Biblical hope is a confidence in God. God says that He is for us and that He has good plans for us. God invites us to follow Him and to trust His leadership. He can and will bring the change in our lives that make life full and meaningful.

Do you have the life that you want? Does the work you do matter and reflect your gifts and passion? If your life ended would your departure leave a significant “hole” in the world around you because you add value and joy to others? IT CAN! Your life can be all of that and more. Not by becoming religious but by building a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Like Gruwell with her students, Christ can show you the real world around you, raise your vision and release all of the wonderful qualities that God has already instilled in you.

NBA's David Stern Separates the Personal & Professional

Jim Rome is host to a sports commentary program on ESPN. Today he interviewed NBA Commissioner David Stern. Stern is considered one of the most successful commissioners of a professional sports team in any sport at any time. Truly you can make a strong case for such an assertion by studying the profitability and popularity of professional basketball since he took over years ago.

As Rome brought the interview to a conclusion Stern brought up some of the exciting things that are on the horizon for the NBA. One of the things Stern mentioned was the NBA creating more of a presence and product in China. Rome quickly asked of Stern, “China doesn’t have the greatest record on human rights. Are you conflicted at all about bringing the NBA into China?”

David Stern paused, took a breath and then replied something like this, “Jim, I keep my personal beliefs about China separate from my professional responsibilities to my employers. Everyone else is doing the same. General Motors, Coca-Cola, etc. are all moving into the Chinese market and this is going to be very important to the future of the NBA.”

Stern’s separation of his personal beliefs and professional practices received no follow up from Rome at all. In fairness to Rome the program was about over and he simply thanked Stern for his time and gushed again about what a great commissioner Stern is.

I did a double take on Stern’s comments and then recalled hearing the same kind of line from several politicians just a few months ago.

A personal belief that doesn’t impact my professional decisions and practices is no belief at all. Someone who says they believe in honesty but their boss wants them to carry out dishonest practices for the sake of the business doesn’t really believe in honesty. He believes in expediency (I’ll do whatever I have to do) or relativism (sometimes it’s right to be honest, sometimes it’s wrong to be honest).

When beliefs are practiced personally and professionally, privately and publicly, that’s called INTEGRITY.

Sorry commissioner, congressman or CEO. You’re simply wrong and your character is lacking if you separate belief and practice.

I Don't Want to be a "Dead Man Walking"

A few years ago actor Sean Penn played the role of a convicted killer who had been sentenced to die. The title of the movie was “Dead Man Walking”. Now understand, Penn’s character still had a pulse, still had breath, still ate meals and slept at night and engaged in conversations with other people, but he was a dead man. He had no future. He walked the corridors everyday knowing that his life was over. It was just a matter of time before it was finalized with an electric chair.

Some of us are walking like dead men and women. We are zombies who get up in the morning, perform some tasks, eat some meals, interact with some people and then go to bed at night. Then we start the whole dead thing all over again the next day.

We have a pulse. We have breath in our lungs. But we are dead. Why? Because we don’t really live.

Life is being able to smell roses. Life is being able to see the forest and the trees. Life is being able to fully give love and receive love from others. Life is feeling the warmth of sunshine. Life is delighting in the laughter of children. Life is willingly giving yourself as a blessing to others. Life is holding tight to God and holding loosely to material stuff in this world.

What I’m describing is just a little of what it is like to have real life. Someone goes to see the Grand Canyon and the sheer enormity and beauty of it washes over the senses of a person and suddenly there is a heightened awareness of God. There is a strong sense of the greatness of life, the vast mysteries it beholds and for that moment we delight in it.

But, the question is, how can we sustain that sense of “aliveness”? How can we have that same experience in the valley? It takes a personal relationship with a living God to breathe that kind of life in us.

Stephen Pinker & the Rationality of Christianity

Stephen Pinker, Professor of Psychology at Harvard is one of our age’s chief atheists. When Harvard’s Committee on General Education suggested that students take courses under a “Reason and Faith” requirement, Pinker considered it scandalous.

“Universities are about reason, pure and simple,” he trumpeted. “Faith—believing something without good reasons to do so—has no place in anything but a religious institution, and our society has no shortage of these.” To give such significance to religion “is to give it far too much prominence.” Religious belief “is an American anachronism.”

In a TIME Magazine article Pinker said, “It’s natural to think that living things must be the handiwork of a designer. But it was also natural to think that the sun went around the earth.”

One could conclude from Pinker’s words that:
Science = Reason; Faith = Irrationality

Who wants to be on the side of irrationality? I don’t.

Frankly, when you lump all the faiths of the world together under the heading of “religion”, there is a lot that is irrational and some of it fits my definition of crazy. After all, it is “religion” that is behind most of the world’s terrorist’s attacks today. It is “religion” that keeps millions of people hungry (can’t kill sacred animals for food) and in poverty (perpetual class systems).

Ironically, Pinker contends that once we have been cleared of the historical blight of religion, morality is really a rather simple matter: “to treat others as we wish to be treated…” If those words sound familiar to you then you recognize them as the Golden Rule, which is declared in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible as well as by Jesus himself (Matthew 7:12).

At the risk of sounding elitist, I must point out that Christianity is not a “religion” (man reaching up to God) but rather it is a “relationship” (God reaching down to man). This is what separates Christianity from all other faiths. It is Christianity that upholds the sanctity of life, the virtue of giving rather than receiving, freely offering forgiveness and forsaking vengeance and serving others above self. I’d like to ask Dr. Pinker, is there anything irrational about those values and virtues?

I know that life is busy and hectic and many are doing all they can to maintain some level of sanity. Who has time to delve into weighty matters of science and faith? But, on the other hand, if Christianity is true, and if life is short, then friend the most important thing you can do is to settle the issue of what one is to do with Jesus Christ.

