I'm starting a new airline. I'm going to call it Naked Air. In the wake of the latest terrorist plot by an idiot radical, new regulations and restrictions are coming. There will be a ban on blankets, pillows, laptops, etc.
The only way to make sure everyone stays safe and feels safe is for no-one to have anywhere to hide explosives. Therefore, everyone on the plane will be naked. That goes for the passengers, staff, and pilots. I hope you will consider flying with us in the future.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Neighborhood power
Neighborhood power
100 house central collection pt
each hm has solar & uses own elec. Feeds excess to NP. Pay NP based on qtr usage. pmt goes to maintanence. NP sell excess to state grid. Prfits at end of yr distributed to households based on what u contributed to NP
need: smart meters to monitor flow. Central battery station. Solar cells.
100 house central collection pt
each hm has solar & uses own elec. Feeds excess to NP. Pay NP based on qtr usage. pmt goes to maintanence. NP sell excess to state grid. Prfits at end of yr distributed to households based on what u contributed to NP
need: smart meters to monitor flow. Central battery station. Solar cells.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The End Game of politics today
Most of the time we complain that politicians are short sighted and only think of the immediate future when they make laws. Usually that is true. That's when Carmax gets new material for their radio ads. "There is a law in some state that says you can't sell peanuts after dark on Wednesday."
Now that law was created because of some fool walking around n the complete dark trying to sell his last peanuts. There was probably some competition going on and his Type A personality would not let it go. Therefore...we get a new law.
But I think right now the leadership in the government actually has an 'end game' in sight. No conspiracy theory here, but I see one world government coming. Here is how we get there. The economy is poor. The gov't is printing more and more money which will of course raise taxes within 2 years. But hte most important part of this for our situation is it will cause inflation.
The inflation will further devalue the US dollar (did you think it could get worse?). Because of the hyper inflation and devaluation of the dollar, other countries around the world will see the US dollar as a bad option to base their currency value on. Unfortunately, there is no other good option. The next logical step is to have one currency around the world. There will be a couple years pain as old currency and new currency valuation is worked out.
There might be a baby step where we have a regional currency such as the Amero for North and South America. But we might just bite the bullet and go for one currency around the world.
The logical next step from one currency is one govt. Now it won't be where we have a "Stalin" as president over all the countries. There will be a gov't body such as the UN. They will name is something different to avoid any negative connotation from the past. That body of people will then make decisions for all the world gov'ts. There are signs of this consolidation. Interpol and the UN join for peacekeeping missions. We have the World Bank and IMF to control money. The G8 and G20 will make policy. The International Court of Justice (World Court) will cover Judicial issues. And then UN for peacekeeping. the good thing is Nixon will be President in the future.
And there we are. No more autonomy for groups. everyone will hold hands and sing "We are the world" and drink a coke or soda or pop or whatever you want to call it around the world.
Now that law was created because of some fool walking around n the complete dark trying to sell his last peanuts. There was probably some competition going on and his Type A personality would not let it go. Therefore...we get a new law.
But I think right now the leadership in the government actually has an 'end game' in sight. No conspiracy theory here, but I see one world government coming. Here is how we get there. The economy is poor. The gov't is printing more and more money which will of course raise taxes within 2 years. But hte most important part of this for our situation is it will cause inflation.
The inflation will further devalue the US dollar (did you think it could get worse?). Because of the hyper inflation and devaluation of the dollar, other countries around the world will see the US dollar as a bad option to base their currency value on. Unfortunately, there is no other good option. The next logical step is to have one currency around the world. There will be a couple years pain as old currency and new currency valuation is worked out.
There might be a baby step where we have a regional currency such as the Amero for North and South America. But we might just bite the bullet and go for one currency around the world.
The logical next step from one currency is one govt. Now it won't be where we have a "Stalin" as president over all the countries. There will be a gov't body such as the UN. They will name is something different to avoid any negative connotation from the past. That body of people will then make decisions for all the world gov'ts. There are signs of this consolidation. Interpol and the UN join for peacekeeping missions. We have the World Bank and IMF to control money. The G8 and G20 will make policy. The International Court of Justice (World Court) will cover Judicial issues. And then UN for peacekeeping. the good thing is Nixon will be President in the future.
And there we are. No more autonomy for groups. everyone will hold hands and sing "We are the world" and drink a coke or soda or pop or whatever you want to call it around the world.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
For God so loved.....who?
I got this email the other day. I'm sure you have recieved this one or one just like it:
DID YOU KNOW THESE FACTS?
I SURE DIDNT TILL NOW
Death is certain but the Bible speaks about untimely death!
Make a personal reflection about this.....
Very interesting, read until the end.....
It is written in the Bible (Galatians 6:7):
'Be not deceived; God is not mocked:
for whatsoever a man sow,
that shall he also reap.
Here are some men and20women
who mocked God :
John Lennon (Singer):
Some years before, during his interview with an American Magazine, he said:
'Christianity will end, it will disappear.
I do not have to argue about
that. I am certain.
Jesus was ok, but his subjects were too simple, today we are more famous
than Him' (1966).
Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ,
was shot six times.
Tancredo Neves(President of Brazil ):
During the Presidential campaign, he said if he got 500,000 votes from his
party, not even God would remove him from Presidency.
Sure he got the votes, but he got sick a day before being made President,
then he died.
Cazuz a (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet):
During A show in Canecio ( Rio de Janeiro ),
while smoking his cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and
said:'God, that's for you.'
He died at the age of 32 of LUNG CANCER in a horrible manner.
The man who built the Titanic
After the construction of Titanic, a reporter asked him how safe the Titanic
would be.
With an ironic tone he said:
'Not even God can sink it'
The result:I think you all know what happened to the Titanic
Marilyn Monroe (Actress)
She was visited by Billy Graham during a presentation of a show.
He said the Spirit of God had sent him to preach to her.
After hearing what the Preacher had to say, she said:
'I don't need your Jesus'.
A week later, she was found dead in her apartment
Bon Scott (Singer)
The ex-vocalist of the AC/DC. On one of his 1979 songs he sang:
'Don't stop me; I'm going down all the way, down the highway to hell'.
On the 19th of February 1980, Bon Scott was found dead, he had been choked
by his own vomit.
Campinas(IN 2005)
In Campinas , Brazil a group of friends, drunk, went to pick up a
friend.....
The mother accompanied her to the car and was so worried about the
drunkenness of her friends=2 0and she said to the daughter holding her hand,
who was already seated in the car:
'My Daughter, Go With God And May He Protect You.'
She responded: 'Only If He (God) Travels In The Trunk, Cause Inside
Here.....It's Already Full '
Hours later, news came by that they had been involved in a fatal accident,
everyone had died,
the car could not be recognized what type of car it had been, but
surprisingly, the trunk was intact.
The police said there was no way the trunk could have remained intact. To
their surprise, inside the trunk was a crate of eggs, none was broken
Christine Hewitt (Jamaican Journalist and entertainer)
said the Bible (Word of God) was the worst book ever written.
In June 2006 she was found burnt beyond recognition in her motor vehicle.
Many more important people have forgotten that there is no other name that
was given so much authority as the name of Jesus.
