Playing It Safe

“Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” Helen Keller More times than not, when the subject of my Holy Land trips come up in discussion, someone will ask me, Aren’t you afraid to travel there?” My natural inclination is to laugh, not a nervous laugh like I am uncomfortable to answer the question, but a deep belly laugh like somebody just gave the punch line to a tremendously funny joke! In spite of the incredible experience a trip to the land of the Bible has given to millions of pilgrims safely many people view such a trip with fear and trembling. I suppose that is the price we pay to have the all knowing, all seeing 24/7 news outlets showing every event, mostly bad ones, in every part of the world, all at the same time. We are no longer able to discriminate between different geographical parts of the world. A hurricane in Florida means the whole state has been demolished. A war in Iraq means every Middle Eastern state is a location of insurgent violence. Simple truth, no American tourist has been killed in the nation of Israel in over sixty years. None. Zero. Nada. Yet when I returned from my most recent trip I came home to a community trying to figure out why a teacher was shot two times in the chest as he answered his own front door, why a nurse was found murdered in the security and privacy of her own trailer home and why two German tourists were robbed and shot dead in our own serene and beautiful Sarasota. What is the most dangerous place on our own church campus? The darkened back parking lot? No! The hidden places on our campus where the homeless sometime sleep? No! Crossing Main Street’s traffic on Wednesday night to get to prayer meeting? No! The children’s play ground? Yes! We have had more injuries requiring medical attention and even surgery by children enjoying the playground! I share all this with you to simply say, life is a dangerous place and many times our perceptions get all messed up of what is safe and what is truly dangerous. If you live your life based upon perceived fears you will miss the best part of life. I am not suggesting that anyone live recklessly or ignorant of the dangers that truly exists, but I am encouraging you to live the Jesus life. He traveled fully trusting the Father to provide for Him, even if that path took Him to the cross. This past Sunday we celebrated God’s greatest act in the resurrection! I sure am glad Jesus didn’t play it safe!

That We Never Forget!

Each year, on the last Monday in May our nation pauses to remember those of America’s past and present who have given the full measure of devotion in defense of this great land. Here is a short introduction to Memorial Day’s earliest beginnings….

“Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women’s groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, “Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping” by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication “To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead” (Source: Duke University’s Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920).
While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860′s tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.”
(from www.usmemorialday.org)

Please take a moment this Monday to pause and remember those who have exemplified for each of us the highest form of personal sacrifice.  Many are the men and women who have laid down their lives for us so that we might have this day and all of our days to live in the greatest nation upon God’s green earth.

Some might ask why all the fuss?  Why pause to remember? The reason is found in the latter part of President Abraham Lincoln’s address at Gettysburg. Lincoln wrote, “…that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

May we never forget!

Most Americans Now Prolife

At a time when the country seems to making a swerve to the left of center on many economic and social issues something very interesting and significant is occurring in how Americans view the issue of abortion. Check out the recent Baptist Press article reporting on a brand new Gallup Poll denoting this new shift in public viewpoint.

In a related item check out this advertisement that will be running during the American Idol finale next week.

Are the Religous Better Citizens?

Check out this latest pewforum report. I am sure this will get all the secularists up in arms.  Let me know if you see any irony when you get to the end of the article. Yeah, the student secularists group helped to build homes, but they did it with a Christian social ministry group called “Habitat for Humanity.” Could it be because there are no “Secularists Who Build Homes” organizations.

Meaning in the Fullness of Time

“Man is immortal, until his work is done.” St. Augustine

One of the great losses that postmodern man endures is the loss of God- given purpose. For those who find no evidence to the reality of a God who is both intimate and awesome, incarnate and holy, meaning literally becomes what you make of it.

Let me be clear, this does not mean that one cannot have a sense of purpose without God, but purpose which does not emanate from revealed purpose will constantly be in a state of flux, subject to the present circumstance, need or felt emergency. Godly purpose is founded upon the redemptive purposes of God’s character; constant, consistent and eternal.

Man without God, seeks for purpose within one’s own finite world, limited by perspective. Because none of us can ever get very far outside of ourselves, our purpose tends to collapse upon itself, becoming worldly and incestuous!