"Fame Junkies" & the Power of Community

Every day the media is filled with stories and photos of Britney, Paris, Jolie and Pitt, Tomkat, and Lindsey. Where were they? What were they doing? What were they wearing (or not wearing)? We have entire magazines, newspapers and television shows devoted to reporting the every move of celebrities.

Jake Halpern has discussed this fixation in a new book, Fame Junkies: The Hidden Truth Behind America’s Favorite Addiction. Halpern argues that some people, particularly young girls, are literally addicted to celeb trivia. Paris Hilton was the most Googled name in 2006.

Halpern points out that we become addicted to things that have a mood-altering effect. The usual list includes drinking alcohol, using porn or eating chocolate. But now it seems that celebrity gossip is rising to the top of the list, especially for young people.

America’s youth hunger for fame. That fact is part of the reason for the success of America Idol. Young people are dreaming of becoming famous celebrities.

Halpern conducted a survey of 653 middle-school students in the Rochester, NY area. Given a choice of becoming the CEO of a major corporation, the president of Yale or Harvard, a Navy SEAL, a U.S. Senator or “the personal assistant to a very famous singer or movie star,” almost half of the girls (43%) chose the assistant role.

When given an option to become stronger, smarter, famous or beautiful, boys in the survey chose fame almost as often as intelligence, and girls chose it more often.

Why? I believe two powerful legitimate needs are going unmet and therefore many are trying to satisfy those needs in broken ways. Everyone needs love and relationship. To say it another way, many people today are insecure and lonely.

There is so much exposure to the celebrities and many feel like they know these stars and that feeling helps them feel less lonely. And when we see photographers and fans falling all over these celebrities one will conclude that they are greatly loved. Conclusion: if I want to be loved I need to be famous.

The biblical word for being loved and connected to others is “community”. In the Bible it means more than neighborhood. Community has a connotation of heart to heart life connection and commitment. It is a state of being known, cared for, challenged and supported.

Granted, there are many churches that still play a religious game of ritual and legalism, but many churches are becoming tremendous communities where life is being lived well, deeply and with purpose.

Don’t waste your time seeking fame. Diligently search for biblical community. It makes an eternity’s worth of difference.

Boise State Goes For Win. Do You?

Did you catch any college football bowl games on New Year’s Day? I watched some of the Capital One Bowl and Rose Bowl and that felt like enough. However, I was intrigued with the match up in the Fiesta Bowl. Traditional powerhouse Oklahoma was scheduled to face the little regarded, non-BCS school from Boise, Idaho.

Even though Boise State was undefeated no one really gave the Broncos a chance to win. They play in the inferior Western Athletic Conference and achieved their record of perfection against so-called “mid-major” schools. So, it was a classic “David and Goliath” contest and I wanted to see how David would do.

In short the Broncos played well, led the whole game and almost lost in the end. The game was won because of exciting play calls and execution, and because Boise State chose after the final touchdown to go for two extra points instead of safely kicking for a tie. I don’t think I have ever seen a more exciting finish to a football game.

It occurred to me that many of us today play life too safe. We go for the “tie” rather than going for the “win”. We go after jobs that pay the bills rather than work that gives expression to our gifts and passion. We settle in to boring and trivial conversations rather than engage in thoughtful exchanges of ideas and beliefs. We substitute taking risks with recreation or simulation games rather than take relational risks that involve us with messy people.

I was excited that Boise State went for two points and the win. In the moment I thought, “Even if they don’t make it, hurray for them for going for it.”

What if we fail? We if we fall down and feel a little pain or disappointment? What if someone else second-guesses us and calls us foolish? In 2007 let’s take our shot at Goliath and see what happens!

What Will We Experience in 2007?

I’m not in to New Year’s resolutions. Nor do I pay much attention to New Year’s predictions. However, I do like to consider how prepared my life may or may not be to face the unknown of the coming 12 months.

An Associated Press/AOL poll revealed that 60% of Americans believe that the U.S. will be the victim of a terrorist attack in 2007. The same percentage believes that a nuclear or biological weapon will be unleashed somewhere in the world. Forty percent believe the U.S. will enter a war with Iran. Twenty-five percent believe that Jesus Christ will return and usher in the end of the world.

What if?

What if one of the above predictions did take place? What if a loved one died? What if you were diagnosed with cancer or some incurable disease? What if you were disabled and no longer able to work?

What if you got involved with a group of some of the greatest people you’ve ever met? What if you suddenly and unexpectedly came into a significant amount of money? What if a spiritual awakening broke out all around you?

I don’t know the future but I do know who holds the future. I assure you that is not a cliché to me. I’m not suggesting that we turn to God like a crystal ball and try to get a peek into the future. I’m suggesting that we walk closely with God.

As children we learn to watch our parents and take cues from them. If they were agitated or unhappy about something then we learned to be invisible around them. If they were happy or seemed to be having fun then we would want to draw near and share in the joy.

Literally I have had God prepare my heart for someone’s death, for a crisis that was about to befall me or for blessings that were about to come my way. I don’t mean that I suddenly knew the future. I simply had a sense in my “heart” (thinking/feelings) that something was about to happen.

And, even in those times where I didn’t have a clue that something was about to take place, I found great comfort and strength in the fact that God knew what was happening in or around my life. God is never surprised by what happens and He is always pleased to give us wisdom, courage and grace in such times because He likes blessing us. But God is also pleased to give us things we need in times of challenge or prosperity because His working in us brings glory to Him.

There is so much more to say about the importance of walking with God through all the highs and lows of life but allow me to simply present this invitation. Make a commitment and establish a plan to do life with God better in 2007 than ever before. A good church and pastor can help you with that. If you don’t have one I’d be glad to help.

God bless you as you launch into the next chapter of your life.