Many have died, but only Jesus died and rose again, and he is still alive.
So 1st, look in the mirror. Tell me what you see? Is it perfection? of course not. Dave Ramsey says "I'm better than I deserve". I totally agree with that. I'm a poor sinner with no hope of digging myself out of the pit of sin I have dug on my own. My only hope is in Jesus Christ.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. God did not send the Son to the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved thru him. "
The first question you should ask after reading the above email is "did God smite them?" Basically that's what the email was saying. These people rejected God, or spat at him, or vocally mocked him and now they are dead. Coincidence. Yeah I think so. Some people die of natural causes, some die when bad things happen, and some die of stupidity. What I hate about the email is it infers that if you believe in God you are ok. There is a small step from this to the prosperity preachers on TV saying if you just pray louder and have more faith you will have prosperity.
Back to our first scripture of John 3:16. For God so loved......THE WORLD. Here is where many people get off track. The "children" of God are not only the people who have a saving faith in Jesus Christ. The "children" of God are all people. Unfortunately, there are many of the children who have turned their back on the Father resulting in the loss of that wonderful relationship they can have with him. Your heavenly Father loves you more than anyone here on earth could love you.
For those who are not believers and reading this, I want to assure you....Christians are not perfect. It's that simple. As a Christian we have assurance of an eternal relationship with God. Unfortunately there are some Christians who have "pet sins" they like to Preach about. Whether it be adultery, homosexuality, pride, anger, materialism, etc, etc it doesn't matter. What I used to preach to the congregation was "You cannot save anyone." It's impossible. You can only lead them to the living water. You can only share the living water. You cannot make them drink.
Read mark 4, the parable of the sower. The sower spread his seed on the hard road, rocky ground, among the thorns, and on fertile ground. Jesus was the sower for his parable. You as Christians are sowers today. However, that's it. You sow. Spread the Word and let the Holy Spirit penetrate the hardened heart. Only those who are wanting to see the truth will be able to accept it. Others actively cover their eyes wanting rather to live with the darkness instead of seeing the truth before them. One of the things I learned as a pastor was "unsolicited advice is never taken."
I get tired of beating down on the pet sins. Yes they are wrong. I won't deny that the bible says in Romans 1 that homosexuality is wrong. But I am more interested in how a person's spirit is doing more than what they are doing in bed.
Shane Claiborne has a great book out called Irresistable Revolution. He really shows what it means to love your neighbor as yourself. Him and a small group of people moved to the inner city in Philly and they live among the poorest of the poor. When scripture says "the poor will always be with you" he understands what that means. But I bring that up because Christ said in Matthew 25 "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, and I was thirst and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you visited me....I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of these least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
I realized from reading Shane's book, that we all come fromd ifferent worldview backgrounds, so our emotions will be focused on different things. For example, a woman who is racked with guilt over having an abortion will be engaged in coversation or social justice regarding abortion. However, a man with 2 kids married for 15 years and just fired from his job will engage in conversations regarding employment, healthcare, and being a good father.
Have you read the bible and thought "I can apply that to my life"? Of course you have. Interpretation leads to Application. But maybe instead of "apply that to my life" we should "apply that to my community." Will O'Brien has a great article HERE. He gives some good illustrations of obsticles to biblical literacy. I can narrow those down to "worldview". But one of his main points is how we should read the scriptures as the 1st century people would have heard them, as a community. He says:
We are a community of individualist. Who is #1? I AM or I am? For God so loved the world. He loves the world thru the church. The church is not a haven for Christians to huddle in the basement while the storm of society swirls outside. Jesus said "I am the vine, you are the branches." On the back wall of our house last year we planted some vines (I think they are jasmine). We were trying to keep the heat off the house. They grew some, but not what I was hoping. Oh well.
Well this year, they came back with a vengence. The Vine is now thick and hearty. The 'branches' running from that vine are going in all directions. None of them are going back into the earth though. I try to make them grow down (after reaching the roof) and they turn right back around.
O'Brien tells how communities were formed around him:
You see, God so loved you and me and everyone else in the world that he wants to have a relationship with you, not only individually, but also communally. In the spiritual sense, 1+1=3 because we are stronger standing together than we are standing alone.
Looking back at the original email I received from a caring friend. I don't know if the people who died were believers in Jesus Christ or not. That is not a determination I am here to make. I can lead you to the water, but cannot make you drink. However, I do know that God loved them as much as he loves you and me and you and you and you :o). I believe it was Peter that asked in the book of John regarding John, "well what about him. what will happen to him?" and Jesus responded, "that is none of your concern." Remember that God loves the world and everyone in it. we are all children of God. make Him proud.
DID YOU KNOW THESE FACTS?
I SURE DIDNT TILL NOW
Death is certain but the Bible speaks about untimely death!
Make a personal reflection about this.....
Very interesting, read until the end.....
It is written in the Bible (Galatians 6:7):
'Be not deceived; God is not mocked:
for whatsoever a man sow,
that shall he also reap.
Here are some men and20women
who mocked God :
John Lennon (Singer):
Some years before, during his interview with an American Magazine, he said:
'Christianity will end, it will disappear.
I do not have to argue about
that. I am certain.
Jesus was ok, but his subjects were too simple, today we are more famous
than Him' (1966).
Lennon, after saying that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ,
was shot six times.
Tancredo Neves(President of Brazil ):
During the Presidential campaign, he said if he got 500,000 votes from his
party, not even God would remove him from Presidency.
Sure he got the votes, but he got sick a day before being made President,
then he died.
Cazuz a (Bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet):
During A show in Canecio ( Rio de Janeiro ),
while smoking his cigarette, he puffed out some smoke into the air and
said:'God, that's for you.'
He died at the age of 32 of LUNG CANCER in a horrible manner.
The man who built the Titanic
After the construction of Titanic, a reporter asked him how safe the Titanic
would be.
With an ironic tone he said:
'Not even God can sink it'
The result:I think you all know what happened to the Titanic
Marilyn Monroe (Actress)
She was visited by Billy Graham during a presentation of a show.
He said the Spirit of God had sent him to preach to her.
After hearing what the Preacher had to say, she said:
'I don't need your Jesus'.
A week later, she was found dead in her apartment
Bon Scott (Singer)
The ex-vocalist of the AC/DC. On one of his 1979 songs he sang:
'Don't stop me; I'm going down all the way, down the highway to hell'.
On the 19th of February 1980, Bon Scott was found dead, he had been choked
by his own vomit.
Campinas(IN 2005)
In Campinas , Brazil a group of friends, drunk, went to pick up a
friend.....
The mother accompanied her to the car and was so worried about the
drunkenness of her friends=2 0and she said to the daughter holding her hand,
who was already seated in the car:
'My Daughter, Go With God And May He Protect You.'
She responded: 'Only If He (God) Travels In The Trunk, Cause Inside
Here.....It's Already Full '
Hours later, news came by that they had been involved in a fatal accident,
everyone had died,
the car could not be recognized what type of car it had been, but
surprisingly, the trunk was intact.
The police said there was no way the trunk could have remained intact. To
their surprise, inside the trunk was a crate of eggs, none was broken
Christine Hewitt (Jamaican Journalist and entertainer)
said the Bible (Word of God) was the worst book ever written.
