Two Types of Prayers I'd Like to See Completely Go Away

We've all experienced it. We've all gathered around a table, or sat in church, or been someplace somewhere where someone is asked to lead in prayer.

Some of us cringe when that happens, including me.

As a pastor, I'm usually the one asked to pray at events- sports dinners, spontaneous gatherings, family events, Sunday mornings, etc.  People have told me that they like my prayers because I keep them short.

I have no problems with long prayers, if they are actually prayers.  However, there are two types of prayers that I would just love to see go away.

1)  The sermon prayer.  Prayers are supposed to be conversations with God.  So, we are to speak to God as if we were actually speaking to Him.  The sermon prayer, however, is not one that is likely addressed to God- it is actually addressed to the people in the room.  You can easily spot a sermon prayer because of the liberal use of the words, "Lord, we know . . . ."  The pastor or prayer leader usually says things like, "Lord, WE KNOW we should be praying more, and Lord WE KNOW that we haven't been nice to each other, and Lord WE KNOW that we aren't tithing like we should be, and Lord WE KNOW that we need to studying Your Word like You would want us to, and Lord WE KNOW yada yada yada."

Sometimes when I hear a sermon prayer, I wonder if God is sitting up in heaven scratching His head, wondering, "Why are you telling Me what you already know?"  For any of you all that have been the victim of a sermon prayer, which is really an address to the people in the room and not Almighty God, my prayers are with you.

2)  The speech prayer.  This is a carefully-rehearsed, written-down, beautifully phrased speech that sounds more like a state of the union speech than a frank conversation with your Heavenly Father.  It starts out with a list of God's titles, "Almighty God, Creator of the Universe, Sustainer of all that is and ever has been and ever will be, Lord of Hosts, Forgiver of our Sins, Savior of the Human Race," and so on and so forth.

Now, I have four children.  I have never had one of them come up to me and say, "O gracious father of mine, who provideth me with all good things, who shelters me with a roof over my head, provides daily nourishment and sustenance, and who leads and guides this family so well, I beseech thee, can I go over to my friend's house?"



Prayer is simply a conversation with God. Don't make it more than that. We should give more thought to our prayers, and see what Scripture tells us.  Scripture in Ecclesiastes tells us that "God is in heaven, and we are on earth, so let your words be few."  God isn't impressed with multiple words and flowery language, nor does He need to know a recap of what you just preached.  Just pray.

Just talk to Him.  

Why I think Obama is both right and wrong about amnesty

14 million illegals in America.  They aren't going home. There isn't any way to make them, nor should we.

The Bible says, "Do not oppress the alien nor deprive him of justice." Christians are to be hospitable for foreigners within our communities.  They are to be given justice, treated fairly, and respected.

I play soccer with many, I suspect, that are illegals.  They are my friends, have strong communities, and love America. They live and work beside us in our communities, and sending them home would not be the right thing to do. Plus, it's impossible. You would never be able to round up 14 million people and send them home.

I favor a path to citizenship.  On all of these things I agree with President Obama.

However, Obama is completely wrong about how he is doing it.

He has made no attempt to secure the border.  If we have a problem of illegal immigration, the first step is to make sure it doesn't get any worse.  If your pipes are leaking in your house, the first step is to stop the leak. THEN you clean up the water.  It does no good to clean up the water while the pipes are still leaking.

We have to secure the border.  A path to citizenship will not work with an open border.

Second, Obama is not a dictator or a king.  He is the president.  The president can only execute laws, not make them, according to the Constitution. He has no right to grant amnesty to anyone, no matter how right or wrong it is.

I am a citizen of Jessamine County. I cannot say, "All schoolchildren- school is called off for the week."  Why? I don't have the authority.  No matter how right or wrong the decision is- I don't have the authority.  Neither does the president when it comes to immigration.  What he is doing is a clear violation of the Constitution and is endangering our entire form of government and way of life.  The Constitution itself provides consequences for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that is impeachment and removal from office.  If this is not an impeachable offense, I don't know what is.

If Obama will not respect the Constitution, and therefore will not live within the limits of power provided by the Constitution, he should be impeached. By his choices and by his actions, he will have shown himself to unfit for the office of Presidency, no matter what your politics are.

Like I said before, I believe that amnesty in some form is the correct decision.  However, the way Obama is going about it is completely wrong.  It is so incredibly wrong that it could and should cost him the presidency.  We simply cannot afford to have someone in office who does not abide by the Constitution and the Constitutional limits on his power.  An overarching executive power is what caused the American Revolution in the first place, and our founding fathers set up government to specifically keep this from happening again.  Power was equally split up between the three branches of government- the legislative, the executive, and the judicial.  Obama is dangerously stepping over these bounds and is not respecting the Constitutional limits on his power.

When that happens, we will be a nation under tyranny.  We will be a nation with an out-of-balance executive branch, and by that token, we will no longer be a Constitutional society.  We will be a kingdom; a dictatorship.  I will not live under a king or a dictator.  We as a nation cannot and will not live under tyranny.  We have laws; we are a nation of laws.  The first person to follow those laws should be the President.  If he doesn't follow them, why should we?

I hope and pray that Congress will do its job- first, to pass a legal law that deals with the problem of illegal immigration and provides a pathway to citizenship for those here in this country.  I pray that they seal the border and cut off the flow of illegal immigrants, and then provide a sensible pathway to citizenship for those willing to live and work and raise families here along with us.  I also hope and pray that Congress will hold Obama accountable for his overreaching and unConstitutional actions and that there would be consequences, whatever they may be.  If Congress would have been doing its job, we wouldn't be here in the first place.

Obama is both right and wrong.  He is right that we have to do something.  He is wrong in the way he is going about it.  Badly wrong. We must have a sensible path to citizenship; we MUST NOT have a dictator in the White House who oversteps his constitutional authority. Join me in praying for this country.  I'm afraid it's going to get really ugly really fast.

Do you really want revival? I mean, do you REALLY?

Most of us would truly say no.

What do you mean, Dave? We all want churches packed with people.  We all want God's word being preached, people being saved, "Heaven full and Hell empty," right?

I think we would all like that end, but not at any cost.

I've been reading in the Old Testament about the twilight years of Israel and Judah.  God sent prophet after prophet to call His people back to Him.  He sent prophets to tell the Israelites of His love.  When that didn't work, He sent them to warn them of coming catastrophe.  When that didn't work, He pronounced judgement and brought in foreign nations to destroy the land, kill the people, enslave them, cart them off into captivity, and force them to live in exile.

After this, we read the books of Nehemiah and Ezra, which chronicle a huge revival.

Hmmm.  The path to revival can be painful.  In the Bible, the path to revival is mostly painful.  So, the question to American Christians is, "Do you really want revival if the path to revival is extremely painful?"