President Gerald Ford & The Glory of Jesus

Former President Gerald Ford died Tuesday, December 26 at age 93. Ford was the nation’s 38th president and the only person not elected to the office of president or vice president.

As you know, he was appointed by President Richard Nixon to be vice president after Spiro Agnew resigned. Later Nixon also resigned in the midst of the Watergate scandal and Ford ascended to the presidency.

We will hear and read many words of praise and affirmation for Ford over these next few days. I think Ford was an honorable man and served the country well during his brief time in office.

Many have commented through the years that the person who holds the office of president is arguably the most “powerful man in the world.” Yet, most Americans born after 1980 know little if anything of Ford. His glory and power have come and gone and is mostly forgotten.

In contrast, we have just celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ. Secularized, commercialized Christmas misses the point that hundreds of millions of people around the world still follow, serve, worship and extol Jesus Christ. His glory is no less today than it was at the time of His birth.

“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as the teachers of the law.” Matthew 7:28-29 Many of us are still amazed at His teachings.

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” Philippians 2:9-11 And of course many of us have already bowed the knee and confessed that Jesus is Lord and someday all will.

When our world loses a fine man like Gerald Ford, at one point the most powerful man in the world, and the faded glory is so apparent, I’m freshly reminded that there is not one person living whose glory will ever come close to that of Jesus Christ. All praise and glory are due Jesus, now and forevermore.

How Do You Spell "Christmas"?

According to a BBC poll published on Tuesday just 44% of British children between the ages of seven and eleven are aware that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Apparently the name of “Christ” was not connected in their thinking to the significance of Christmas.

To what extent is Christ connected to your thinking and observing of Christmas?

No “guilt trip” intended here so don’t even get on that road. Allow me to give a couple of friendly suggestions about keeping Christ in Christmas.

1. Either alone or with your family, this weekend take ten minutes and read the biblical story of the birth of Christ. See Luke 1:26-38 and 2:1-20 and also Matthew 2:1-12.

2. Attend a church service and worship Christ. For those of you that live in the Seattle area, if you need help in finding a place of worship post a comment and I’ll be glad to make a suggestion of a church near your home. For those outside of Puget Sound, just Google “churches, your city” and you’ll have dozens of web sites pop up that you can check out. You can find a church in ten minutes.

Yesterday I spoke with someone who had seen the movie, “The Nativity”. Though he had been involved in church for many years he commented, “Seeing the story of Christ’s birth on the big screen really impressed me that this was the most remarkable and miraculous event ever.” Sometimes we need a little help in breaking free from the familiar to see the extraordinary.

Blessings on you and your connection with Christ this Christmas.

Windstorms & Life Perspective

I haven’t been able to post in a few days because of the windstorm that struck the Puget Sound last Thursday. If you didn’t hear, after several days of rain a windstorm with gusts over 70 mph hit our area, blew over thousands of trees and disrupted electric service to over 1.5 million households. I just got my electricity back yesterday after about 3 days in the dark and cold. Many of my friends still don’t have power.

The sudden loss of electricity meant that there was no heat in the house, no grocery stores open, no gas stations operating, no restaurants available for a quick hot meal and no church open for worship. The first 24 hours were kind of refreshing as my wife and I enjoyed being at home together in front of a crackling fireplace and having an unexpected day off. The novelty wore off quickly.

All we lost was one tree and suffered damage to a fence gate. However, when we took a walk around the block and saw large trees that had crashed through the homes of neighbors and crushed their cars we began to feel grief over the losses others were experiencing. At this writing over 100 people have been hospitalized from carbon monoxide poisoning from using charcoal grills and gas generators inside their homes in the attempt to stay warm or to cook. Over a dozen people have died in storm related incidents.

Of course it has only been since 1880 that we have lived with the capabilities and subsequent dependencies related to electricity. For the centuries before 1880, a windstorm like we just experienced in the Northwest would have meant virtually nothing. Our use and enjoyment of electricity made its absence stark and difficult.

And so it is for many of us with respect to our relationship with God. Like electric current in our homes, the Presence of God’s Spirit in our lives brings light and power and capabilities that are unimaginable without His Presence. Because many of us have so embraced our relationship with God, His absence would be our greatest loss and would bring on a far-reaching personal crisis.

Our forefathers would have a hard time comprehending why a relatively brief windstorm would prove to be so disruptive to every day life precisely because they would never have experienced the power associated with having electricity. According to recent polls over 90% of those living in Puget Sound would also have a hard time comprehending why living without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is such a “big deal” because they have yet to experience His power associated with having a relationship with the “electrifying” God of the universe.
This is what Christmas is all about. A loving Creator personally came into a dark, cold and powerless world to bring light, love and redemption to all. I’m praying that you receive the Christmas “Presence” you most need this season.

World's Oldest Living Person Dies

Elizabeth “Lizzie” Bolden, recognized by the Guinness World Records as the oldest living person at age 116 years, died December 11. She was born in Somerville, Tennessee in 1890 to freed slaves. The picture is of Lizzie at 114, being visited by her grandson, 74-year-old Jack Bolden.

Lizzie had 40 grandchildren, 75 great-grandchildren, 150 great-great-grandchildren, 220 3rd-great-grandchildren, and 75 4th-great-grandchildren. That’s hard to imagine.

How old are you? How old do you want to be before you die? Most people that I’ve spoken with through the years say that they don’t want to live to be 100. They fear broken health, nursing homes and being a burden to loved ones. I understand.

But, what if you could live well and continue to make a difference in this world at 100 years of age? I can remember when I was 21 reading in the Bible about the death of Moses at age 120. I remember thinking, “Wow, there’s a man that lived significantly and greatly impacted three generations (if you think about 40 years as a generation).” While reflecting on that scripture I felt impressed to pray, “God, would you give me 120 years like Moses. I’d like to serve you and make a difference in this world through three generations.”