In June 2006 she was found burnt beyond recognition in her motor vehicle.
Many more important people have forgotten that there is no other name that
was given so much authority as the name of Jesus.
Many have died, but only Jesus died and rose again, and he is still alive.
So 1st, look in the mirror. Tell me what you see? Is it perfection? of course not. Dave Ramsey says "I'm better than I deserve". I totally agree with that. I'm a poor sinner with no hope of digging myself out of the pit of sin I have dug on my own. My only hope is in Jesus Christ.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life. God did not send the Son to the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved thru him. "
The first question you should ask after reading the above email is "did God smite them?" Basically that's what the email was saying. These people rejected God, or spat at him, or vocally mocked him and now they are dead. Coincidence. Yeah I think so. Some people die of natural causes, some die when bad things happen, and some die of stupidity. What I hate about the email is it infers that if you believe in God you are ok. There is a small step from this to the prosperity preachers on TV saying if you just pray louder and have more faith you will have prosperity.
Back to our first scripture of John 3:16. For God so loved......THE WORLD. Here is where many people get off track. The "children" of God are not only the people who have a saving faith in Jesus Christ. The "children" of God are all people. Unfortunately, there are many of the children who have turned their back on the Father resulting in the loss of that wonderful relationship they can have with him. Your heavenly Father loves you more than anyone here on earth could love you.
For those who are not believers and reading this, I want to assure you....Christians are not perfect. It's that simple. As a Christian we have assurance of an eternal relationship with God. Unfortunately there are some Christians who have "pet sins" they like to Preach about. Whether it be adultery, homosexuality, pride, anger, materialism, etc, etc it doesn't matter. What I used to preach to the congregation was "You cannot save anyone." It's impossible. You can only lead them to the living water. You can only share the living water. You cannot make them drink.
Read mark 4, the parable of the sower. The sower spread his seed on the hard road, rocky ground, among the thorns, and on fertile ground. Jesus was the sower for his parable. You as Christians are sowers today. However, that's it. You sow. Spread the Word and let the Holy Spirit penetrate the hardened heart. Only those who are wanting to see the truth will be able to accept it. Others actively cover their eyes wanting rather to live with the darkness instead of seeing the truth before them. One of the things I learned as a pastor was "unsolicited advice is never taken."
I get tired of beating down on the pet sins. Yes they are wrong. I won't deny that the bible says in Romans 1 that homosexuality is wrong. But I am more interested in how a person's spirit is doing more than what they are doing in bed.
Shane Claiborne has a great book out called Irresistable Revolution. He really shows what it means to love your neighbor as yourself. Him and a small group of people moved to the inner city in Philly and they live among the poorest of the poor. When scripture says "the poor will always be with you" he understands what that means. But I bring that up because Christ said in Matthew 25 "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, and I was thirst and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you visited me....I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of these least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
I realized from reading Shane's book, that we all come fromd ifferent worldview backgrounds, so our emotions will be focused on different things. For example, a woman who is racked with guilt over having an abortion will be engaged in coversation or social justice regarding abortion. However, a man with 2 kids married for 15 years and just fired from his job will engage in conversations regarding employment, healthcare, and being a good father.
Have you read the bible and thought "I can apply that to my life"? Of course you have. Interpretation leads to Application. But maybe instead of "apply that to my life" we should "apply that to my community." Will O'Brien has a great article HERE. He gives some good illustrations of obsticles to biblical literacy. I can narrow those down to "worldview". But one of his main points is how we should read the scriptures as the 1st century people would have heard them, as a community. He says:
Similarly, we cringe at the story of the rich man whom Jesus counsels to sell
all his possessions (Mark 10:17-22). Only a handful of saints could ever do
that, we think. But we miss that this story is part of Jesus' teaching on a new
way of communal economic sharing (10:28-31), a way of living that Jesus insists
is both practical and possible. Gospel economics are not a matter of heroic
individualism but are rooted in ancient covenantal practices. Paul's writings
have been particularly skewed by the individualist paradigm. As Krister Stendahl
and other biblical scholars have argued, we moderns read Paul through the lens
of Augustine, Luther, and the "introspective conscience" of Western
individualism. As a result, Paul is diluted into a theologian of personal
salvation with a minimal or even conservative social viewpoint. Yet scholars
like Neil Elliott, Elsa Tamez, and Ched Myers have helped increase understanding
of Paul as a builder of communities very much rooted in Jesus' radical vision.
We are a community of individualist. Who is #1? I AM or I am? For God so loved the world. He loves the world thru the church. The church is not a haven for Christians to huddle in the basement while the storm of society swirls outside. Jesus said "I am the vine, you are the branches." On the back wall of our house last year we planted some vines (I think they are jasmine). We were trying to keep the heat off the house. They grew some, but not what I was hoping. Oh well.
Well this year, they came back with a vengence. The Vine is now thick and hearty. The 'branches' running from that vine are going in all directions. None of them are going back into the earth though. I try to make them grow down (after reaching the roof) and they turn right back around.
O'Brien tells how communities were formed around him:
How can we begin to put aside this filter of individualism so endemic to our own
culture? A primary way is to situate ourselves within a community as the context
for our Bible reading. Within our Alternative Seminary, we've encouraged study
group members to covenant together as community. (In fact, a small house church
grew out of our first study groups; other groups have formed prayer circles or
have continued to meet for more life-sharing and discernment.)Structuring our
lives so that we read Scripture within a committed community of fellow believers
and disciples is a fundamental challenge to our cultural values. Whether such
groups happen through a church, an intentional community, or some other
structure, they would ideally include serious life-sharing, reflection on our
social context, mutual accountability, and prayerful attention to the presence
of God's Spirit. The core biblical image of covenant is itself a guide for our
Bible study.
You see, God so loved you and me and everyone else in the world that he wants to have a relationship with you, not only individually, but also communally. In the spiritual sense, 1+1=3 because we are stronger standing together than we are standing alone.
Looking back at the original email I received from a caring friend. I don't know if the people who died were believers in Jesus Christ or not. That is not a determination I am here to make. I can lead you to the water, but cannot make you drink. However, I do know that God loved them as much as he loves you and me and you and you and you :o). I believe it was Peter that asked in the book of John regarding John, "well what about him. what will happen to him?" and Jesus responded, "that is none of your concern." Remember that God loves the world and everyone in it. we are all children of God. make Him proud.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Preachers and politicians
I've said before that preachers and politicians are the only occupations that every word you say will be analyzed.
What's interesting is a politician is someone who talks about money and is criticized for talking about God and a preacher is someone who talks about God and is criticized for talking about money.
What's interesting is a politician is someone who talks about money and is criticized for talking about God and a preacher is someone who talks about God and is criticized for talking about money.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Hope and Change and new business
So we have decided to start a new business. The "experts" say that your career should be what you love doing, and the pay won't matter. I think you should do what you love to do, and get paid to do it. Until the government takes over everything, we will have keep paying our bills.
