Absolutely!

Anyone else notice the increased usage of the word 'absolutely' in our culture? It is to the point that I cannot even get through a day without hearing someone use it, or using it myself!

I find it extremely ironic that this word is being used so freely in a culture that is in the process of rejecting it's meaning. Could it be that as so many moral absolutes are being thrown to the wind, people are subconsciously using the word because deep down they so desire to believe that some things are absolutely true?

Of course I may be getting too philosophical and it could just be nothing more than a fad that the word is being used so often. Kind of like "cool" in the 1970s and "awesome" in the 1980s.

Do I believe that there is such a thing as absolute truth? Absolutely! Here a few absolutes that I embrace: The Bible is true. God is. God is good. God is holy. God is all-powerful. God makes no mistakes. Jesus is God. Heaven and hell are real places. Everyone is going to go to either heaven or hell. God will judge all people. Jesus lived a perfect life. Jesus died on the cross to save sinners. I am a sinner. Christ alone is my salvation.

Those are absolutely true. You can bank on it. No doubt about it. Guaranteed. Absolutely.

Lyrics of the the Songs We Like

When I was young, my parents listened to a lot of popular music on the radio. From as young as three years old, I was singing along with the top 20 hits. One of the songs that I really got into back in the day was Paul McCartney's "Band on the Run." But I didn't sing it right. I thought they were singing "Sand on the Rug." I remember listening to the song on my folks' little portable radio we took to the beach with us. So, I'm playing in the sand, and my dear mother is urging me to try to keep the sand off the beach towel, and Sir McCartney is crooning in the background... an honest mistake.

Now that I have small children of my own, I'm reminded of how young ones get mixed up about how we use our words. We say one thing...they hear something else. Last night I was watching the weather and they were talking about the jet stream. I flipped the stations and my son quickly said, "Put it back on the show about the jets." It took me a few seconds to grasp what on earth he was talking about.

Back to the beach incident. At least I was paying attention to the lyrics and attempting to connect them to life. As I got older I found that I spent less time listening to the lyrics and more time enjoying the music itself. How do I know this? By listening to oldies stations. I hear a song and start singing along...and BAM!...a rather sexual line comes out...and I say to myself, "Whoa! I never realized that was what he was singing about."

Unfortunately, I'm afraid far too many Christians are this way in their selection of music. Even in churches, songs occasionally have really bad theology that would only take a little bit of discernment to recognize. Yet, the people are singing with gusto and passion, as if they agree with the heresy coming out of their mouths. Much of what is not heretical is just plain shallow and weightless.

Another problem is that we too often prefer certain songs because of the music instead of the lyrics. Rare is it to find great music matched with great lyrics. Do you have this problem also? Maybe that's why I listen to so much instrumental jazz and classical. I love both styles and there are no bad lyrics to mess it up.

The older I get the more I prefer finding the good lyrics and acquiring a taste for the music in which it is wrapped. Take, for example, Fernando Ortega. His style of music would not rank near the top of my list. But his lyrics are great, at least on the one album I own. But the more I listen, the more I develop a liking for the music. One little known group out of Florida, Kanon, has both great music and outstanding lyrics. If you can find their album, snatch it up.

What are you listening to? What is is saying? What are you singing in church? Are the lyrics Biblical?

Iraqi Soldier Scam

A lady from Marion, IL is at the center of a scam in which she apparently has duped The Daily Egyptian newspaper and a number of churches with a false drama of a little girl missing her soldier Dad who was serving in Iraq. This woman hired two actors to play the roles of the soldier and the girl, even fooling them about the nature of her filming. The fictional Dad was even "killed" in Iraq. It looks like she may have been using the scam to receive money from those who pitied the little girl. Watch this story go from regional to national. For more, click here and here.

Pro-Life Rap Video

You gotta check this out over at Justin Taylor's site: Between Two Worlds: Pro-Life Rap Video

Franchising Church, pt. 2

In my first article on this subject, I introduced the phenomena of franchising church, describing the interstate expansion of Northpoint Community Church of Alpharetta, Georgia. In this article, I want to describe the dangers of franchising church.