Don’t misunderstand. I don’t think that I have a promise from God that I’ll live to 120 and have good heath and mental capacities, etc. In fact, I have such a peace in my relationship with God I would be very happy if I died tomorrow. But, I did feel impressed to pray that God give me a long life of serving Him and others.

That prayer and that vision have everything to do with how I pace my life and plan for my future. In my mind, reaching the age of 60 is not the time to “get serious” about retirement but rather it is mid-life!
For years I’ve prayed Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” That prayer is not about knowing how to count your days, but how to make your days count.

Baby Jesus Stolen, Replaced With Beer Can

Nearly 30 years ago Bob Chooljain engaged in a special project with his small children. They made a Nativity scene with their own hands. Through all of these years the Chooljain family has placed their Nativity scene in their front yard during the month of December as a lighted Christmas display in the hopes of spreading some inspiration and cheer.

Yesterday someone came to the Plaistow, NH home and stole the baby Jesus. We’ve heard that story dozens of times through the years. In fact, eight years ago the Chooljains had one of the three wise men stolen. Pranks like that have been around for a long time. What was so disturbing to this family was that an empty beer can was placed in the manger where the baby Jesus lay. Bob’s comment was, “You just wonder, what was in the person’s mind that actually did that? Why leave the beer can?”

The small town story struck me at a deeper level. The Bible teaches that God creates us with a hole in our heart that can only be legitimately filled with a relationship with Jesus Christ. It’s like we are each a “Nativity scene” with an empty manger at the center of our being. The question then is, “Will I exercise faith and place Jesus at the center of my being or will I place a ‘beer can’ there?”

The picture of a beer can perfectly depicts the inadequate, empty and even profane nature of anything else we would place at the center of our lives. A stellar career or stunning achievements or an intoxicating relationship are all “beer cans”. Good deeds, morality and even orthodoxy are “beer cans” when they are replacements for Christ.

The Christmas story is about God loving us so much that He came to us for relationship. Your story is either about responding to God’s pursuit with life engagement, or your story is the oft repeated sad “beer can” tale of godless existence.

I pray that Jesus is found and that Jesus is at the center of your “Nativity scene” this season.

Child Arrested For Unwrapping Christmas Gift Early

“A mother convinced the police to arrest her 12-year-old son after he unwrapped a Christmas present early.” This opening sentence grabbed my attention.

The boy’s great-grandmother bought, wrapped and placed under the Christmas tree a Nintendo Game Boy Advance with the strict instruction that he was not to open it until Christmas. But, on Sunday morning the great-grandmother found the box opened and emptied. She called the 27-year-old mother and reported what her son had done.

The mother and great-grandmother then confronted the boy and asked where the Game Boy was. He said he didn’t know. When the mother threatened to call the police the boy went into his room and brought out the Game Boy. The mother called the police anyway.

When two police officers arrived the mother insisted that they arrest her 12-year-old son so they did and booked him for petty larceny.

The mother later explained that when she confronted her son about his behavior he showed no remorse. Though only 12, the boy already has a history of bad behavior including shoplifting, stealing money, school expulsion and punching a police officer during a prior incident.

I don’t know what will become of this child. What I do know is that he possesses the most dangerous kind of heart disease: a hard heart. A hard heart is a condition where a person no longer cares about right and wrong, good and bad, God or evil. He or she just lives for self and loses the capacity for compassion, generosity, love and most of all, experiencing God.

The reason the ancient Pharaoh suffered the 10 plagues in Egypt is because of a hard heart. The reason the entire nation of Israel was not allowed to enter the promised land was hard heartedness. Charles Dickens tale about Ebenezer Scrooge was illustrative of the plight of a hard heart and how miraculous it is if one recovers from it.

Hard heartedness generally comes on subtly and gradually. Usually there are significant life disappointments that nurse the hardening. Scrooge was aided by ghosts from the past to snap him out of the deadly state. Truly only the Holy Ghost, God’s Spirit can touch, soften, heal and enliven the heart.

THAT is what Christmas is about.

Microsoft Vista: Who Needs a New Operating System?

Today Microsoft, located here in my hometown of Redmond, is making a lot of noise over the release of their new and long awaited operating system, Vista. To highlight the release CEO Steve Ballmer rang the bell this morning at the New York Stock Exchange.

Many of you are no doubt reading this post on a computer that is using the Microsoft XP operating system. Will you upgrade to Vista? Why should you? That is the question that is worth millions of dollars to Microsoft.

One analyst commented, “[Microsoft’s] biggest competition is getting customers to upgrade, when many of them are comfortable with what they have.”

Microsoft is counting on turning heads with splashy graphics, such as 3-D icons and folders with transparent “glass effects”. The other enhanced features being touted are ease of use and security. With today’s mobility and the increased use of laptops companies are needing dependable encryption so that industry secrets remain secret, and they need powerful deterrents to worms, viruses, spam and phishing.

Microsoft’s challenge to get current XP users to upgrade to Vista is similar to the challenge many churches face. One of the greatest hindrances to seekers or believers more completely connecting their lives to God is a general satisfaction with where their life is now.

In America we have so much who needs more of God? Got stress? Take a pill. Got questions? Hire a consultant. Got problems? Find a counselor. In the thinking of many God is a nice option if you want religion.

No, God is not a nice option nor is He something that you can add on to your life to enhance it. God IS the operating system! You install God into your life by placing your faith in Jesus Christ and it changes how all of your life works. Yes you’ll experience God as grace for trouble and guidance when you need direction and comfort when you experience loss. But these “functions” of God are not God.