What if the only way for America to turn back to God is for a foreign army to invade, kill most of us, enslave the rest of us, destroy our comforts, destroy our homes, destroy our idols of sports stadiums, and so on and so forth?  What if the only way for America to take God seriously again would be the crashing of the economy, 80% of Americans being thrown out of work, losing power and running water, dollars turned to worthless pieces of paper overnight, all investments and retirement and all savings reduced to nothing?

CS Lewis says that God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain.  If the path to revival was painful, would you pray for it? Would you, as an American Christian, be willing to endure the temporary pain of the loss of your home, investments, comforts, job, community, etc in order for there to be a nationwide revival that leads to eternal blessings of joy?

The period of suffering and exile lasted seventy years in Biblical times.  Would you be willing to endure hardship for seventy years if that meant your beloved homeland once again turned to God, asked His forgiveness, turned from its wicked ways, and began to call on Him as Lord and Savior?

What if God said to you, "I will bring revival to America.  I will heal the land of every ill, every sin, every scourge.  Drug addiction will be gone, persecution will be gone, all the problems of society will be gone.  However, the only way America will turn to me is if I completely destroy her way of life. The economy will collapse, stock market will vanish along with all investments, electricity will be gone, running water will be gone, food will be scarce, people will die by the hundreds of thousands, jobs will be gone, and you will live in extreme poverty until America repents and turns back to Me, then I will restore you once again." Would you pray for that to happen?

Would you be willing to endure seventy years of poverty and despair if that meant America experienced a revival that rid us of abortion clinics, out-of-wedlock pregnancy, gangs, drug addiction, radical Islam, militant atheist organizations, human trafficking, and political corruption? Would you endure seventy years of complete and utter loss if that meant churches were packed with believers, baptisms happening at a record rate, churches planted everywhere you looked, fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) everywhere, divorce rates plummeting, Bibles sold out of bookstores, communities restored, and God lifted up and worshiped as only the Supreme God of the Universe should be?

That's the kind of stuff that happens in a revival; in a nationwide revival.

Most of us, if not all of us, have prayed for revival. But have any of us said, "Lord, we want revival so badly that if it takes tremendous suffering, loss, and despair in this country, do it. Lord, we want revival so badly that if it takes a foreign army coming in here, conquering our country, taking away our rights, enslavement and brutality to accomplish it, do it.  Lord we want revival so badly that if it takes this entire country the loss of our comforts, the loss of our jobs, the loss of our money, homes, cars, running water, electricity, etc, do it."

Not many pray that way. What if that was the only set of circumstances that would wake up America to the power and majesty of God? What if those circumstances were the only way to shake America out of its sin-induced slumber?  Would you still want it?

I would.

We are here for such a temporary time. Comforts come and go, homes come and go, money comes and goes; but what happens for eternity lasts forever.  I would rather spend seventy devastating years in abject poverty and slavery with the guarantee of heaven than seventy years of comfort seeing the moral and spiritual degradation of America sending hundreds of millions of people to hell.  How about you?

In light of eternity, what we experience on this earth is nothing.  A drop in the bucket. But what we experience in heaven, or hell, is forever. Are you willing to trade temporary pain for eternal joy?

When we pray for revival, let's consider the fact that the path to revival may be very painful. Would we still want it if it costs us dearly?  The Christian would say yes. What would you say?

You can always tell the importance of something by how much you are willing to sacrifice for it.  Are you, as an American Christian, willing to sacrifice to see revival happen? Until we are, we most likely won't see it. That's why the sad, sad answer to the question, "Do you really want revival?" is an overwhelming, terrible, soul-killing "no."

It's time that the Church starts preaching this once again . . .

"The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom."- Psalm 111:10

I have never been taught to fear God.

I have been taught to fear heights, snakes, and dangerous people.  I've been taught to fear change, different ideas, and strangers. I've been taught to fear the future, bad eating habits, going into debt, and a multitude of other things.

But I've never been taught to fear God.

I remember when I was a kid, hearing the words, "Fear God." Almost without pause, the person who said that hastily explained, "Now, what that means is RESPECT. We need to have a healthy respect for God. God really doesn't want us to FEAR Him," and on and on the explanation went.

It's almost as if the Church was trying to apologize for something the Bible said. It was as if the Church was embarrassed about those words in the Bible- as if somehow the Biblical writers (who got it all RIGHT when it comes to love and forgiveness and grace and all that) got it wrong when they wrote about fearing God.

So I never learned to fear God.

And that was awful, because like the Bible says, "The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom."

I think the Church should unapologetically rediscover and preach the fear of God. Not only is it completely and totally true- a mere mortal made of recyclable elements whose days are numbered SHOULD fear an eternal, uncreated, all-powerful, all-loving God- but fearing God brings us to where we become the best sort of human being around.  I will explain:

Every month, people in my church give me sponsorship money for their orphans in the Catalyst orphanage in India.  Some give me cash, some give me checks.  I take the money they give me to the bank, cash the checks, get the largest bills possible, then drive over to Western Union and send it. This is a very efficient system, but it also leaves the door wide open for temptation. What if I were to pocket a hundred or two hundred bucks each month? I send anywhere from $1300 to $1500 a month.  Who would notice?

I'll tell you Who would notice- GOD. I fear God. I believe that one day I will stand before Him, and all the people in my church that trusted me and listened to me teach and looked up to me as their pastor will be there. They will be thinking to themselves, "There is my pastor. That's the one who baptized me, who sat with me when I had surgery, who prayed with me when I lost my parents, whose messages uplifted me and encouraged me, etc."

Then all of a sudden God will start listing the times I embezzled. He won't have to make anything up- they will be true. Not only will He state that I stole money from children who needed it; He will say something even worse- "David, you stole money from ME." Then Matthew 25 will come back to mind, "For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink,"- I was an orphan child and you stole money from ME. You used money that was to feed ME and you used it to make yourself more comfortable, buying things you didn't need. You did this all without shame, without guilt, flaunting yourself as a Christian leader and deceiving the people who trusted you."

I will glance over at the people that trusted me, looked up to me, thought I was a great moral man; and I will see the look of disgust and betrayal on their faces. Do you think I want to see that? Do you think I want to stand before God and be judged on that?

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Therefore, I don't steal. I don't embezzle. I don't do anything dishonest because I fear God.

We all hear stories of ministers especially who have fallen- those who have taken money from people, committed adultery, etc. Why did this happen?  One, they were human.  Obviously we are all tempted.  But the second reason is one thing that people never mention- they lost their fear of God.  Somewhere along the line, they stopped thinking that they would be held accountable by God.  So they became terrible versions of themselves.  The fear of God definitely makes you behave differently.