When I speak of franchising church I have in mind the multiplication of one church into multiple locations, copying nearly everything from the original church.

One can think of many dangers in franchising church. The stifling of creativity, the lack of local contextualization, and promotion of ministry by affinity are just a few. But for this article, I want to focus on one particular aspect of franchising church that is gaining adherents rapidly. That is the trend to reproduce the pastor's message in multiple locations via modern technology, be it DVD or live satellite feed.

Five potential problems come to mind quickly that warrant serious reflection from everyone who is concerned about the health of American Christianity:

First, there is the dangerous trend toward churches becoming personality-driven. Rick Warren rightly identified one of the reasons why this is dangerous: "One obvious problem with a personality-driven church is that its agenda is determined more by the background, needs, and insecurities of the leader” (Purpose-Driven Church, 77). This is also dangerous because it will increasingly encourage people to identify a church based on its leader instead of by the character of the people who are the church or by the content of the message. The Apostle Paul was far more concerned about the content of the message and the Person behind it, than the man who was delivering the message (see 1 Cor. 1.11-17).

Second, and closely akin to the previous point, is the danger of developing a celebrity mindset in the church. When the day arrives that each city has churches that pipe in Joel Osteen, Bill Hybels, Andy Stanley, or T.D. Jakes (or insert famous preacher), it will only increase the celebrity status of these mega-church superstars. For weak Christians that are already struggling with biblical literacy (see any amount of research by Barna or Gallup over the past decade), the last thing they need is to struggle with idol worship in the form of celebrity pastors. But the temptation goes both ways. Pastors who will rise to this level of celebrity will struggle with temptations (both subtle and siren temptations) to a much greater degree than ever before. And if they fall, how much greater the fallout!

Third, how can church become any more impersonal? Can you imagine being a member of a church in which you never meet the pastor because you never had the opportunity, unless you traveled to the mother church and were willing to stand in line after the service to meet him? I cannot. If I were not a pastor myself, I would not want to be in a church where I could not at minimum, walk up to him before or after church and ask him a theological question if I needed.

The problem with modern technology is that it enables us to feel like we really know a person when we don't. I remember when a certain contemporary Christian artist was publicly exposed for having an ongoing adulterous affair. I recall a close friend of mine saying, "I cannot believe she would do this, she is such a godly person." I held my tongue, but thought, "How do you know she is godly? Because she looked so spiritual up on stage singing Christian songs? You really have no true knowledge if her faith is real or not." The same could occur in a franchised church. The preacher could be the biggest hypocrite in the world and yet the throngs of followers would follow him blindly because of his charismatic personality and entertaining style and his carefully crafted image.

Fourth, I struggle with putting a "taped" preaching event in a “live" worship service. Everything in a worship service should be an act of worship. "Here, Lord, is my taped act of worship for this service." Call me old fashioned, but there is something about preaching a message in a live setting with real people and a real Holy Spirit guiding the speaker and the audience. I doubt that can be adequately reproduced through a DVD of the Saturday night message. Wouldn't that be roughly similar to watching the game on television versus having front row seats at the game itself? I want to be there when it happens. Doubtless we can be blessed and convicted and comforted by a message that is pre-recorded. In fact, I am continually blessed by listening to men of God on radio, internet, or CD, but that is to aid my Christian growth. It's not in leiu of my Sunday morning corporate worship experience.

I have preached several of my messages multiple times, but I have never preached the same message the exact same way. I do not change the content of the message according to the live event, but any preacher worth his salt acknowledges that there is a live, threefold relationship going on in the preaching event: the preacher, the Spirit, and the congregation. That live interaction is lost in a prerecorded message or satellite feed.

Consider the preaching in Acts. The apostles preached the same Gospel message in various settings; each time a unique presentation. We don't find Peter saying, "Wow! That Acts 2 preaching experience was awesome! I'll say the exact same thing the exact same way everywhere I go!"