When we are connected to the realization, that God is at work in the world and laboring continually in redemptive enterprise, we become aware of something far, far greater than ourselves. God expands us to a greater, deeper purpose that sustains, renews and transforms!

Within the Greek New Testament, we find two words that are often translated as “time.” “Chronos,” from which we get the idea of specific time or chronological time. The other word is “kairos” which is harder to translate with only one word. It is best translated as, “at the right time,” or “in the fullness of time.” We know intuitively that both of these concepts rightly define time.  This same phenomenon reflects upon the idea of purpose as well.

We all have physical, temporal, finite dynamics of purpose. The trash needs to be taken out, the dog walked, the house cleaned, an income to be earned, but if these are the only purposes available to us we are just biding time, fulfilling endless tasks until our time upon the planet is up.

Biblical faith argues for a deeper kind of purpose. An “at the right time” kind of meaning, the meaning behind the meaning. It is this second type of meaning that gives life its substance. It is this kind of meaning for which you were created. The sad truth, many live their whole life and never find such meaning. What a tragedy and shame! Jesus said that “He came to give life and to give it more abundantly.”  Life does indeed become more abundant when it is lived with redemptive purpose!

The Best Part of Being a Pastor

The best part of being a pastor is found in that incredible moment when God breaks through and somebody gets “it.” Like an athlete who remembers forever catching a touchdown pass or making the last second basket to win a game decades ago, I continue to remember these wonderful moments when Christ entered the mind, heart and spirit of those who, with simple faith, have believed!

Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 20:29

You Are In Peril

One of the manifestations of our modern culture is the development of a 24-7 news media which suffers from a need to make us feel “in constant peril.”  This is a self serving dynamic. If you feel in peril than you are all the more likely to continue to read and watch so that you can “know” and thus feel empowered.  Such a reality is but a mirage. It is an addiction that they readily offer and we (I) readily feed.

When I go to the Holy Land I often have people look at me like I am crazy to do so. I have had church members ask me not to go so I won’t be in “danger.” Some of you reading this blog are probably thinking such a thought at this very moment! Truth be told, standing in the west bank city of Bethlehem, I am safer than my own son who lives on the north side of the District of Columbia, our nations capital and one of the most dangerous cities in America.

If you allow the modern media circus show determine how you think about your world, you would naturally believe that our world is getting more dangerous by the second. But history teaches us otherwise. We have always been in danger and will continue to be in danger, because the world is a dangerous place.

In his book “Outliers,” Malcolm Gladwell outlines the reality of life in the Appalachian region of the south back a hundred-thirty years ago. He details the Howard-Turner feud in Harlan, KY where dozens where killed or wounded. If only an isolated episode it would hardly be newsworthy but consider this…

• Hatfield-McCoy feud:  several dozen killed over twenty years
• French-Eversole feud: twelve died
• Martin-Tolliver feud featured three gunfights, three ambushes, two house attacks and ended with a two-hour gun battle involving one hundred armed men
• Baker-Howard feud began in 1806 and ended in 1930 when a couple of Howards killed three Bakers in an ambush
• Harry Caudill once looked in a circuit court clerk’s office in one Cumberland Plateau town and found 1,000 murder indictments stretching from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of the 1900′s for a region that never numbered more than 15,000 people!

The apostle Paul wrote nearly two thousand years ago, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  We live in a fallen world. No more today then 100, 2,000 or 8,000 years ago. Mankind is, at its core, broken.  Does this make me a pessimist or nihilistic? Absolutely not!  It makes me a biblicist! I truly believe that Jesus Christ is the only source of healing and wholeness. We are never going to be able to fix, by ourselves, our way out of this spiritual-mental-psychological hole we find ourselves in as humans. We are in peril, not by an increase in crime, murder or whatever. We are in peril because we are blind to the true cause of our brokenness.

We have always lived in a dangerous and hostile world. The real question is what will we do about it.  The first step is to be made whole by receiving the healing that only Jesus Christ can offer!