Now, my question is- does the fear of God make me a better or worse person?

Better.

People who know they will be held accountable for actions act much differently than people who believe there is no accountability at all.

How do people who think they are above the law act?  Are they wonderful citizens, caring, giving, respectful?  Nope. They are self-centered, manipulative, look-out-for-number-one, egotistical, dishonest brats.  They act as if the rules don't apply to them, and they become the very worst versions of themselves.

How do people in charge of budgets, expense accounts, and other financial assets act when they believe they can get away with everything?  We all know the answer to that. We see it every day. When there is no fear of God, you become a very terrible person.

And that's where we are as a society.  Why do husbands and wives spend time looking at porn instead of engaging with their spouse? They don't have any fear of God. Why do people use the name of the Lord in vain, sleep in Sunday mornings instead of worshiping, disobey the commands to tithe, commit fraud, lie, steal, and do other dishonest things that they know are wrong?

They have no fear of God.

Maybe, like me, they were taught that you really shouldn't FEAR God. Just respect Him. But don't really FEAR Him. Don't spend time thinking about judgment and hell and the justice of God.  Just respect Him.

What has that gotten us as a church and as a society?

How different would you be if you knew that every act and every word out of your mouth was going to be called to account?  Probably a lot different.  Bad news (or Good news) is- they will.  Jesus said it Himself, "But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken." Matthew 12:36

Would knowing that every careless word you speak- every promise, every insult, every complaint, every curse- would the fact that those words would be brought into judgment change the way you speak?  Most likely.  Now, the question is- would this make your speech better or worse?  Better.

This is why the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. By knowing you will be held accountable, it forces you to choose your words and actions wisely. Knowing that you will be held accountable for all your words and actions turns you into a very decent sort of human being.

Knowing that you will be held accountable for your words makes you use words to build up instead of tear down.  Knowing that your dishonest actions will have eternal consequences makes you into a person who doesn't do dishonest things. Knowing that everything you do in secret really isn't secret makes you into a very wise person- choosing wise paths and carefully selecting words.

Fearing God turns you into the best version of yourself.

The Church needs to start preaching the fear of God. We need to understand ourselves as people under accountability.  We need to know that every word, every act, every thought, every failure to act will be brought to light and judged by a holy, awesome God. When we begin to once again see ourselves in this way, we will be very, very different people.

Very, very, different BETTER people.

Elections matter, but politicians can't solve America's problems

Lord, we beg you to save us from election time. If I see another stupid political ad, promoting one candidate or trashing the opponent, I might just lose my mind.

I, along with the vast majority of American people, am completely and utterly disgusted with our political leaders right now. I was always taught to respect my elders and respect those in authority over me, but I cannot bring myself to muster even a smidgeon of respect for the people running this country right now- Republican, Democrat, or Independent.

So, we will have another election, with all candidates telling us what they are going to do, how so-and-so must be stopped, how the other party is systematically working to undo everything that you hold dear, how the economy will collapse if their opponent is elected, how society will implode if the other party gets power, yada yada yada.  I'm as sick of it as you are.

Now, don't get me wrong- who has authority matters. We see that in Houston right now- the mayor of Houston, a militant openly-gay woman, has committed more First Amendment violations in one day than I've seen in my entire forty years on this planet.  She was elected with a 13% voter turnout. By the apathy of the voters of Houston, many of whom sit in churches whose pastors are being threatened and intimidated, they allowed this to happen.  So, elections do matter.  Activists are one thing; activists with the full power of the state behind them are another thing entirely.

However, don't look to this election to solve America's problems.

Why?

Because there are no political solutions to spiritual problems.  America's problems right now are spiritual, not political.

The top four problems in America right now are:

1) Destruction of the Family. America resembles an ebola-stricken victim.  A tiny virus, too small to be seen by the eye, can destroy a full-grown human being.  How? By destroying one cell at a time. America is made up of cells, called families.  When the families are healthy, the society is healthy.  When the family is dysfunctional, society will follow.

Right now, 41% of children are born outside of wedlock. This increases their chances of growing up in poverty, being incarcerated, not finishing high school, etc. This is a spiritual problem that will not be solved by any election or law.  The family is God's design, God's idea, and was set up by Him to include one man and one woman committed for life, and from that union to produce children.

If I were Satan, trying to destroy a society, I would attack the family. I would do whatever it took to change the definition of the family, to move it as far away from God's design as I could, to belittle and trash God's design, to marginalize it, to move sex outside of marriage, and to tell the people, "Society is better without it.  You don't need one man, one woman committed for life.  You can be happy other ways. Children don't need two biological parents in the home. Sex is fun- don't save it for marriage!"  We see the results of the spiritual problem of the destruction of the family, and neither Mitch McConnell nor Alison Lundergan Grimes being elected will solve that.

2) Marginalization of faith.  John Adams said, "Our Constitution was only made for a moral and religious people.  It is wholly inadequate to the government of another."  When a society rots morally and spiritually, freedom is the first victim.  When people have no agreed-on set of morals, no common religion, they will begin to abuse freedom. When freedom begins to be abused, we have to pass more laws.  When people cannot police themselves- when they cannot be trusted to live honestly, to tell the truth, to make decisions based on character and not convenience- the only option left is a police state with no freedom.

It is time for America to get serious about church again.  It is time for America to get serious about religious freedom.  It is time for America to realize that the marginalization of faith- their apathy towards church, their negligence in passing on faith to their children, their routine neglect of God's word, their self-centered (if at all) prayers, and their disobedience to the Great Commission- has cost us and cost us big time. Our country will not last without the church- it will not last without the Christian faith.  Oh, we might have a country, but it will be a country that resembles the Soviet Union or North Korea, not the America I grew up in.

Faith must become a potent force in America right now if America is to survive. There is no other option.  This, again, is a problem no election can solve.

3)  Materialism and Selfishness.  Our desire for entertainment and possessions has led us to the terrible position of being indebted.  Most people know that our government is more than $17 trillion in debt.  However, the average American household is more than $15,000 in credit card debt.  I would imagine that most of that $15,000 isn't because of rice and beans and water.  American households don't go $15,000 in debt trying to survive.  No, most of that debt is because of non-essential items- more phone than you need, more vacation than you need, more house than you need, more clothes than you need, eating out more than you can afford, etc.

Not to mention that the average Christian gives around 2.5% of his or her income to the church and/or Kingdom work. That qualifies us more as good Muslims than it does followers of the Bible. The desire for material things- for things of this earth, more than we need- is in direct contradiction to God's word.  Jesus tells us to store up treasures in heaven, not on earth.  He said that true treasure is loving our neighbors, giving to the needy, blessing others with our resources, caring for the orphan, caring for the widow, etc.  That is the kind of treasure that is valuable in God's eyes.