Fifth, by taking one preacher and multiplying him many times over in various satellite campuses, a church is (by default) failing to raise up other men to accurately handle the Word of truth. Part of the calling of a pastor is to take the Gospel message and entrust it "to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2.2). This is what makes church planting so attractive. Raise up a church planter who has been adequately trained to handle the Word, and send him out. As a pastor, it may be much riskier (and perhaps humbling) to multiply yourself through many men instead of many screens, but it is God's appointed method.

In "Franchising Church, pt. 3" I will comment on an article in Christianity Today regarding the multi-site church.

Home Field Advantage

The Cardinals are running away from the rest of baseball, just like last season. Now is the time to keep a close eye on the wild card race. I'd hate to face Houston again in the playoffs. Although they had a horrible start to the season, they have actually had a better record than the Cards over most of the season. And as good as the Cardinals rotation has been, I'd hate to face Clemens and Oswalt in the postseason.

Unfortunately, even if they play the most dominating baseball in the major leagues, they will not have the home field advantage again this year in the World Series. I appreciate the effort to make the All-Star game more competitive, but give me a break. With the current system, a wild card team could get to the Series and have home field advantage over the best team of the regular season, just because their league won the All-Star game. Not fair. Here's the way it should be. The players who win the All-Star game should get a bunch of money. Millionaire athletes always love more money. Just ask Drew Rosenhaus. The team in the Series who has the most regular season wins should get home field advantage, period.

Book Review - God Wrote a Book

God Wrote a Book by James MacDonald
Crossway Books, 2002
121 pages

What makes a Christian book outstanding? A combination of several factors: First, it must be Biblical. The book’s premise must be rooted in a proper Christian worldview. When referring to Scripture, it must be accurate and provide a valid interpretation.

Second, it must be compelling. Alistair Begg has said, “I never cease to be amazed by the ingenuity of those who are capable of taking the powerful, life-changing text of Scripture and communicating it with all the passion of someone reading aloud from the Yellow Pages!” Unfortunately, few authors today can take a vital subject, like the Bible itself, and teach it in a compelling way.

Third, it must make an important or unique contribution. There are many great books that fail to be labeled outstanding because several other authors have done as good or better of a job on the same subject. To be outstanding, one must stand out from the rest.

Fourth, it must be the appropriate length. Some books would be much better if they were published as pamphlets. Do you remember those one-hit wonder bands of days past that hastily threw in 7 or 8 painfully bad songs just so they could sell a full-length LP instead of just a 45? Some Christian books are not much better. Read the first two or three chapters, and you’ve read all that’s worth reading. Other books need to be expanded. The issue is not necessarily the number of pages. An outstanding book knows how much ground to cover and when to stop.

Finally, the book must be presented well. Style and quality combine forces to make a book a pleasure to read. You cannot judge a book by its cover, but it sure does make a big impression. If the print is too small or the typeset is off-center, or the book was poorly edited, the impact of the content may be lessened. It’s definitely not all about image, but professionalism and class say a lot about the product.

God Wrote a Book by James MacDonald meets all the criteria above. It’s a biblical book about the Bible. MacDonald is an outstanding communicator whose enthusiasm for the subject jumps off each page. It’s unique in that there is no other book that so clearly and attractively teaches the basics about the vital role the Bible plays in our lives. All this in just 121 pages. To top it off, the folks at Crossway did an outstanding job packaging this great book. If you want the perfect book to give to your friend who doesn’t believe the Bible is God’s Word or that new believer who needs to be grounded in the importance of Scripture, look no further. Get several copies of this book and pass them out.

God Wrote a Book is the best in its field and gets my highest rating: Filet Mignon.

KEY
Filet Mignon – Outstanding
Prime Rib – Great
Philly Cheesesteak – Good
Hot Dog – Good and Bad
Roadkill - You get the picture

Concerning the NCAA and Mascots

I may write a longer post on this later, but for now, here's my 2 cents:

First $0.01 - We should not mock or make fun of other peoples' ethnicity.

Second $0.01 - This is America, and if someone wants to mock or make fun of me, that's their right.

Why Wear a Watch?

I quit wearing a watch five years ago. I haven't missed it a bit. Clocks are everywhere these days. If I'm in the car, I can look at the dashboard clock. If I'm at the computer...upper right hand corner. If I'm out walking in a store...look at my cell phone. I've reached the point of saying, "What's the point in owning a watch?" It makes no sense to me. Do you wear a watch? Why?