But in the spirit of doing what I love, our business will focus on saving money and get a deal. While buying parts to build Julia's computer, I realized how much I love searching for that gem of a deal and getting it. Now I will pass that along to everyone else. Stay tuned for future information.
Blessings....Sean
But in the spirit of doing what I love, our business will focus on saving money and get a deal. While buying parts to build Julia's computer, I realized how much I love searching for that gem of a deal and getting it. Now I will pass that along to everyone else. Stay tuned for future information.
Blessings....Sean
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The lost sheep
What do you do if the pastor doesn’t stand up to give a sermon on Sunday Morning? Your worship leader finishes that last song and sits down. 30 seconds go by. 1 minute. Maybe 2-3 minutes. Have you ever sat and done ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for a full 60 seconds. It’s excruciatingly long. In that uncomfortable silent time when no one gets up, do you think, “I have something to say. I want to share the glories of my God!”
And so you do. You get up. You share the Word God has given you to give to the people in front of you. It’s not the same words he would give to the people out on the street or in a bakery or pharmacy. These are the words specifically for the group of people sitting in front of you. Truth is relevant. It’s relevant to the time and place it is given. Truth is also relevant outside of that time and place, but “those who have ears let them hear” are there to hear right now.
Do you think ministry is like this? Is ministry getting up and preaching? It can be. It can also be a lot more. You see, as a Christian you are part of the ‘kingdom of heaven’. “But heaven is something I am striving to reach after I die,” you might say. Actually that’s true and not true. Heaven is that place you want to reach. But Christianity and the kingdom of heaven is a lot more than that.
In Luke 15, Jesus is eating with tax collectors and sinners and is called out by the Pharasees. You notice how it’s “tax collectors” and sinners. The tax collectors were an especially hated group of Jews who basically extorted money from their own people to give to Rome. Read the story here:
Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’
3 So he told them this parable: 4‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” 7Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.
8 ‘Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.” 10Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.’
Julia and I went to my niece’s baby shower last weekend in west Texas. It was a long 7 hour drive each way. Actually I didn’t stay during the shower. As my Grandmother said “what do you think about all these hens crackling around here.” Sonic was calling my name.
My niece is 21 years old, unmarried, living with the father of her baby (or as it’s said ‘my baby’s father’). I think they love each other and will get married, but it’s sad to see. But that’s not what this is totally about. You see, I think many Christians see the above verses as “those backslidden christians” who repent and come back to church, follow the way, whatever. But that is not the meaning of what Jesus is saying.
You see, those highly religious people came to Jesus complaining he was unclean because he was eating with people who were not believers. A righteous Jew would not have anything to do with these people. You should avoid them at all cost. And I think that’s what some Christians do also. They turn people off by preaching at them all the time. They seek to “save” them instead of know them. Is ‘friendship evangelism’ another way of just preaching to those lost heathens and getting a notch in your belt (or crown when you die)??
My sister is really screwed up. She has been married 3 times and every time she married her father….her father of 20 years ago, not her father of today. The last guy she married was abusive physically and emotionally. She is estranged from one of her daughters. She is a believer and she does love Christ. I saw her take the above verses to heart and really show what it means to go after that lost coin or sheep.
My niece has a good friend named Matt. Matt is a bi-sexual. He is also a drug addict. His mom is an addict. He has been sober for 3 weeks. He was supposed to make the cake for this party we went to. My sister went over to his house. He had gotten really drunk the night before, picked up two guys (yes you read that right), and forgot all about it. He says he had a “gay moment”.
As my sister is telling this story, I looked at my grandmother who was sitting in the front seat with me and said “oh I hate that. When you are walking along minding your own business and POW, you have this gay moment. They come upon you out of no where. It’s just terrible.”
So what does a Christian do with Matt? What does the church do with Matt? Where does he go and what does he do? Which one of you having 100 sheep and losing one would not go after it and when you bring it home throw a party. Jesus says that is heaven. But read the parable again. Who is the Sheppard supposed to represent? It is God. Who are the “sheep”? The sheep are all the people in the world. It’s not just the Christians. The sheep-the people-all belong to God. We are all his children. Red white black and brown. Matt is the lost sheep. Matt is the lost coin.
At one point in your life, you were a lost sheep. You have always been a child of God, but you were not in the family because you had turned your back on God. That doesn’t change your heritage or DNA. Before you became a Christian, you were still “one of the little ones” who didn’t know any better. You rejected God-Christians-Christianity. Now your eyes have been opened and you see the glorious truth in front of you. Matt has not seen that truth and what his life can become and the hope and joy Jesus can bring him in this life, not to mention the life to come. He either has not been told, or has been told and ignores it.
When you read the parable, there are no little groups of sheep or little bags of coins. You don’t hear Jesus say “which one of you with 100 Christian sheep which are different than this other guy’s 100 Muslim sheep which are different than this other guy’s Hindu sheep lose one…..” All the sheep are in the same group. All are children of God and are watched over by God, yet some have lost their way. They have blinders on and don’t want to see the truth. “Those who are in darkness love the darkness.”
So Matt the sheep runs away, or just loses his way. He was at the edge of the field smelling and eating the green grass, and the rest of the herd walked away without him. What do you do? You go to him. Isn’t that what Jesus did. The Pharisees said “come on in.” Jesus said “go out and get ‘em”. He went to weddings, banquets, dinners. His first miracle was to turn water into wine. When you see that scripture, culturally he turned 5-7 50 gallon jugs into the highest end best wine that normally would have been reserved only for the priest. I think Jesus knew how to party.
So many churches throw open the doors and say “come on in.” Sounds eerily familiar huh. That’s not what we should be doing. Maybe you can start a church in a pub. My sister went out after Matt. She didn’t dump him because of his “gay moment”. It doesn’t mean there will not be consequences for his actions. It will take a lot of work to get back into a good relationship with my niece. He deserves those problems.
When Jesus finds that sheep, he carries it back. Why? Because sheep are dumb. And when they have gone astray, you have to carry them back to the herd or they will not come back. Creatures of habit they are.
In Florida, alligators are starting to like the suburbs. Swamps are drained and the gators have no where to go, so they find a nice swimming pool to stay in. The problem with catching the gators and taking them back to the everglades, is they have this sense of direction and can go straight back to their old grounds (where the people are). So the animal control people put these magnets on the gator’s heads (think of the headgear in Minority Report), and it disorients them. They pick up the gator and move him to a new location. His sense of direction is changed and will not go back to that old location. Pretty cool.
There will be more rejoicing in heaven over that one who repents. The one sheep who sees God for who he is, or he sees God in the person coming along side him and turns around to run to the light. Too many people (not just Christians) would turn their backs on Matt. That hopeless case who is an addict, drunk, and (oh my) he is a homosexual too. We can’t have anything to do with him. We definitely can’t be seen with him because what would the others think.
I think we have taken the verse that says “run from every type of sin” and changed it to “run from ever sinner you see so you don’t have the possibility of being swayed by it.” If you stay around it, you will start thinking its ok and then you will become complacent and then the sin becomes a non-sin….nonsense. But that’s not what you do. You come along side Matt. You help him with his addiction. You don’t shove the bible in his face and say “just believe and you will be healed”, smack him on the forehead and push him to the ground. You be yourself, be a friend, and be there for him. This isn’t “friendship evangelism”. This is friendship PERIOD. And when he sees Christ shine in you, that glow will give him a Son-tan he has quietly needed.