However, Americans don't think that way very often. The debt that we have as a nation and as individuals is a spiritual problem that won't be solved by politicians. We have a growing sense of entitlement, craving more and more and more, shouting about our "right" to certain things that everyone else has. This is a spiritual problem that cannot be solved by an election.

4) Lack of fear of God. The Bible tells us that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. We are to live as people who will be held accountable by God for every word we speak and every action we do. People who know they will be held accountable act very differently than people who think "no one will know."

How different would your decisions on money be if you knew you would be hauled into God's office for an accounting of how you spend His resources? (Yes, I said HIS resources- all you have is His.  You are simply a manager of His resources and will be held accountable for it). How different would your words be to your family if you knew all of them would be posted in Times Square for all the world to see?  How different would your decisions sexually, morally, financially, etc be if you acted as a person under accountability?

Sadly, the fear of God is disappearing from American society. We increasingly act as people who are not under authority or accountability. As a result of this, we live less and less wisely. We do not live our lives as people who have a fear of God. Wisdom is disappearing from our society, and no election or politician will solve this. This is a spiritual problem.  America must once again regain its fear of God, or we will face increasing judgment on our communities, families, and nation.  We are already seeing it.


All of America's problems boil down to spiritual issues.  The only thing politicians can do is pass laws.  There are no laws that can solve America's spiritual problems.  Only repentance and commitment to God's ways can solve the problems facing America right now. Don't count on this election to solve anything. You are the solution to America's problems.  Question is- are you part of the problem or are you part of the solution?

2 Chronicles 7:14- "If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land."

The darker side of First Amendment violations in Houston

I am completely and totally outraged at the actions of the Houston mayor, who is openly gay.  For those of you who do not know, she has actually subpoenaed sermons from pastors (no joke) to check them for references to homosexuality, gender rights, and herself. She has threatened the pastors with contempt of court if they do not comply.

First of all, I believe she has forgotten the First Amendment which protects freedom of speech and freedom of religion. This is an unconstitutional action.

However, looking beyond this, there is a darker side to her actions.  I believe she knows it is unconstitutional. I believe she knows there is no way this will stand up in court.  So why do it?

I'm sure she realizes that sermons are not secret.  They are public.  They are spoken publicly to anyone who will listen- there is no "members only" policy at churches, there is no admission fee, there is no restriction to who can hear sermons. They are public domain.  Besides that, most churches, mine included, podcast their sermons.  Sermons can be listened to by anyone and everyone who cares to listen.  The mayor and her cronies could simply subscribe to the podcasts and listen to them on their own time without the pastors even knowing it.

So why subpoena?

There can only be one reason for this action- to send a message to churches.  Specifically pastors.

That message is- you'd better toe the line. We can and we will shut you up.  That is the ONLY reason for this action.  The mayor is not concerned with what was said. She's not looking with an objective eye seeing if churches are in compliance with the Johnson amendment which was intended to shut churches up by instituting 501(c)3 status. No, she is sending a message to churches- "We don't like you and we will shut you up."

This is what happens when agenda-driven people gain control of government- they begin using the full power of the state to go after their opponents. This is Chicago politics at its worst. I see Chairman Mao and Comrade Stalin nodding their approval here. It is no secret that the homosexual movement and Christianity are at odds.  That's no front page news. So, when an openly gay mayor gains power, she goes after Christians. She goes after the heartbeat of Christianity- the sermon. She knows that her actions will not stand in court, but she doesn't care.

It's a shot across the bow to her opponents.  She also knows that if it goes to court, she has more resources than churches do to fight this thing.  She has an unlimited credit card, courtesy of the taxpayers, and she can hire as many lawyers as she wants, drag this out as long as she wants, and go as long as she wants.  Even if she loses, she will have bankrupted the churches who do not have the nice benefit of a taxpayer-funded credit card. Attorney's fees and legal costs will bury the churches even if they win in court. So, even if she can't shut churches up, she can put a hurt on them financially making them unwilling to continue in their actions.

Like I said, this is Chicago politics at its finest. She could have found out what the pastors were preaching by simply showing up on a Sunday morning or listening to the podcasts. There was no need for a subpoena if all she wanted to know was what was being preached.  No, the subpoena was an intimidation tactic, used by big government liberals, to send a clear message to pastors that Big Brother was watching.

Well, mayor of Houston, I have a message for YOU.  There are a lot more of us than you, and we're tired of your sort. You can't shut the church up. Learn the lessons from history- mayors come and go, politicians come and go, governments come and go, but the Church always endures. Where are your heroes- Chairman Mao, Adolf Hitler, and Josef Stalin? Dead. Where is the Church? Still thriving.

Ms Mayor, Christianity was founded on persecution. Christianity's biggest heroes were people like Paul, Peter, and John who received much more persecution than you will ever give. They didn't care what the authorities said- they continued to practice their faith against extreme opposition and persecution. The governments that went after them are gone- their faith is still here. Ms Mayor, I've read the Bible.  We win. So, we aren't afraid of you. Bring it on. Bring the full power of the state against us pastors. We will never give in or shut up. The more you persecute, the more we thrive.  Learn that lesson from history as well.

The biggest victory, however, will be the fact that no matter what you do, we will never stop loving you. Just as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ asked God to forgive those who were killing Him, loving them to the very end, we will do the same. We do not hate you- no action you can take will make us do that. That is the supreme victory of the Church over you and your agenda-driven cronies: no matter what you do, you cannot make us stop loving you.  You cannot make us stop praying for you. You cannot keep us from practicing the command of Jesus: "Love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you."

The more you persecute, the greater our reward in heaven. Jesus told us, "Blessed are you when men revile you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.  Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for in the same manner they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:11-12).

This is our message to you. We are not afraid and we are not laying down, and we will protest your actions because you are in violation of the Constitution of this country. We will seek your removal from office because you are a tyrant, not a mayor, who does not understand the fundamental rights God has given to each one of us. However, we will also pray for you- the Apostle Paul was once a persecutor of Christians.  You could have the same story if God gets ahold of your heart too.  Just know, Ms Mayor, that while we deplore your actions, we love you and pray for you.

Now, Christians, what are we going to do?  First of all- pray.  Pray for strength for the Houston-area pastors. Pray for strength for them to defy the subpoena, defy fines, and make the city put them in jail. That's what I would do in their situation. Second, be ready to go to Houston for rallies and protests- peaceful, that is. We are not thugs and we are not rabble-rousers. Third, encourage your pastor to preach in defiance of this new bullying fascism. This has gone far enough, and it has to stop NOW.