We Got Manning!

The draft was last night in our Fantasy Football league. My neighbor and I co-own a team this year. We are in a 10 team league and we had the 3rd pick. LaDanian Tomlinson went #1, Mike Vick went #2, and we were able to land the best player in the draft...Peyton Manning. We sat in front of the computer, stunned at our good fortune at watching Vick go #2. Here is the rest of our team in the order we drafted them:

2. Corey Dillon RB
3. Torry Holt WR
4. Mike Vanderjagt K
5. Muhsin Muhammad WR
6. Brian Westbrook RB
7. Caolina Defense
8. Randy McMichael TE
9. Carson Palmer QB
10. Eddie Kennison WR
11. DeShaun Foster RB
12. T. J. Houshmandzedeh WR
13. Daniel Graham TE
14. Chicago Defense
15. Nate Kaeding K

End of an Era

Peter Jennings took the anchor of ABC's World News Tonight in 1983, which was the same time I was entering my teenage years. Tom Brokaw also took over at NBC in 1983, while Dan Rather had ascended to the hot seat at CBS in 1981. Since my interest in watching the nightly news prior to then was non-existent, in a sense, I grew up with these three men bring the day's top stories. Sometime in the mid-1980s I became interested in watching the nightly news, and by seminary in the early '90s, it had become a routine to eat dinner while I watched the news. Peter Jennings became my preferred choice.

I preferred Mr. Jennings for three reasons. First, he came across as the least biased. Second, he usually started with worldwide news and then moved to national news. Third, he had the best screen presence. He was voice was pleasant, his manner was positive, and he had a way of being personable without inserting himself into the news. I sensed he was really trying to keep his own views out of the way.

I was disappointed with his special "The Search for Jesus." There was one case where he loaded the deck. But, overall, I preferred his "World News Tonight" over the traditional competitors.

For over twenty years, every evening you could tune in to Jennings, Brokaw, or Rather. Not any more. Since Rather and Brokaw have retired, with Peter's death, it is the end of an era.

Two Legends in College Football

As the college football season is fast approaching, two familiar faces will be standing on the sidelines for their schools: Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden. They have outcoached their peers and outlasted their critics.

Paterno graduated from Brown University in 1950. Bowden graduated from Howard in 1953. Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer (the dean of SEC coaches) was born in 1950, USC coach Pete Carroll was born in '51, and Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops was born in '60. Florida's new head coach Urban Meyer was born in 1964, five years after Bowden took his first head coaching job.

Their success has been astounding. The last time Bowden spent the holidays at home watching the bowl games was 1981; the Seminoles have been in a bowl the last 22 years. Paterno holds the record for the most bowl victories (20). Both men have 2 national championships. They are 1-2 in all time wins: Bowden (351) and Paterno (343).



Both men's success has slowed in recent years, Paterno's more than Bowden's. Paterno's program has gradually declined since entering the brutal schedule of the Big Ten, posting 3 losing seasons in the past 5 years. Although he is still winning and going to bowls, the rapid improvement of the rest of the ACC has made Bowden's dominance fade. With the recent expansion of the conference, things will only be tougher for the Noles.

Their success off the field is most impressive. Both are devoted husbands and fathers. Bowden has been married for over 50 years; Paterno over 40. Both men are serious about their faith and considered authentic. Paterno has left a remarkable legacy at Penn State, well beyond football. Because of his efforts in promoting education and raising money for the academic endeavors of the university, the school library was named in his honor. Bowden has also left an impact beyond the game. His Christian influence among the players and coaches is well known, having won an award from Fellowship of Christian Athletes for his spiritual impact.

How much longer will they coach? Bowden turns 76 in November and Paterno turns 79 in December. Paterno has stated that he will hang it up if the Nittany Lions have another bad year, but he also recently stated he'd like to coach another 10 years. The percentage of happy people in Happy Valley has been declining with the Lions winning percentage. Bowden is still on top of his game, and since he is 3 years younger than Paterno, odds are he will outlast his friend by a few years. Some would think we are probably witnessing their final years of coaching, but I wouldn't be surprised if folks were wondering the same thing 10 years ago. And how many years did people speculate of Strom Thurmond's retirement?