The Bible compares God to a hidden treasure that a man finds in a field. The man is so taken with the treasure that he hides it back where he found it, and then he goes and liquidates all of his assets so that he can purchase the field where the buried treasure lies. Until you begin to get a glimpse of God’s greatness and magnificence, you’ll be satisfied with occasionally going to church on Sundays or saying a prayer in time of need. There will be no motivation to “upgrade” to a deeper, more penetrating and profound relationship with the Almighty Creator of the universe and Lover of your soul.

Yoko Ono Proposes Forgiveness Day

Yoko Ono, widow of the late John Lennon, is declaring December 8, the anniversary of Lennon’s death, as a global day of forgiveness. “Every year let’s make December 8 the day to ask forgiveness from those who suffered the unsufferable,” wrote Ono in a full-page ad in Sunday’s edition of the New York Times. Ono asked for forgiveness from “people who lost loved ones without cause” and from “soldiers of all countries.”

Ono also wrote that she didn’t know if she could forgive Mark David Chapman, the man who killed John Lennon.

Truly forgiveness is one of the most powerful things that people can do. I’m an advocate for forgiving those who have wronged us and I recommend that we seek forgiveness of those we have wronged. Withholding forgiveness is one of the worst things that people can do. “Unforgiveness” is a prison. We are the only people hurt when we choose not to forgive others. Giving forgiveness is liberating.

However well intentioned Yoko Ono is I don’t think that her call for forgiveness will be very far reaching. I am a fan of the Beatles and I was deeply saddened when Lennon was killed. But John Lennon’s death is not the inspiration that can bring widespread forgiveness. Lennon’s death can’t even inspire his widow to forgive her husband’s killer.

There is a Person and there is a power that can inspire forgiveness and that is the life and death of Jesus Christ. In fact, one of the ways that you know that someone really is a Christian is that they have received power from Christ in order to forgive others.

Jesus told His followers, “I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much.” (Matthew 5:44,46, NLT)

I know Christians who have received grace from Christ to forgive those who have raped them, betrayed and stole from them or killed their loved one. This is not excusing some annoyance but gut wrenching forgiveness for deeply painful losses and wounds.
Receiving the power to forgive others is reason enough to follow Jesus Christ. The act of forgiveness is enough to change your life. The Good News is that there is infinitely more blessing in knowing and living with Christ.

Brett Favre: A Picture of Following Christ

Brett Favre is the starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. Being a NFL starting quarterback is pretty rare. Out of all the athletes in the world there are only 32 men this week that can make that claim. What’s even more rare is that Favre has been a starting NFL quarterback since September 27, 1992. He has started a record 231 games across 14 years. He has to be THE most durable NFL player ever!

Don’t forget, every time he puts on a helmet and begins a game, 300 pound men on the other team make their living by hitting, tackling and burying Favre. They take their work very seriously and they are very good at what they do.

Favre was hit so hard in a game in 1992 that he suffered a separated shoulder. Yet he came back the next week and threw two touchdowns and won the game. In 1995 he sprained his ankle so badly that he was on crutches for a week. However, when the game started on Sunday he not only suited up but he passed for five touchdowns! In 1999 Favre’s right hand was so swollen he kept holding a football while on the sidelines of a game so that he wouldn’t lose the capacity to hold and throw the football when the offense took the field.

Last Sunday Favre was knocked out of a game against New England when his right elbow was hit while being tackled. He would have played through the pain but he didn’t have any. He didn’t have any feeling at all. His hand and fingers went so numb he couldn’t hold the ball.

This Monday the Packers are scheduled to play the Seattle Seahawks. Officially Favre is listed as “questionable” as to whether he will start or play in the game. Seahawk coach Mike Holmgren, who used to coach Favre in Green Bay, is betting that Favre will be on the field competing.

I don’t know if Brett Favre is a Christian or not so don’t misunderstand me when I say he is a picture of following Christ. I’m not speaking about his faith or even his behavior. I’m referring to his capacity to persevere.

Maybe the words “perseverance” and “Christian” seem odd to you. After all many who claim to be Christian don’t seem to have much staying power when it comes to loving “hard to love” people or forgiving those who hurt them or sacrificially giving to meet the needs of others. Many that I know can’t even make themselves get out of bed on Sunday morning to worship who they say they believe to be the Ruler of the Universe!

But don’t let those examples fool you. The most dedicated, tenacious, gutsy people I’ve ever known are Christians. They follow Christ through life’s hardest scenarios and count it a privilege to suffer pain or losses if it honors Christ and helps others. Many around the world have endured horrific treatment and torture and some have witnessed loved ones killed before their eyes, as their tormentors demanded that they renounce their faith in Christ or else.

Jesus said, “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne…” (Revelation 3:21, NIV).

Brett Favre can claim credit for persevering in football. However, Christians can’t claim credit for their perseverance. The only way they do persevere is because of God’s power and grace at work in their lives. In fact, perseverance is a sign that they in fact do have a saving faith.

If you think that you’ve never seen the kind of “faith-full”, courageous and generous Christ follower that I’m describing then it just may be that you live in America. They are becoming a bit more rare in the United States. Still, I know and do life with hundreds of them.
Before you make a final decision on whether you would give your one and only life in following Christ, I would encourage you to get to know an authentic, persevering Christian. Their lives will inspire you, but what’s more, their lives will give you a powerful reflection of the Person of Christ.

AWOL & the Condition of the Heart

Tuesday's edition of the Wall Street Journal published a story about AWOL (alcohol without liquid). A company has developed the technology to vaporize liquor, allowing it to be inhaled rather than drunk.

One web site advertised the product this way, “Get drunk—but without actually drinking! And you don’t even have to worry about a hangover in the morning…You can take in ridiculous amounts of alcohol and still be able to bound out of bed the next day…With only a few milliliters you can create enough vapor to get yourself properly hammered.”

The company spent a good bit of money on the research and development and didn’t really have any money for marketing their product. It probably would have gone away because of a lack of awareness by the public and therefore no market.