Man this will make some people uncomfortable. 1st I say to bring that sinner into the group, 2nd I say don’t preach to him and tell him how wrong he is, 3rd I tell you heaven (meaning God and all the angels) throw a party when he turns his life around, but when every day Christians do the right thing, it is business as usual.
This whole posting is for Matt. It is also for “regular Christians” to see what changes need to be made. But really it’s about all the “Matts” in this world that are discarded and left behind. Let me tell you something. When you yell at God “what am I doing Lord? Why do you have me in this job/marriage/town/church/whatever?” (yes it’s ok if you yell at God. He can take it.) Matt is doing the same thing. He is yelling out (to God or maybe to no one in particular) “What am I doing here in this job/marriage/town/bed? How do I get out of this lifestyle?”
I have a friend in North Dallas who was a drug addict and alcoholic for many many years. He credits God for taking away that craving from him. Yes God can do that and he does. But sometimes he doesn’t. It doesn’t make him mean dictator-like god. But he does know what they and you are going thru. It took God hitting my friend with a 2x4 in the back of the head to get him straight. My friend doesn’t drink or do drugs anymore. He does smoke more than anyone I have ever seen and he drinks more coffee than anyone in their right mind should. Should we run from him since he is not treating his body like the temple it was designed to be?
That brings me to us sheep. Jesus brings that lost sheep back into the herd and sits him down in the middle of the pack. Now is the moment of reckoning. We can turn our backs on him, or we can come along side him, one on the left and one on the right. Some behind and some in front. We help him stay on the narrow path that leads to righteousness. Everyone of us has troubles staying on that straight and narrow path during our lives. When we slip and fall, who will be there to pick us up?
Here are the lyrics to the Tracy Lawrence song “Find out who your friends are.”
Run your car off the side of the road
Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere
Or get yourself in a bind lose the shirt off your back
Need a floor, need a couch, need a bus fare
This is where the rubber meets the road
This is where the cream is gonna rise
This is what you really didn't know
This is where the truth don't lie
{Chorus}
You find out who your friends are
Somebody's gonna drop everything
Run out and crank up their car
Hit the gas, get there fast
Never stop to think 'what's in it for me?' or 'it's way too far'
They just show on up with their big old heart
You find out who your friends are
Everybody wants to slap your back
wants to shake your hand
when you're up on top of that mountain
But let one of those rocks give way then you slide back down look up
and see who's around then
This ain't where the road comes to an end
This ain't where the bandwagon stops
This is just one of those times when
A lot of folks jump off
{Chorus}
When the water's high
When the weather's not so fair
When the well runs dry
Who's gonna be there?
{Chorus}
You find out who your friends are
(yeah, yeah)
You find out who your friends are
Run your car off the side of the road
Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere
(Well man, I've been there)
Or get yourself in a bind lose the shirt off your back
Need a floor, need a couch, need a bus fare
(Man, I've been there)
*****************
Are you a fair-weather friend? Are you a fair-weather Christian? Are you seeking some friends to stand beside you at those tough times?
Heaven on earth is that place you get to when you are saved from the hell in your life right now. Hell is real. When Jesus picks you up and puts you on his shoulders, he carries you back to his special field, you have been saved from that hell on earth. The Heaven to experience now is not streets paved with gold, but friends with golden hearts. The heaven now is full of believers who see your ugliness and don’t care because they are ugly too according to the world’s standards. But according to God they are beautiful.
It’s time to make a stand and find all the Matts out there and show them Christ, not just invite them to a building and experience a great worship service. It’s time to be a friend and not do friendship evangelism. It’s time to see the inequalities and injustice in the world and do something about it. You have a choice to make right at this moment. Are you going to live as the status quo or are you going to live like today is your last day and you have to bring as many people with you as possible.
Make a choice….and go get ‘em.
And so you do. You get up. You share the Word God has given you to give to the people in front of you. It’s not the same words he would give to the people out on the street or in a bakery or pharmacy. These are the words specifically for the group of people sitting in front of you. Truth is relevant. It’s relevant to the time and place it is given. Truth is also relevant outside of that time and place, but “those who have ears let them hear” are there to hear right now.
Do you think ministry is like this? Is ministry getting up and preaching? It can be. It can also be a lot more. You see, as a Christian you are part of the ‘kingdom of heaven’. “But heaven is something I am striving to reach after I die,” you might say. Actually that’s true and not true. Heaven is that place you want to reach. But Christianity and the kingdom of heaven is a lot more than that.
In Luke 15, Jesus is eating with tax collectors and sinners and is called out by the Pharasees. You notice how it’s “tax collectors” and sinners. The tax collectors were an especially hated group of Jews who basically extorted money from their own people to give to Rome. Read the story here:
Now all the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 2And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’
3 So he told them this parable: 4‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. 6And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” 7Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.
8 ‘Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.” 10Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.’
Julia and I went to my niece’s baby shower last weekend in west Texas. It was a long 7 hour drive each way. Actually I didn’t stay during the shower. As my Grandmother said “what do you think about all these hens crackling around here.” Sonic was calling my name.
My niece is 21 years old, unmarried, living with the father of her baby (or as it’s said ‘my baby’s father’). I think they love each other and will get married, but it’s sad to see. But that’s not what this is totally about. You see, I think many Christians see the above verses as “those backslidden christians” who repent and come back to church, follow the way, whatever. But that is not the meaning of what Jesus is saying.
You see, those highly religious people came to Jesus complaining he was unclean because he was eating with people who were not believers. A righteous Jew would not have anything to do with these people. You should avoid them at all cost. And I think that’s what some Christians do also. They turn people off by preaching at them all the time. They seek to “save” them instead of know them. Is ‘friendship evangelism’ another way of just preaching to those lost heathens and getting a notch in your belt (or crown when you die)??
My sister is really screwed up. She has been married 3 times and every time she married her father….her father of 20 years ago, not her father of today. The last guy she married was abusive physically and emotionally. She is estranged from one of her daughters. She is a believer and she does love Christ. I saw her take the above verses to heart and really show what it means to go after that lost coin or sheep.
My niece has a good friend named Matt. Matt is a bi-sexual. He is also a drug addict. His mom is an addict. He has been sober for 3 weeks. He was supposed to make the cake for this party we went to. My sister went over to his house. He had gotten really drunk the night before, picked up two guys (yes you read that right), and forgot all about it. He says he had a “gay moment”.
As my sister is telling this story, I looked at my grandmother who was sitting in the front seat with me and said “oh I hate that. When you are walking along minding your own business and POW, you have this gay moment. They come upon you out of no where. It’s just terrible.”
So what does a Christian do with Matt? What does the church do with Matt? Where does he go and what does he do? Which one of you having 100 sheep and losing one would not go after it and when you bring it home throw a party. Jesus says that is heaven. But read the parable again. Who is the Sheppard supposed to represent? It is God. Who are the “sheep”? The sheep are all the people in the world. It’s not just the Christians. The sheep-the people-all belong to God. We are all his children. Red white black and brown. Matt is the lost sheep. Matt is the lost coin.