Christians make up the majority of this nation. It's time to make our voices heard.

Coming Face-to-Face with the "American Parent, version 2014"

I am a high school soccer referee.  I am also a kids' soccer coach.  Both put in close proximity with American kids on a regular basis.

95% of the kids I see are fine. They play by the rules, they are respectful, and they don't cause any problems.  However, I've run across two problem kids in the last two weeks.

Well, I shouldn't actually say problem kids. It's really not their fault. The problems lie with the parents.

Example one- I was refereeing a high school match that was rather boring. One team was beating the other team rather handily, and the winning team was quite mouthy. Every time a blade of grass landed on one of them too heavily they complained about a foul. "Ref, didn't you see that?" "Ref, aren't you going to call that?" Well, obviously, my reffing wasn't affecting them THAT much, seeing as how the other team rarely got the ball past the half line and they maintained possession of the ball 90% of the time. They just needed something to cry about, I guess.

Well, I won't go into details, but let's just say that one of the players, after scoring goal #4, looked at me and mouthed off something that was quite disrespectful. I gave him a yellow card, which was just a warning. I figured that would be enough- I mean, for crying out loud, they were up 4-0 with six minutes left in the game. What do you need to be mouthy about?

When I showed him the card, he looked at me in a condescending manner and said, "I guess you're really proud of that one, aren't you ref?" and as he ran by me, patted me on my shoulder. Rule one, sonny- don't touch me. That's an automatic ejection from ANY sport. Don't touch the ref. If that wasn't enough, your mouth just earned you an ejection and a one-game suspension. Out came the red card. He was gone.

After the match, the coach came over and tried to blame me for his player's actions. He explained to me that I couldn't expect a 17-year-old to maintain his composure in a hotly contested district match, and that my attitude was responsible for his ejection.  Now, I'm trying to think of what would had happened if I, as a 17-year-old, would have said what that player said to any adult, let alone a ref. My dad would have run down on the field, dragged me off the field by my ear, made me apologize, and grounded me for a week. My coach would have made me apologize and probably made me do pushups and run laps, and probably would have suspended me for another game.

I told the coach that the ejection stood and he needed to teach his players to shut up, especially when given a yellow card. I told him to quit rationalizing his player's behavior or he would never learn his lesson.  The next day, I get a call from our referee assigner, saying that the player's little mommy had called him, demanding to know my name, phone number, and why I was allowed to ref.  Apparently the player had gone home and told his mommy that big bad mean ref was cussing out the players, and all he did was stick up for himself.  Of course, mommy believed her perfect little boy and caused a huge stink.  When I explained to him what had actually happened, he muttered in disgust and said not to worry about anything else.

Example two- without divulging too much information, one of the players I coach exhibited terrible sportsmanship a little while ago after a win. During the handshake, instead of saying, "Good game" like he was supposed to, he said, "Thanks for losing, thanks for losing" to all the players, rubbing salt into their wounds. When I confronted him on it, he promised me he hadn't said it, even going to far as to say "I swear to  . . . " that he didn't do it. When an adult on the other team pointed him out, I confronted him again, and at that point, he confessed to saying it.

Okay, so bad sportsmanship AND lying to my face.  Not a good combo.  I told him, "Come on, let's go apologize to the other team." So he followed me over and apologized. Good boy. I was just about to ask him if he had anything to say to me for lying to me, when his mom got in my face and told me in no uncertain terms that I was never to "single her boy" out like that again.  I was quite taken aback. Single him out? He had not only insulted the entire other team, exhibiting poor sportsmanship and, quite frankly, being a jerk, but also lied baldfaced to me!

I asked her, "So what I did was wrong.  Making a kid apologize to people he's offended is the wrong thing?" She muttered in disgust, turned around, and walked away.

Face to face with American parenting, 2014. There is a very toxic strain of American parenting that says, "My kid would never do anything wrong, and if you have the gall to call it, YOU'RE the bad guy."  I have a new sympathy for teachers and educators who deal with this kind of lunacy everyday.

If this is you, as a parent, shame on you. You are crippling your children. You are raising them up to be sociopaths- people who have no conscience, who blame others for everything, who will always see themselves as the victims, who will never respect anyone or anything (including themselves) and who will have no character. You are raising your child up to think he can do no wrong.

What are you going to do, toxic parent, when your child gets fired from his first job? Call the CEO and complain? Sue the company? Swoop in and save your child from his own actions? Probably. You've been doing that all his life- why would you stop now?  How will your child ever succeed if he never learns the hard lessons in life?  Hard lessons such as- being disrespectful closes every door to opportunity your child might have; mouthing off to adults gets you labelled a "bad kid" and no one gives you the time of day; lying makes people dislike you and not trust you; being a bad sport makes you a very lonely person because no one wants to be around you; and those that can't control their mouths develop the reputation as being a jerk.

Like I said earlier, 95% of the kids I work with are fantastic. Honestly, these two kids would probably be good kids if they had better parents. However, their parents have set them up to fail, and fail hard. A 17-year-old who is old enough to drive, who will be voting next year for our nation's leaders, and who is about to go to college who thinks he can speak to adults in disrespectful tones is going to fail in life. He won't be able to hold a job if he talks to his boss that way. He won't be able to stay married if he talks to his spouse that way. He has learned, by his parents' actions, that speaking that way is okay. They've totally destroyed his future.

Likewise, a younger child who is capable of looking into a grown man's face without hesitation and lying, even invoking the name of God to cover his lie, isn't going to get very far in life. Not only have the parents not taught them the right way, they actively criticize and go after the one who called them on it!  Those kids learned two things- it wasn't their fault, and they were victims. Nothing they did was wrong- it was the big bad adult who was trying to "single them out" and make them feel bad.

I hope that these two incidents are isolated, but I'm afraid they aren't.  I'm hearing of this more and more- parents who go on the offensive against anyone who dares call our their kid on what everyone else agrees is inappropriate and/or wrong. Kids never develop character; society de-evolves as a larger number of kids become adults who were coddled, told they were perfect, never disciplined, and never corrected.

My condolences to all adults who work with kids- I'll bet you have stories similar to this where you have encountered the "American Parent, version 2014." My prayers are with educators, coaches, youth and children's ministers, and all others whose only reason for staying in the game is that their love for kids is greater than their disgust at APV 2014. If you are an APV 2014, change now. You are destroying your children as well as annoying all the rest of us.  Stop it now, and begin building character in your kids. Believe me, they will thank you later.

Waking up stubborn kids for school- a glimpse into America's situation before God?

I am a father of four children (three here on earth and one in heaven) and like all parents, it's my job to make sure kids get to school.  Now, this becomes a problem when tired kids don't want to get out of bed.