Spending Time

Sooner or later when dealing with our own personal leadership we have to deal with the issue of time.  It is one of life’s true equalizers.  Everyone of us can point to things that we have more or less of then others.

• We came from the right-wrong side of the tracks.
• We received more-less education from better-lesser schools.
• Our home environment was good-bad.
• We learned functional-dysfunctional ways of behaving.

I think you get the picture. There are alot of unknowns and differences in each of our lives, except for time.  Each day, week, month, year has the exact same amount. So….when it comes to personal leadership how do you spend or maximize it?

John Maxwell says that we ought to spend 70% of our time developing strengths. Take those areas that you are good at and get better….no, get great!

Take the next 25% and devote it to new things.  Change is essential if you are to get better. Learn a new skill set. Open yourself up to a new area of learning. Take up a new sport. Learn something new! If by God’s grace, strength and will I can’t become more in Christ by learning, then just take me out and shoot me! Just kidding about the shooting part!

Lastly, Maxwell says we ought to spend 5% on our areas of weakness.  Most folks just whine about their failings.  Stop whining and do something about it. Swallow your ego and spend time with leaders that do a better job in that area and learn. Read and study to get better in that area.  The difference between those who stay in a cycle, repeating their mistakes and weaknesses is “hustle” and hard work.  Just accept the fact that you will simply have to work harder in your area of weakness than more naturally gifted individuals, but the result will be well worth it! Sara Groves & Matt Bronlewee’s lyrics to “To The Beauty” illustrate the miracle of maximizing the gift of our days…

We come with beautiful secrets
We come with purposes written on our hearts, written on our souls
We come to every new morning
With possibilities only we can hold, that only we can hold

Redemption comes in strange place, small spaces
Calling out the best of who we are

And I want to add to the beauty

It kind of reminds me of the words found in Jeremiah 29:11

^“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Spend the time to let God’s thoughts become reality in your life and add to the beauty!

Jamaica Mission Team

Pray for our Jamaica Mission team as they travel to the Anchovy region of northwest Jamaica. FirstSarasota has enjoyed a ministry and mission to this region since 1989, presently working on a Christian school. The Mt. Carey Baptist Church has been the foundational church for this region's evangelical ministry. Their pastor, Dr. George Simpson, survived a robbery attempt that included being shot three times. He is presently in Boston, MA for medical care. Pray for Dr. Simpson, the Mt. Carely circuit of churches in northwest Jamaica and our mission team as they labor and work!

Walking Through a Post-Resurrection World

“Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” John 20:27-29

In my preaching these days, I am enjoying walking through the 40 days of post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. They illustrate for us the powerful infilling of the Holy Spirit into the lives of the Apostles and early disciples of Christ. The Holy Spirit turned the first followers of Jesus from being cowering, hiding, fearful children into bold, dynamic, passionate and fully devoted followers of Christ. Thomas became the epitome of such passion when he cried out, “My Lord & my God!”

What made the difference! By raising Jesus from the dead and appearing to the disciples, God demonstrated His continued empowerment of salvation’s story. They discovered through the resurrected Christ that they were no longer trapped by history or cultural influences. God had released them to fully embrace His will for their life. They feared nothing because through Christ they no longer were subject to the things they had long feared. Jesus had over come fear and the grave!

When troubled times come, it just means that we need to see with greater vision how God intends to work. We need to look behind every painful experience to see that redemptive forces are at work!

For me resurrection power isn’t a history lesson, something that happened two thousand years ago, but an ever present reality. As Max Lucado wrote, “He still moves stones!” What stone needs to be moved in your life? What fear needs to be eroded by the power of God?  What dark force, barking and scratching, at the door of your heart needs to be dispatched with a force that only God can bring?

Go for it! Let the power of the Holy Spirit have sway in your heart. In your own strength you are ultimately weak, but by the strength of God you can do amazing things. He took weak, disillusioned, untrained, uneducated, fearing, disconnected followers and, with them, turned the world upside down!  And guess what?  We are the spiritual descendants of such.  We are those Jesus spoke of when he told Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed!”

We are them! Wow! Powerful stuff!