At one point in your life, you were a lost sheep. You have always been a child of God, but you were not in the family because you had turned your back on God. That doesn’t change your heritage or DNA. Before you became a Christian, you were still “one of the little ones” who didn’t know any better. You rejected God-Christians-Christianity. Now your eyes have been opened and you see the glorious truth in front of you. Matt has not seen that truth and what his life can become and the hope and joy Jesus can bring him in this life, not to mention the life to come. He either has not been told, or has been told and ignores it.
When you read the parable, there are no little groups of sheep or little bags of coins. You don’t hear Jesus say “which one of you with 100 Christian sheep which are different than this other guy’s 100 Muslim sheep which are different than this other guy’s Hindu sheep lose one…..” All the sheep are in the same group. All are children of God and are watched over by God, yet some have lost their way. They have blinders on and don’t want to see the truth. “Those who are in darkness love the darkness.”
So Matt the sheep runs away, or just loses his way. He was at the edge of the field smelling and eating the green grass, and the rest of the herd walked away without him. What do you do? You go to him. Isn’t that what Jesus did. The Pharisees said “come on in.” Jesus said “go out and get ‘em”. He went to weddings, banquets, dinners. His first miracle was to turn water into wine. When you see that scripture, culturally he turned 5-7 50 gallon jugs into the highest end best wine that normally would have been reserved only for the priest. I think Jesus knew how to party.
So many churches throw open the doors and say “come on in.” Sounds eerily familiar huh. That’s not what we should be doing. Maybe you can start a church in a pub. My sister went out after Matt. She didn’t dump him because of his “gay moment”. It doesn’t mean there will not be consequences for his actions. It will take a lot of work to get back into a good relationship with my niece. He deserves those problems.
When Jesus finds that sheep, he carries it back. Why? Because sheep are dumb. And when they have gone astray, you have to carry them back to the herd or they will not come back. Creatures of habit they are.
In Florida, alligators are starting to like the suburbs. Swamps are drained and the gators have no where to go, so they find a nice swimming pool to stay in. The problem with catching the gators and taking them back to the everglades, is they have this sense of direction and can go straight back to their old grounds (where the people are). So the animal control people put these magnets on the gator’s heads (think of the headgear in Minority Report), and it disorients them. They pick up the gator and move him to a new location. His sense of direction is changed and will not go back to that old location. Pretty cool.
There will be more rejoicing in heaven over that one who repents. The one sheep who sees God for who he is, or he sees God in the person coming along side him and turns around to run to the light. Too many people (not just Christians) would turn their backs on Matt. That hopeless case who is an addict, drunk, and (oh my) he is a homosexual too. We can’t have anything to do with him. We definitely can’t be seen with him because what would the others think.
I think we have taken the verse that says “run from every type of sin” and changed it to “run from ever sinner you see so you don’t have the possibility of being swayed by it.” If you stay around it, you will start thinking its ok and then you will become complacent and then the sin becomes a non-sin….nonsense. But that’s not what you do. You come along side Matt. You help him with his addiction. You don’t shove the bible in his face and say “just believe and you will be healed”, smack him on the forehead and push him to the ground. You be yourself, be a friend, and be there for him. This isn’t “friendship evangelism”. This is friendship PERIOD. And when he sees Christ shine in you, that glow will give him a Son-tan he has quietly needed.
Man this will make some people uncomfortable. 1st I say to bring that sinner into the group, 2nd I say don’t preach to him and tell him how wrong he is, 3rd I tell you heaven (meaning God and all the angels) throw a party when he turns his life around, but when every day Christians do the right thing, it is business as usual.
This whole posting is for Matt. It is also for “regular Christians” to see what changes need to be made. But really it’s about all the “Matts” in this world that are discarded and left behind. Let me tell you something. When you yell at God “what am I doing Lord? Why do you have me in this job/marriage/town/church/whatever?” (yes it’s ok if you yell at God. He can take it.) Matt is doing the same thing. He is yelling out (to God or maybe to no one in particular) “What am I doing here in this job/marriage/town/bed? How do I get out of this lifestyle?”
I have a friend in North Dallas who was a drug addict and alcoholic for many many years. He credits God for taking away that craving from him. Yes God can do that and he does. But sometimes he doesn’t. It doesn’t make him mean dictator-like god. But he does know what they and you are going thru. It took God hitting my friend with a 2x4 in the back of the head to get him straight. My friend doesn’t drink or do drugs anymore. He does smoke more than anyone I have ever seen and he drinks more coffee than anyone in their right mind should. Should we run from him since he is not treating his body like the temple it was designed to be?
That brings me to us sheep. Jesus brings that lost sheep back into the herd and sits him down in the middle of the pack. Now is the moment of reckoning. We can turn our backs on him, or we can come along side him, one on the left and one on the right. Some behind and some in front. We help him stay on the narrow path that leads to righteousness. Everyone of us has troubles staying on that straight and narrow path during our lives. When we slip and fall, who will be there to pick us up?
Here are the lyrics to the Tracy Lawrence song “Find out who your friends are.”
Run your car off the side of the road
Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere
Or get yourself in a bind lose the shirt off your back
Need a floor, need a couch, need a bus fare
This is where the rubber meets the road
This is where the cream is gonna rise
This is what you really didn't know
This is where the truth don't lie
{Chorus}
You find out who your friends are
Somebody's gonna drop everything
Run out and crank up their car
Hit the gas, get there fast
Never stop to think 'what's in it for me?' or 'it's way too far'
They just show on up with their big old heart
You find out who your friends are
Everybody wants to slap your back
wants to shake your hand
when you're up on top of that mountain
But let one of those rocks give way then you slide back down look up
and see who's around then
This ain't where the road comes to an end
This ain't where the bandwagon stops
This is just one of those times when
A lot of folks jump off
{Chorus}
When the water's high
When the weather's not so fair
When the well runs dry
Who's gonna be there?
{Chorus}
You find out who your friends are
(yeah, yeah)
You find out who your friends are
Run your car off the side of the road
Get stuck in a ditch way out in the middle of nowhere
(Well man, I've been there)
Or get yourself in a bind lose the shirt off your back
Need a floor, need a couch, need a bus fare
(Man, I've been there)
*****************
Are you a fair-weather friend? Are you a fair-weather Christian? Are you seeking some friends to stand beside you at those tough times?
Heaven on earth is that place you get to when you are saved from the hell in your life right now. Hell is real. When Jesus picks you up and puts you on his shoulders, he carries you back to his special field, you have been saved from that hell on earth. The Heaven to experience now is not streets paved with gold, but friends with golden hearts. The heaven now is full of believers who see your ugliness and don’t care because they are ugly too according to the world’s standards. But according to God they are beautiful.
It’s time to make a stand and find all the Matts out there and show them Christ, not just invite them to a building and experience a great worship service. It’s time to be a friend and not do friendship evangelism. It’s time to see the inequalities and injustice in the world and do something about it. You have a choice to make right at this moment. Are you going to live as the status quo or are you going to live like today is your last day and you have to bring as many people with you as possible.