However, a Kentucky legislator’s effort to ban the device used to inhale AWOL broke into the media. Suddenly, newspapers around the country carried warnings that the device might induce extraordinary mind-altering effects. NBC’s “Today Show” broadcast a segment on AWOL and more publicity was created by the news than could ever been purchased by the fledgling company.

Very quickly over 1,000 units were sold at about $299 each!

Why? Why would media stories about the dangers of AWOL and a legislator’s efforts to prevent broken lives, broken homes and broken communities have a reverse effect and create a market that didn’t exist? Because, our hearts are desperately depraved.

Psalm 51:5 informs us, “I have been evil from the day I was born; from the time I was conceived, I have been sinful.” (Today’s English Version)

What this means it that every person that has been born into this world has a nature inclined toward broken ways. That precious baby that looks so innocent has a nature that will someday lie or cheat or hurt someone without being taught to do so. Thus, when reporters, legislators, government or religious leaders say, “We shouldn’t” about anything, that very thing can become enticing to us. It is the “forbidden fruit” syndrome.

Reflect with me for a moment about why God would ever say to humanity, “Thou shall not.” Is God a control freak? Is God anxious when humans won’t obey and follow orders? Is God some kind of fatigued parent that is being annoyed by our behavior so that He creates rules to get us “out of His hair?”

God is the perfect embodiment of peace and serenity. If God commands us not to be drunk or promiscuous or greedy or jealous, it is because He loves us and wants to protect us from the pain that comes from wounding ourselves with foolish behaviors.

Let’s give thanks to God that He cares about us more than we care about ourselves. Thank God that in His wisdom He guides us into ways that bless, enhance and enrich our life experience.

The Power of Making Amends

In 1984 William Beebe was a 19-year-old student at the University of Virginia. On October 6 he attended a Grateful Dead concert and then returned to his fraternity house where a party was winding down. There had been a lot of drinking in the frat house and a 17-year-old freshman, Liz Schimpf, drank some of the spiked green punch and passed out. Beebe discovered Schimpf passed out and had sex with her.

Twenty-two years later Beebe is a real estate agent in Las Vegas and an alcoholic. He entered Alcoholics Anonymous, a 12-step recovery program with the hope of living a sober and free life. The 9th step in the program calls for a person to make amends for their past deeds that have hurt and wounded others. Beebe recalled the night in question at his frat house and decided to contact Schimpf to seek her forgiveness.

Schimpf is now Liz Seccuro, a wife and mother who lives in Connecticut. Liz had reported the rape in 1984 both to the Charlottesville police and to school officials. At the time Beebe claimed it was consensual sex and both authorities said that nothing could be done. After several email exchanges in recent months between Seccuro and Beebe, Liz contacted the Charlottesville police to see if anything could be done now that she had Beebe’s confession in writing. There is no statute of limitations in Virginia and a warrant for Beebe’s arrest was issued.

As the case has had further investigation it seems that more than one man assaulted Seccuro on the night in question. Tuesday Beebe pleaded guilty to sexual assault and offered his assistance in prosecuting others that were involved.

The casual reader of this story may conclude, “Wow, it doesn’t pay to confess your sins and try to make things right.” One may be tempted to think it is better to live a life of secrecy and pretense. After all, the world now knows what Beebe did and he’s likely to go to jail for it even though it was 22 years ago and he was trying to make it right.

I don’t know if William Beebe is a Christian and I don’t know how he feels about how his effort to make amends has turned out. I do know that he was right to make amends.

The 12 Steps of AA are actually based on biblical principles. Making amends is something that Christ calls for all of His followers to do. Several years ago I was having a time of prayer and I sensed that God was calling me to make amends. In high school I had done some shoplifting, stealing to be more accurate. And in my prayers I was sensing God leading me to make amends, including making restitution for everything I had stolen.

In my prayer I asked God how to go about this. Over the next few minutes God brought to my memory everything I had ever stolen, how much it cost and from what store it had been taken. I literally wrote it all down. I spent most of an entire week going to each retailer, confessing my sin (which had been a few years prior), detailing what I took and how much it was, and offering to do whatever they wanted in order to make it right.

I didn’t know how that was going to turn out. I didn’t know if some would want to arrest and prosecute me. The short of the story is that I didn’t have any legal ramifications but I did pay most of them some amount of money.

There have been many powerful benefits to my making amends. I’ll just mention two:
1. I’m a free man. When I seek to be in God’s presence I am never tyrannized by the accusations of the evil one or of my own conscience. I’ve been forgiven and freed.
2. I’m a clean man. Because I am committed to make right any wrong I commit, there are a lot of wrongs I never commit because I don’t want to go through the pain of making them right. Amends is a great deterrent to wrong behaviors.

Finally, back to Liz Seccuro, she has established a non-profit organization called Stars Survivors to offer assistance to other women who have suffered from sexual assault and rape. I pray God’s blessings on both Seccuro (her healing and wholeness) and Beebe (his freedom from alcohol and his past) as they live promising lives for the future.

Elton John: Religion Encourages Hatred

Elton John recently said, “I think religion has always tried to turn hatred toward gay people. Religion promotes hatred toward gay people.”

John, a music superstar for decades is openly gay and has been for years. He continued, “From my point of view I would ban religion completely. It turns people into really hateful lemmings and it’s not really compassionate.” John also criticized religious leaders for failing to do anything about conflicts around the world.

As a Christian who is committed to doing all within my power to follow all the teachings of Christ, Elton John’s words sting and they grieve my heart.

First, John uses a broad brush when condemning religion for hatred. Yes, there is a verbal and demonstrative segment of Christianity that is very harsh about homosexuality and is fairly characterized as hateful. However, there are also significant numbers of Christians that have led the way in embracing gays, declaring their value and worth as human beings, standing for justice and many times on the front lines serving those who have suffered from STD’s and AIDS that have resulted from a gay lifestyle.