I'm an early riser.  Always have been, always will be.  I am both a night owl AND a morning person, and getting out of bed has never been an issue for me. Most of the time I don't even need an alarm- I tell myself when I go to bed what time I need to be awake, and most of the time, I wake up within a few minutes of that time. Yes, weird.

However, it would appear that none of my children received this "wake up on your own" gene from me, especially my teenagers.  Those of you with teenagers know the difficulty in getting non-morning people out of bed: it is a frustrating battle sometimes.

I've found that I typically go through five stages when trying to wake my kids up:

Stage 1- gentle words.  "Time to get up, sweetie. It's 7:00.  Time to get up," said in a very gentle, low tone.  Sometimes that is enough.  When it isn't, however, I go to stage two.

Stage 2- gentle touch. Continuing to use gentle words, I reach over to a shoulder and gently shake. Sometimes THAT is enough. When it isn't, however, I go to stage three.

Stage 3- stronger words.  "Okay, it's really time to get up. Let's go.  Out of bed," using a more military, commanding tone.  Sometimes THAT is enough. When it isn't, however, I go to stage four.

Stage 4- stronger touch. Continuing to use stronger words, I do something that resembles playing drums on their arms, shaking them a little more strongly.  Sometimes THAT is enough.  When it isn't, however, I go on to the fifth and final stage.

Stage 5- The Icewater Bucket.  No explanation necessary.

One way or another, the kids are going to get up.  It is not an option for me to stop at stage two, or three, and say, "Wow- I think I'll just let them sleep in today."  Not an option.  They WILL get out of bed.  The only question is, "How much pain are they going to experience BEFORE they wake up?

As a parent, I would rather my children wake up on the first call.  I would much rather just use gentle words and have them pop right out of bed.  I don't enjoy raising my voice and I especially don't want to douse them in ice water. I will if I have to, but that is not my intention.

However, the ball is in my children's court.  They decide when they wake up, they decide which stage is the one they respond to, and they decide how much pain they will endure before they wake up.

The same is true of God and our beloved America, particularly the church.

John Piper, writing about revival, says this,

“Revival is the sovereign work of God to awaken His people with fresh intensity to the truth and glory of God, the ugliness of sin, the horror of hell, the preciousness of Christ’s atoning work, the wonder of salvation by grace through faith, the urgency of holiness and mission, and the sweetness of worship with God’s people.”- John Piper, A Godward Life, p 111

The sovereign work of God to awaken His people.

Throughout history, God has awakened His people.  There have been many awakenings here in America.  When a country or nation drifts away from God, begins to spiral downward into sin, thumbs its nose at its Creator, and shouts like a defiant teenager in God's face, God moves to awaken them from their sin-induced slumber.

 God progresses through these stages like a parent trying to wake up his child.  First, He uses gentle words. No physical judgment or pain yet, just corrective words. If the nation responds and wakes up from its disobedience and repents, no further action is necessary.

However, if the nation doesn't respond, God allows a little physical discomfort. Maybe the economy dips slightly, maybe crime rises, maybe atheistic forces win a few court cases.  Still, nothing major- most people are not affected and continue on their daily lives, still asleep in their sin and apathy towards God.

Then, stage three hits and stronger words are used.  God's prophets used words comparing Israel to an adulteress, calling them to repentance and calling them to turn from their sins.  If the nation stubbornly refuses to change, God moves to stage four.

Now, real physical pain starts. Godless nations rise against the people (the Assyrians for Israel and the Babylonians for Judah). Secure foundations are shaken- military suffers a defeat or two, economy hits the skids, social problems arise such as escalating divorce rates, escalating abortion rates, corrupt leaders. God begins to move in a more direct disciplinary fashion, removing idols and allowing the house built on sand to begin imploding.  All of this is still His attempt to wake up a slumbering nation from its sin and rebellion.

When that is not enough, God moves into the final stage- judgment.  This is the ice bucket in the face of the sleeping teenager.  In Israel's time, the Assyrian army conquered the northern kingdom, killed the inhabitants, ripped open pregnant women, and carted the survivors off into captivity and slavery. God allows evil to have free reign for a limited time so that the people can see the true fruit of rejecting God. The same was true of Judah- the Babylonian army smashed the walls of Jerusalem and did the exact same thing. 

The question for the nation isn't whether or not we are going to wake up.  The question is only at which STAGE are we going to wake up. How much pain are we going to endure before we repent and turn back to God? Will it be at God's gentle words? Or will it take the stage five ice bucket in the face?  

Will America only repent and turn to God if ISIS infiltrates our nation and kills millions of people in nuclear terror attacks? Will America wait until an Ebola plague that kills millions to wake up and repent?  Will America only repent when our dollar overnight becomes worthless and our economy resembles the Weimar republic with millions thrown out of work, every day becoming a challenge just to get bread and water?

Like I said, God isn't going to just stop at gentle words. He's not going to stop at a gentle shaking.  I don't do that as a parent, and He doesn't do that as God. If He is calling a nation to repentance, it's going to repent.  The only question is how much pain that nation will experience before it repents.  

I say we learn the lessons of history. I say we as a nation, and especially as a church, repent for our sin-induced slumber. We must repent for our cowardice in proclaiming the gospel. We must repent for our desire for comfort at the expense of the hungry. We must repent at our lack of Biblical knowledge.  We must repent for our belittling the glory of God.  We must repent of our idolatry, allowing sports and money and cars and status and houses occupy our hearts and minds. We must repent of our dishonesty and lack of integrity.  We must repent of raising our children without character and without values, placing within them an entitlement mentality where they can do no wrong. 

We must, finally, repent of our neglect of the Great Commission and the ease with which we sleep at night knowing people are going to hell never having heard about Jesus.

I say we are somewhere between stage three and stage four right now as a nation, America. History has shown us what happens when we refuse to wake up, and I don't want to go there. There is still time. Call on the Lord, for He is merciful and loving, slow to anger and quick to forgive.  Let us turn from our sin, our lethargy, and our idolatry and allow Him to heal our land.  

Allow Him to heal the state of our marriages.  Allow Him to heal the home.  Allow Him to heal us of the drug epidemic and and STD epidemic. Allow Him to replace the hopelessness and cynicism and unbelief with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It's up to us, America.  God, like a parent, is trying to wake us up.  I say we take the hint.

Investing at the margins

I am now finishing up my fifteenth year of ministry, spent both as a youth minister and a senior minister.  I've messed up a lot, succeeded a lot, and learned a lot in those years.  Something, however, hit me about a month ago that may completely revamp the way I view ministry and specifically how I spend my time.