Make a choice….and go get ‘em.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Things I miss from Sardis
There are things I miss from being a pastor. It's been just over a year and half since I was behind the pulpit. There are many things I miss....especially preaching. I miss sharing-showing-shouting the Truth. But there are things I specifically miss from Sardis.
It's interesting when I sit and start writing them out. I do my best to put all of Sardis behind me, but it was not all bad (and I knew that all along). It's just when I start thinking about the things I miss, the things I don't miss start to surface also.
I miss making bread for communion. The first time I did this was awesome. I got up extra early and got the bread started in the bread-maker 3 hours before service started. I put it up in the choir loft where no one could see it. When people came in for Sunday School they started looking thru the kitchen (at the other end of the building) trying to figure out where that "amazing smell" was coming from. I was asked one time why I used bread with yeast for communion. I replied "because Christ has risen!"
I miss Little Mike. Although he wasn't little back then but compared to his dad he was. Little Mike had Downs. He loved God and loved people with all his heart. If you want a picture of true worship, he is it. His prayers were just conversations with God, his buddy. Little Mike could always bring a smile to my face every time I saw him. He jumped up to help every time he could. He harassed his sister like any big brother should. Many crowns will be waiting for him in heaven.
I miss Edna and her stories. The first time I went to see Edna I was there 4 HOURS. Then every other time I was there for a long time and heard the same stories over and over. However, that was her life. She missed John (her deceased husband) very much and wanted nothing more to be with him in heaven. She was a truly caring person.
I miss Bill showing up for leftovers. Back when I had time to cook, there were always leftovers, and they almost always went to the same place....straight to Bill. He would leave the airport and come straight over to the parsonage. That was perfectly fine with us.
I miss talking theology with Richard Smotts. Richard was a spiritual man I will always look up to and pray I can one day come close to his righteousness. A week before we moved, he put his hand on my shoulder and prayed a blessing over me I will never forget.
I miss talking sex with Doyle and Cindy. Funny story, but I won't describe it here.
I miss Brian. I would go to Sears and between customer he would share his struggles with God, family, spirituality. I see God working on him to just let it all go and give it over to God, but he struggled with that submission.
I miss sharing the Truth to many people at one time. I miss the light bulbs going on over the head and reading faces that "get it".
I miss keeping Dan awake during my sermons. Not too long after I started, Dan said "I can't sleep during your sermons because I never know where you will be." He and Ann are great. Ann has a true heart for kids.
I miss talking to people about God who would never come to church, but would get into discussion with me because I was a "pastor". One guy has "heard it all", but he kept seeking more. That is the Holy Spirit working.
I miss talking to Arthur Sweeney about God and seeking the struggle to believe in his eyes. That couple could be poster-children for many couples going to church today.
I really miss sitting in the dark sanctuary at midnight with just the candles lit. I miss praying and feeling the Holy Spirit move inside while the demons move outside.
I was at Sardis for a season. I thought the season would be longer, but it wasn't. One pastor told me I would be there for my 3 years and move on. I planned on being there for 8 years and seeing God work some great miracles. How do you get God to laugh? Tell him your plans.
The season has changed but my call has not. Where God sits me next is where I will go. There are other things I miss from Sardis I am sure, but this is a good list to start with.
It's interesting when I sit and start writing them out. I do my best to put all of Sardis behind me, but it was not all bad (and I knew that all along). It's just when I start thinking about the things I miss, the things I don't miss start to surface also.
I miss making bread for communion. The first time I did this was awesome. I got up extra early and got the bread started in the bread-maker 3 hours before service started. I put it up in the choir loft where no one could see it. When people came in for Sunday School they started looking thru the kitchen (at the other end of the building) trying to figure out where that "amazing smell" was coming from. I was asked one time why I used bread with yeast for communion. I replied "because Christ has risen!"
I miss Little Mike. Although he wasn't little back then but compared to his dad he was. Little Mike had Downs. He loved God and loved people with all his heart. If you want a picture of true worship, he is it. His prayers were just conversations with God, his buddy. Little Mike could always bring a smile to my face every time I saw him. He jumped up to help every time he could. He harassed his sister like any big brother should. Many crowns will be waiting for him in heaven.
I miss Edna and her stories. The first time I went to see Edna I was there 4 HOURS. Then every other time I was there for a long time and heard the same stories over and over. However, that was her life. She missed John (her deceased husband) very much and wanted nothing more to be with him in heaven. She was a truly caring person.
I miss Bill showing up for leftovers. Back when I had time to cook, there were always leftovers, and they almost always went to the same place....straight to Bill. He would leave the airport and come straight over to the parsonage. That was perfectly fine with us.
I miss talking theology with Richard Smotts. Richard was a spiritual man I will always look up to and pray I can one day come close to his righteousness. A week before we moved, he put his hand on my shoulder and prayed a blessing over me I will never forget.
I miss talking sex with Doyle and Cindy. Funny story, but I won't describe it here.
I miss Brian. I would go to Sears and between customer he would share his struggles with God, family, spirituality. I see God working on him to just let it all go and give it over to God, but he struggled with that submission.
I miss sharing the Truth to many people at one time. I miss the light bulbs going on over the head and reading faces that "get it".
I miss keeping Dan awake during my sermons. Not too long after I started, Dan said "I can't sleep during your sermons because I never know where you will be." He and Ann are great. Ann has a true heart for kids.
I miss talking to people about God who would never come to church, but would get into discussion with me because I was a "pastor". One guy has "heard it all", but he kept seeking more. That is the Holy Spirit working.
I miss talking to Arthur Sweeney about God and seeking the struggle to believe in his eyes. That couple could be poster-children for many couples going to church today.
I really miss sitting in the dark sanctuary at midnight with just the candles lit. I miss praying and feeling the Holy Spirit move inside while the demons move outside.
I was at Sardis for a season. I thought the season would be longer, but it wasn't. One pastor told me I would be there for my 3 years and move on. I planned on being there for 8 years and seeing God work some great miracles. How do you get God to laugh? Tell him your plans.
The season has changed but my call has not. Where God sits me next is where I will go. There are other things I miss from Sardis I am sure, but this is a good list to start with.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Advertising and being on TV
I"ve had a couple thoughts lately. The first one is that advertising agencies don't actually watch or listen to their ads before sending them out. I think they get the money from the client, throw something together fast (because fast means good), and everyone is happy. But when you listen to some of the ads and start to think about them, they don't make sense.
For Example:
There is an ad on the radio for a eye doctor who does "crystal lense" (whatever that is) instead of lasik on eyes. The ad goes like this: "Hi. I'm Pat Summerall. Do you have over 40 eyes?"
So let me stop right there. I have 2 eyes. All the kids I went to school with have 2 eyes. Everyone in my family have 2 eyes. When did the aliens with over 40 eyes, or even those with 3-39 eyes, get to earth and how have them been hidden all this time? I don't think those huge ugly sunglasses Paris Hilton wears would cover 10 eyes much less 40.
Here is one more. The ad goes like this: "Men, do you urinate frequently? Or do you wake up to urinate?" Ok I will admit that when I was a baby I might have "urinated" while I was asleep. But this ad is targeted to "MEN". Now we men don't sit around talking about urinating in bed, but if I took a poll (I won't), all the men I know do wake up to urinate.