Let me be clear, I believe the Bible when it says that homosexuality is sin. I do not condone homosexuality as a legitimate alternate lifestyle. But I do care about gay men and women and I’m committed to love and serve homosexuals (and every other kind of person) in such a way that they also might know God’s love.

Second, John continues to use the broad brush in declaring that religious leaders don’t do anything about conflicts around the world. There is some truth in his claim and it also ignores courageous and sacrificial Christians through the centuries who have poured out their lives for the oppressed. Recent weeks have carried remarkable stories about Christian efforts in Rwanda and the Sudan for example.

Third, any failure among Christians to love and to be active in fighting for the welfare of others is TOO much. However, the answer is not to “ban religion completely”.

I’ll remind Mr. John with a broad brush of my own that music is not the answer to change broken or wicked hearts. Government can’t change our hearts so that we’re more accepting and act more justly. The business community and capitalism isn’t the answer either.
I contend that unless we invite God individually and collectively to change our hearts and transform our lives to be like Christ, we are without hope.

Veterans Day & Life Change

Today is Veteran’s Day and I join the chorus of American voices that say a heart felt “thank you” to those who have served our country, risked and/or lost life, in order to protect our freedom.

A fascinating story by Lisa Hoffman appeared this past week that focused on the remaining veterans of WWI. There appears to be only about a dozen surviving veterans with an average age of 108!

Hoffman invites us to reflect. Many of these vets were born under an American flag with only 45 stars and have witnessed three centuries. They have seen 19 presidents and 7 wars. Their lives began before airplanes, radio, talking movies and antibiotics. Animals were a more common mode of transportation than tin lizzies.

One person commented, “They’re the only generation that has gone from outhouses to outer space.”

Again, I honor and admire the sacrifice and commitment of these “Doughboys” and all the vets that have fought for our country.

I don’t want to take anything away from a Veteran’s Day focus. However, I would like to take it a step farther. Hoffman’s observation of all the lifestyle change WWI vets have seen made my mind spin.

I have also been privileged to see a tremendous amount of life change. Not because I’m so old (grin) but because I’m involved in a dynamic Christian church. Through the years I’ve seen people walk into the community of faith with brokenness, confusion, fear and despair. I’ve seen them touched by God and embraced by people, inspired by scripture and forgiven of many sins. I’ve seen healing, wholeness, hope, direction and purpose flood and fill lives so that they look as different today as 2006 looks different from 1906.

Yes, I know that there are broken churches that have hurt people and caused far-reaching problems. If you or someone you love has suffered from a dysfunctional church I sincerely apologize. At the same time, the best churches are still filled with sinful people and there is no perfect church. That being said, just as America, with all of our problems, is worth defending, the church, with all of her problems, is worth giving a second or third chance. I’m praying for you, my blog reading friend, to meaningfully engage God in His church.

What's the Evidence of Being a Christian?

This past Sunday, 48-year-old Linda Long of London, Kentucky died at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. The cause of death was snakebite. Apparently Mrs. Long belonged to a Pentecostal Holiness church that practices snake handling as a part of their worship experience, or as they call it “serpent handling”. This past Easter a pastor, Dwayne Long, likewise died from handling poisonous snakes and is believed to have been the husband of Linda Long. Reporters were still trying to confirm their relationship at this writing.

Through the years you may have heard a reference from time to time about Christians who hold and handle poisonous snakes as a part of their worship. If you wondered if that were true or an exaggeration, it’s true. It primarily takes place in rural areas around the Appalachian states of Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia.

Apparently this practice originated in the first decade of the 20th century as a Pentecostal minister named George Went Hensley was preaching in eastern Tennessee when some men dumped a box of rattlesnakes in front of him as he was in the midst of his sermon. Hensley is said to have picked up the snakes while continuing his preaching and thus the practice began. Hensley died in 1955 from snakebite.

In the Bible there is a verse that says, “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my [Jesus] name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” (Mark 16:17-18, NIV)

The context of the verse is Jesus instructing His followers to go into the entire world and share the good news about salvation and forgiveness of sins. The point of the text is that while going for Christ, extraordinary things may happen that will encourage others to believe. Each of the things mentioned have happened from time to time. But nowhere is it suggested that “serpent handling” would validate or prove that one is a Christian.

This is a case of taking one verse and creating a far-reaching practice that can’t really be substantiated but is very effective in giving ammunition to skeptics as to why they should stay away from “those crazy church people.”

What you will find the Bible stating is the evidence that someone is a Christ follower is that they effectively and consistently “love one another”. There are dozens of these verses throughout the scripture.

Loving one another doesn’t have the drama of “serpent handling”. It is hard work, risky, opens one up to being treated unfairly and can literally cost you your life in some circumstances.

If you’re a seeker or even a skeptic examining the Christian faith, let me encourage you to reflect on whether the Christians you’re watching love others well. If you’re a believer reading this post, by all means “love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my [Jesus] disciples” (John 13:35).

Learning Forgiveness From Gayle Haggard

I posted on Saturday about the allegations raised against Pastor Ted Haggard of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Sunday a letter of confession and resignation was read to the congregation of 14,000 in which Pastor Haggard admitted that most of the allegations were true and that he was guilty of immorality.

How does someone who claims to have the power of God in his life fall to such heinous sin? I tried to address that question in my post.

Today I’m reflecting on the published response of Ted’s wife Gayle. As a leading voice in the women’s ministry at New Life Gayle felt that she needed to say something to the hundreds of women that she had taught about how to have a godly marriage.

Remarkably Gayle said, “I’m so sorry for the circumstances that have led me to write this letter to you today. I know your hearts are broken; mine is as well. Yet my hope rests steadfastly in the Lord who is forever faithful.