I've noticed that there are roughly three categories of people that I interact with.  On one end of the spectrum, there are the "hardcore lost." These are the guys I see in my prison class on Tuesday mornings- drug dealers, addicts, thieves, liars, etc.  This category of folks are far away from Christ.  They are the atheists, the criminals, the homeless, the addicted, the hopeless, etc.

On the other end of the spectrum are the "hardcore committed."  These are the people who are disciples of Jesus Christ.  They are committed to following Him- His word is sovereign, His will is their will, etc.  These are the folks that are the future leaders in the church.

Somewhere in the middle, however, is the largest segment of people.  They are neither hardcore lost nor hardcore committed.  They are what the Bible refers to as "lukewarm." The Bible doesn't have very kind words to say about them (Revelation 3:16) and pastor Francis Chan made a profile of the lukewarm found here (check it out- it's very good).

I've found that most of my time in ministry has been unintentionally spent in this middle category.  Basically what I have found is that most of my ministry has been trying to get lukewarm people not to be lukewarm. It's been spent trying to people who call themselves Christians to pick up their Bibles once in a while, get people who don't care to care a little bit, get people who go to church but don't really care what Jesus has to say to care about what Jesus has to say.  Unfortunately, this is an area of investment with not much return.  Lukewarm people are very difficult to disciple, and don't particularly even want to move. Most problems in churches come from this category- most of the complaining or factions or issues arise from lukewarm people acting like lukewarm people.

What I have realized is that Jesus specifically avoided this group.  He spent His time equally with the two extremes- the hardcore lost and the hardcore committed.  When He wasn't spending time with tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, and thieves He was hanging around with His twelve disciples, teaching them about the Kingdom.

Jesus invested at the margins. Why? Because that's where the biggest returns were.

He spend a great deal of time discipling the committed men who followed Him. The result? 2000 years ago there were 12 Christians.  Now, one out of every three people on the planet, more than 2 billion, call themselves Christians. Jesus invested His time in people who were committed, who were teachable, who were serious about God's will and would follow God's commands to the death. The results speak for themselves.

However, He also was found at the other end of the spectrum.  His greatest miracles were among the outcasts. He was among the hardcore lost so much that He was accused of being a drunk and a glutton. He was loved by the extremes and hated by the middle.

If you are a minister (a lot of ministers read this blog), how much of your time is spent in the margins? Or, like me, have you inadvertently spent most of your time among people that Jesus specifically avoided? What would your schedule look like if you devoted the majority of your time to discipling the hardcore committed and reaching the hardcore lost?  Would it look significantly different?

If you are a layperson, challenge your minister to invest at the margins.  Then, you go invest at the margins as well.  What hardcore lost people are you ministering to?  What hardcore committed person are you discipling? Maybe you aren't doing either because you are smack dab in the middle category. If this is you, I challenge you to move to the hardcore committed category and begin investing where Jesus invested.

What would the church look like if we spent all of our time in those two categories? What if 50% of the time, the church was going after the hardcore lost- going into prisons, going on missions to persecuted countries, sharing faith with atheists, etc; and the other 50% discipling people who actually care, who actually will put into practice the Word of God, who are ready to become leaders and influencers in the Body of Christ?

Unfortunately, most of our time is spent in the middle category, trying to get lukewarm people to care, trying to get halfway committed people to commit a little more, trying to get monthly Sunday attenders to come twice a month, etc. Pathetic. Why invest in a black hole? Invest where the returns are, church.  The returns are in the margins.  They are in the hardcore lost and the hardcore committed.  Not much else is going to happen in the middle.

Most ministers are incredibly frustrated because all of their time is spent in the middle. About 1500 pastors leave the ministry every month because of the discouragement ministry brings. Maybe they like investors who continue to pour money into a stock that stubbornly refuses to budge, and they need to stop pouring time and effort into that one and find one with real returns. Ministers spend a great deal of time trying to calm church members who are upset over non-Kingdom issues.  They spend a great deal of time following up with lukewarm members who simply just don't care. They spend a great deal of time among the lukewarm who know better but have no intention of ever giving up their sin or changing. All of this amounts to a great deal of frustration.  I know this personally.

So, I've decided to stop.  I've decided to stop trying to get lukewarm people to not be lukewarm.  I'm going to love them, pray for them, etc, but I'm not going to spend a great deal of time and effort there.  It's just not worth it. I am devoting myself to the margins.  I am going to increase my time among the hardcore lost- more prison ministry, more street ministry, more missions,  more getting my hands dirty where angels fear to tread.  I am also going to increase my time among the hardcore committed- training them for ministry and moving them into leadership in the Body of Christ.  If you are in either of those two categories, I have time for you.

That's where Jesus spent His time. That's where I'm going to spend my time too.  I invite you to join me.

Much of life is just about simply outlasting your competition

My wife and I work out occasionally at home together.

I'm really into the Shaun T workouts- I've done "Insanity" and "Asylum" which are both extremely difficult workouts (especially for a forty year old has-been), and many times there is a strong temptation to just quit before finishing the workouts.

One of the nice things about those workouts is that there is a timer at the bottom of the screen telling you how much longer the workout will be.  You can see the seconds ticking away, getting closer and closer to the end of the workout.  Sometimes, during a particularly strenuous part of the workouts, ten seconds seems like ten years.

A few days ago, Rachel and I were working out, and she was looking pretty exhausted- that "I'm about to give up" look on the face.  I looked at the timer and said, "There's only fifteen minutes left.  We can do ANYTHING for fifteen minutes, right?"  I don't know exactly what the words that came out of her mouth meant, because they may have been spoken in some strange language, or it was something unrepeatable in a Christian blog, but she continued.

Finally the timer hit zero.  We were done.  We had OUTLASTED it.

One of the things that sports have taught me is that many times, you just have to outlast your opponent.  That's one of the big keys to winning.  You're up 1-0; can you outlast the attacks until the timer expires?  Can you make one more run down the field than your opponent can?  Can you jump one more time than your opponent can?  That's how games are won.  That's how workouts are done.  You OUTLAST them.

The same principle applies to every aspect of our lives.  I've realized that much of success in life is simply about outlasting whatever obstacle is in front of you, especially for the Christian wanting to live out the faith on a daily basis.  For example:

-Can you be patient longer than they can be annoying? Outlast them.
-Can you be loving longer than they can be hateful? Outlast them.
-Can you remain self-controlled longer than Satan can tempt you?  Outlast him.
-Can you forgive more times than they can hurt?  Outlast them.
-Can you stay silent longer than they can tempt you to outburst? Outlast them.
-Can you hold firm to your faith longer than they can complain? Outlast them.
-Can you keep going longer than your desire to quit?  Outlast it.
-Can you remain joyful one day longer than whatever it is that is bringing you down?  Outlast it.
-Can you be kind longer than they can be rude?  Outlast them.
-Can you remain faithful one day longer than the desire to cave in?  Outlast it.