Fast forward 10 years: 2015. The BCS has finally kicked the bucket, but neither Bowden or Paterno have. In fact, they are still coaching. More than that, their teams have survived the first playoff system in Division I football history and the Nittany Lions and the Seminoles are scheduled to meet on the gridiron for the National Championship! Impossible, you say? When it comes to these two guys, don't bet against it!

Land that I Love...Stand Beside Her...

Remember all those celebrities who were going to leave the U.S. if Bush became President? Where are they now? Alec Baldwin got the most press for this, but it turns out he never made such a threat. Of the three celebrities who actually did threaten to leave, only Pierre Salinger made good on his promise. Shucks! I was hoping for at least 2 of 3!

And what about all the liberals who were asking for applications to move to Canada in the event that Bush defeated Kerry for a second term? They were full of hot air. They didn't go, reports David Ljunggren. They decided that in order to keep up the hot air work through the 2008 election, they needed to stay where the supply of hot air was much more prevalent.

Callous Preacher Thought #1

Not only are these sheep stupid, but they also have bad timing. If only they had jumped 8 months ago, right before I started my series on Psalm 23. What a great illustration this would have been!

Dever the Disciplinarian

Churches shouldn't consider church discipline until they make membership meaningful. These and many other great insights on church discipline are found in Mark Galli's interview with Pastor Mark Dever (Capitol Hill Baptist Church in D.C.).

Real believers who are committed to the authority of Scripture will desire to be a part of a church that cares enough to keep them accountable. If I stray from the Lord, I want my church family to do whatever it takes to get me back on track.

Roger who?

Alan Schwarz has written a fascinating piece about how blessed Roger Clemens is to have been born at the right time. Clemens experienced an injury very early in his career that had shattered the dreams of many other promising pitchers before him. Yet, because of advances in surgery, Clemens is an active legend, carrying a 1.45 ERA at 43 years old! Amazing!

I never INTENTIONALLY took steriods...

Some news stories can cause a man to scratch his head in disbelief. The Rafael Palmeiro story did that to me. The four years I lived in Fort Worth I got to see Palmeiro for two seasons. What I remember was a quiet man, a consistent player, not one to crave the limelight, and...oh, what a sweet swing!

Of the four sluggers who testified before Congress in March, the one man I believed was not a user was Palmeiro. His resolute, confident denial was convincing. Especially when watching the man sitting beside him, Mark McGwire. Big Mac (who we know certainly didn't get that big from eating Big Macs) didn't want to talk about the past, he told us in a quivery voice, he was just here to be positive about the future. Oh, in case you have forgotten, let me remind you, he's retired.

Palmeiro did not even look like he was juiced. Canseco, yes. McGwire, yes. Sosa, yes. But not Palmeiro; his power seemed to come from his flawless swing.

For all these reasons, and due to the fact that I don't trust Canseco, I was happy when Palmeiro reached the milestone of 3,000 hits. Enter elite territory: the 500 hr/3,000 hit club. Only the 4th player in Major League history!

Now it's all a wash.

The thing that disappoints me most is his pathetic apology/non-apology. He never knowlingly, intentionally took steroirds. But he is sorry for his "mistake" and wants his teammates and fans and everyone else to forgive him.

I have one question for you Raffy: Why? If you didn't intend to do it, then in my book it's not your fault. Some crooked, evil person must have messed up your sample. Don't apologize! Go on the offensive. Declare that you won't be satisfied until the evil person that did this is brought to justice!

Of course, if you really are guilty and your apology is warranted, then quit your semantic image games and come out with the whole truth. Expose the lies, admit the Oscar-worthy performance of last March was a farce, and cast yourself at the mercy of the fans. If they accept you and forgive you, you can have a redeemable future in baseball. If they do not, at least you will live the rest of your life in the peace of mind and the freedom that comes with integrity.

But whatever you do, ignore your spin-doctors and get off the dog-gone fence!