“What I want you to know is that I love my husband, Ted Haggard, with all my heart. I am committed to him until death ‘do us part’. We started this journey together, and with the grace of God we will finish together.”

How can a woman that has been betrayed by a husband who has apparently been caught up in drugs and gay sex for 3 years, continue to love that man? How can she forgive him so that she remains committed to be married to him for the rest of her life?

I suggest to you that is the power of God. Forgiveness is a choice. Commitment is a choice. Even love is a choice. Though feelings are powerful forces in our lives, the power to choose is greater. Gayle has chosen to forgive, remain committed and love. Her testimony is that it is God’s steadfast work in her that gives her the power to make those choices.

Will she be able to persevere, especially if additional sordid details and stories come out? I don’t know. If she continues to effectively lean on God she will. Gayle Haggard is drawing from the very same power that Jesus did while hanging upon the cross and praying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Dead Sea Scrolls & a Living Bible

For several weeks the Dead Sea Scrolls are on exhibit in Seattle. This remarkable archeological find is perhaps the most significant ever if not in the past 100 years. Several of my friends have already checked it out. I’m going soon.

The Bible was written over 1500 years by over 40 different authors with radically different backgrounds and culture, yet there is a remarkable thread of continuity. It is the most published book in history. It is the most translated book in history appearing in over 1200 languages. It has survived bans, burnings, ridicule, criticism, and political eradication. It is THE single-best documented piece of ancient literature that exists. Scholars are excited if an ancient manuscript of any type had 10 or more copies. The Bible has over 26,000 ancient copies!

However, the Bible is also read by too few and understood by even less. It is THE most important book (or collection of books) ever. One of the reasons it is under-used today is because many of us don’t have a good chronological sense or context for the Bible.

Today at the church I attend, Meadowbrook Church in Redmond, we made a big deal about the little book called the Bible. We were challenged to engage in a reading plan that basically covers most of the more important or significant events and teachings in chronological order. And, the reading happens a little bit every day and can be completed in 61 days. The reading plan is online at Bible Gateway.

If we begin reading today we would have gained a tremendous awareness and familiarity of the Bible by the first week of January. What a great way to begin the New Year.

Ted Haggard & Dealing With Sin

Ted Haggard is the senior pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado and he is the president of the National Association of Evangelicals, which claims membership by dozens of denominations and millions of Christians. Haggard has had regular meetings with President Bush and was named by TIME magazine as one of the 25 most influential religious leaders in America.

November 2, Mike Jones, a male escort in Denver, claims that Haggard had been paying for sex with him for the past three years. Jones also says that that Haggard snorted methamphetamine before their sexual encounters to heighten the experience.

Ted Haggard is on suspension from New Life Church pending investigation and he has resigned his position with the NAE. Haggard’s initial response to the allegations was a complete denial of gay sex and drug use. At this writing Haggard has now admitted that he received a massage from Jones and bought meth but never used it and threw it away.

More of the story and the truth will come out. I will not draw final conclusions about Haggard until the investigation is over.

Because Haggard was such a man of influence and had taken strong public stands against a number of moral issues including gay marriage which is on the Colorado ballot for November 7, many are jumping on the story for whatever political gains can be had as well as to take shots at the hypocrisy that is found in religion, especially Christianity.

I concede that Christianity and the church have much hypocrisy and sin. For a variety of reasons there have been a percentage of believers through the years that have felt it important to portray themselves as “having it together” and not living “in bondage to sin”. Therefore, when it becomes known that said life that is “together” and free of “bondage” is in fact broken and sinful, watching skeptics take it as one more reason not to come close to God and faith.

To my skeptic friend, Christianity does work in the lives of believers to bring integration and to free from destructive behaviors. It works in my life. But, I’m still a broken and sinful person and so is every other Christian. I’m more healed, more whole and more free from destructive ways than I’ve ever been. But, I’m not above ever failing and falling again. That’s why we must live with humility about our state and extend much grace to others.

To my believing friend, take Haggard’s story as an occasion to re-examine your own frailty. Refresh your relationship with Christ and continue receiving His grace to become all that God has designed your life to be.

John Kerry & God's Grace

This past Monday former presidential candidate and Massachusetts Senator, John Kerry, addressed a group of college students and said that if they studied hard and made “an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”

Five days away from mid-term elections Republicans are scrambling to spin this story in ways that lessen their sure-to-come losses and Democrats are scrambling to spin this story to shore up their anticipated gains. It’s all resulting in way too much noise for me.

Like you I’ve seen video replays of the comments more than I want to. I do think that Kerry’s intent was to take a shot at President Bush and not the troops. I don’t know whether Kerry’s comments were a true reflection of some level of disdain he holds for the military (like a “Freudian slip”) or if it was a “botched” joke.

Here’s what I do know. What comes out of the mouth is a reflection of what is in the heart. What’s in the heart affects the way we think and speak. Jesus said, “What people say with their mouths comes from the way they think; out of the mind come evil thoughts…” (Matthew 15:18,19, NCV)

Politics and damage control aside, if John Kerry wanted to experience God in light of his comments and the national backlash he’s incurred, Kerry would want to pray a prayer similar to King David: “God, examine me and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any bad thing in me. Lead me on the road of everlasting life.” (Psalm 139:23-24, NCV)

If I’m critical, harsh, unkind, sarcastic, or wounding in any way with my conversation, that is an indicator of the state of my heart. If I want to have a rich experience with God I must have a clean heart. So, I pay attention to my conversation (and a lot of other things) to help monitor the state of my heart/thinking.

At the point that I see pride, condescension, lack of kindness or love, that’s God’s invitation to receive His grace to repent (have my thinking changed). Then, my confession to others about my conversation is not an attempt to spin or lessen some consequence, but to reveal the changing work of God in me.