Since I am on the subject of media, under no circumstance should you or anyone you know who is not a professional media personality (and many of them also) talk to the media if they come to ask your opinion on something. Let me repeat, DO NOT TALK TO THE REPORTER. YOU WILL LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT.
I will give you a fictious example and a couple real ones. See if you can figure out which is not real.
1. The police are handcuffing a family in a quiet neighborhood and taking them to jail. The reporter goes to the nieghbor who is standing outside watching to ask a few questions.
reporter "How long have you known Mr. Jones?"
neighbor "About 5 years now. Our kids have played and grown up together. What happened?"
reporter "It's believed Mr. Jones and his family are cannibals and have killed and eaten on average 3 politians a month. No one noticed they were gone until someone realized they were being told the truth when they asked a question."
neighbor "What?!? Cannibals? That's impossible. The Jones' were a great family. In fact, we were just over last week. Bob grilled up some great steaks. They were to-die for. I can't believe they were cannibals."
2. In a suburb of DFW, there is a controversy raging about red light cameras. This one specific camera is catching people turning right on red. They slow down, cross the white line so they can see oncoming traffic, stop, and then turn if it's clear. They get a ticket because they crossed the white line. During the filming of this TV report, one lady stopped and made this comment, "Oh yeah this red light camera is terrible. I mean I must have gotten at least 6 or 7 tickets in the past month because of it."
And last but not least.....
3.
Boo Got Shot - Animation - Celebrity bloopers here
For Example:
There is an ad on the radio for a eye doctor who does "crystal lense" (whatever that is) instead of lasik on eyes. The ad goes like this: "Hi. I'm Pat Summerall. Do you have over 40 eyes?"
So let me stop right there. I have 2 eyes. All the kids I went to school with have 2 eyes. Everyone in my family have 2 eyes. When did the aliens with over 40 eyes, or even those with 3-39 eyes, get to earth and how have them been hidden all this time? I don't think those huge ugly sunglasses Paris Hilton wears would cover 10 eyes much less 40.
Here is one more. The ad goes like this: "Men, do you urinate frequently? Or do you wake up to urinate?" Ok I will admit that when I was a baby I might have "urinated" while I was asleep. But this ad is targeted to "MEN". Now we men don't sit around talking about urinating in bed, but if I took a poll (I won't), all the men I know do wake up to urinate.
Since I am on the subject of media, under no circumstance should you or anyone you know who is not a professional media personality (and many of them also) talk to the media if they come to ask your opinion on something. Let me repeat, DO NOT TALK TO THE REPORTER. YOU WILL LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT.
I will give you a fictious example and a couple real ones. See if you can figure out which is not real.
1. The police are handcuffing a family in a quiet neighborhood and taking them to jail. The reporter goes to the nieghbor who is standing outside watching to ask a few questions.
reporter "How long have you known Mr. Jones?"
neighbor "About 5 years now. Our kids have played and grown up together. What happened?"
reporter "It's believed Mr. Jones and his family are cannibals and have killed and eaten on average 3 politians a month. No one noticed they were gone until someone realized they were being told the truth when they asked a question."
neighbor "What?!? Cannibals? That's impossible. The Jones' were a great family. In fact, we were just over last week. Bob grilled up some great steaks. They were to-die for. I can't believe they were cannibals."
2. In a suburb of DFW, there is a controversy raging about red light cameras. This one specific camera is catching people turning right on red. They slow down, cross the white line so they can see oncoming traffic, stop, and then turn if it's clear. They get a ticket because they crossed the white line. During the filming of this TV report, one lady stopped and made this comment, "Oh yeah this red light camera is terrible. I mean I must have gotten at least 6 or 7 tickets in the past month because of it."
And last but not least.....
3.
Boo Got Shot - Animation - Celebrity bloopers here
Monday, January 12, 2009
What I learned from being a pastor...still more
OK...so I've been pondering what I posted before. Maybe I was a little hard on the church before. What I think is you can't change unless you know what needs to be changed. And not everything I say needs correction. Most of the time it's just an observation. Here are some more though.
* All people are searching for God, in one way or another. Even people who say they don't believe in God are searching for a god. I sent out an email to my team offering to set up a bible study for anyone who wants to join. I got back a response from one girl stating "
Thank you for including us in your worship and faith, however I ask that I not invited to participate in these types of events. Thank you again for your invitation. " Why would she respond back instead of just deleting the email?? Now I know it's fashionable to bash Christianity. However, I believe God is working on her heart. There was another email that was sent to the whole building for anyone who wants to join the Biggest Loser weight loss program. Should I respond back to that asking them if they think I am an obese fat ass needing to lose weight, or if I don't want to participate, just delete the email?? Easy answer.
* Worship is done in many ways and many settings. In one church I was in there was a "helicopter woman". That's the label I attached. During praise music she would sing, put out her arms, and spin around in praise and worship to God. It was wonderful to see unfettered praise. In another church I have been a part of, the members would be hard pressed to crack a smile. Reverence, they believe, is focused intent on worship, preacher, sermon, singer, etc. In Pete's sermon last week, at one point he said that if clothes had been in the original plan of God we would not have had Eve eat the apple. Adam was standing beside looking at a naked woman and couldn't speak. If she would have put some clothes on instead of standing there naked Adam would have spoken up and told her not to eat the apple. There was a great reception by the members. And then there are house churches, where the main worship meeting of a group of people is in the house of a person. No-one is the 'pastor' but all have the opportunity to share what God has revealed to them. Lastly, music styles are all different, not only here but all across the world.
* All people are searching for God, in one way or another. Even people who say they don't believe in God are searching for a god. I sent out an email to my team offering to set up a bible study for anyone who wants to join. I got back a response from one girl stating "
Thank you for including us in your worship and faith, however I ask that I not invited to participate in these types of events. Thank you again for your invitation. " Why would she respond back instead of just deleting the email?? Now I know it's fashionable to bash Christianity. However, I believe God is working on her heart. There was another email that was sent to the whole building for anyone who wants to join the Biggest Loser weight loss program. Should I respond back to that asking them if they think I am an obese fat ass needing to lose weight, or if I don't want to participate, just delete the email?? Easy answer.
* Worship is done in many ways and many settings. In one church I was in there was a "helicopter woman". That's the label I attached. During praise music she would sing, put out her arms, and spin around in praise and worship to God. It was wonderful to see unfettered praise. In another church I have been a part of, the members would be hard pressed to crack a smile. Reverence, they believe, is focused intent on worship, preacher, sermon, singer, etc. In Pete's sermon last week, at one point he said that if clothes had been in the original plan of God we would not have had Eve eat the apple. Adam was standing beside looking at a naked woman and couldn't speak. If she would have put some clothes on instead of standing there naked Adam would have spoken up and told her not to eat the apple. There was a great reception by the members. And then there are house churches, where the main worship meeting of a group of people is in the house of a person. No-one is the 'pastor' but all have the opportunity to share what God has revealed to them. Lastly, music styles are all different, not only here but all across the world.
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