Parents, can you outlast your children?  I was sitting at the dinner table with my little two-year old nephew who loves to say "no."  Doesn't matter what you tell him- he always responds with "no."  Well, when he said no, I immediately responded with YES.  He said "NO!"  I said "YES!" This went on back and forth for a minute or more.  Every time he said "no," he would look at me to see if I was still in the game.  I certainly was.  I'm a grown man.  He's a two-year old.  He didn't stand a chance.

Finally he quit. He realized that I wasn't going to.  I outlasted him.  He stopped saying "No," whenever he was around me.  Parents, can you outlast your kids' defiance, or do you give in?  Do you outlast them, or do they outlast you?  You're the adult.  They should never be able to outlast you.

One thing we have to realize is that nothing lasts forever.  The temptation to commit adultery or look at porn eventually subsides if you outlast it.  The hunger pangs telling you you HAVE to have the extra piece of chocolate cake subsides rather quickly if you don't indulge it.  The impulse to buy that brand new thing that you don't need and can't afford goes away rather quickly if you outlast it.  Nothing, no matter what it is, lasts forever.  Everything in life has a timer.  Sometimes, you just have to wait for that timer to hit zero and keep going one second longer than it does.

Back in the 1940s and 50s, Billy Graham received tons of criticism and ridicule for his ministry.  He was mocked, marginalized, insulted, and just about everything else when he burst onto the scene with his crusades and preaching events.  How about now?  Is there any pastor in America who is as respected as Billy Graham?  He has been spiritual advisor to presidents, heads of state, has preached the gospel to more people than anyone in history, and has earned the title "America's pastor."  How?

He outlasted his critics.

What can people say about Billy Graham?  How can you criticize a guy who is so humble, so dedicated, and so faithful?  Answer?  You can't.  He outlasted his critics.  He stayed in the game one step longer than they did.  That's the call to the Christian in todays' world- stay in the game one day longer than our critics.  Stay faithful one day longer than the forces that oppose us.  Stay faithful one day longer than the doubts that eat at us.  Outlast it.

Many times, we quit just before there is a huge breakthrough in our faith, or in our family, or in our jobs.  Many times, had we resisted the temptation just one more minute or stayed faithful one more day or forgiven just one more time, we would have experienced victory.  Much of life is simply about outlasting the obstacles and temptations in front of us.  You can do it.

In 2004, my wife and I experienced the death of our third child.  To say that we were overcome with grief would be an understatement.  We experienced marital strife- somewhere around 80% of couples who lose children end up divorcing- as well as the grief.  We could have thrown in the towel.  Instead, we outlasted it.  Can you outlast the grief that is threatening to take you down?  Yes, you can. Nothing lasts forever.  That grief has a timer.  It won't always be there.  Stay faithful one second longer and outlast it.

Just like I told my wife, "We can do anything for fifteen minutes," tell yourself, "I can do anything for one more day.  I can do anything for one more week.  After all, I can do all things through Him who gives me strength."

Whatever it is in front of you, outlast it.  Outlast the doubt, outlast the critics, outlast the tantrum, outlast the negativity, outlast the temptation, outlast the hate.  That is the call of the Holy Spirit on His church in this day and age.  "To him who overcomes . . . . (Revelation 1-3)."  Outlast it.

What does love look like?

When I was in high school, my grandfather was in the final stage of life.  Parkinson's disease and Alzheimers had robbed this once powerful, self-sufficient man of his dignity and functions, reducing him to a wheelchair-bound existence.  Many times he did not know who people were, even his own family.

We went to Louisville, where he and my grandmother lived, to celebrate my dad's birthday.  Grandad was not having a good day, and he didn't recognize the family in front of him.  It was a sad day for us, especially for my dad whose own dad didn't recognize him at his own birthday.

It came time to open presents, and we all gave our gifts.  My grandmother and Grandad had gotten my dad a card.  I saw it- my grandmother had written a beautiful message to my dad, several paragraphs long.  Underneath it, in a barely recognizable scrawl, was the message from my Grandad. It simply said, "Love, Dad."

Some time later, I saw my grandmother and my dad over in the corner, talking.  My grandmother had a sheet of notebook paper that she was showing my dad, and both of them had tears in their eyes.  I went over to see what was going on.

On the piece of notebook paper, I saw written out about thirty or forty times, in barely recognizable handwriting, the words "Love, Dad."

I knew exactly what it was.  My grandmother said to my dad, "I found this on the bedside table under some books.  I don't think he wanted anyone to see it."  My grandfather's Parkinson's disease had made handwriting nearly impossible for him, and before he signed a birthday card to his son, he practiced.

He practiced those two words over and over again so that when he signed the card to his son, it would be his best.  He wasn't going to give anything other than his best to his son on his birthday.

That's what love looks like.  A man, robbed of his ability to even write, spent time practicing what he would offer to his son on his birthday. Love means that we give our best without hesitation, without cajoling, without pressure, without force.  We freely and joyfully give our best to the ones we love, just like my grandfather did to my dad on his birthday.

My Grandad died a few months later. I doubt that I remember any of the gifts that were given that birthday.  I don't know if my dad got shirts or clothes or money or anything else.  I do, however, remember my Grandad taking his time to practice his writing so that his son would get the best he had to offer on his birthday.

Love looks like giving your best.  Your love for family, your love for God, your love for your community- it means to give your best.  Today is Sunday morning.  I hope you, like me, are planning on giving your best to your heavenly Father this morning.  Not out of obligation, not out of fear, not out of guilt, but out of love.

Love looks like giving your best.

Victoria Osteen became the poster child for what many, if not most, Christians believe

The media loves it when a Christian leader falls from grace.

Victoria Osteen, wife of megachurch pastor Joel Osteen, has been seen this week in a viral video saying basically that worship (and the Christian faith) isn't about God, it's about you.  That's a rough paraphrase, but that's basically it.

I'm trying to figure out what everyone is so upset about.

That seems to be what many American Christians believe- in practice, if not in words.

Before I begin, I want to say that many of the Christians I know are the most dedicated, humble, wonderful, loving people I've ever seen.  Their faith consistently amazes me, and their perseverance through difficulty and self-sacrifice is an example to me all the time. I have the privilege of pastoring a church with many people whose faith I admire and whose dedication to their faith is second to none.

That being said, one of the continual thorns in the flesh of American Christianity is the stubborn persistence of self-centeredness.  Every church is infected with it.  Every Sunday morning churches are filled with people who haven't the slightest desire to see God magnified and themselves diminished, as John the Baptist put it in John 3:30.  Every Sunday morning Christian people, who call Jesus Lord and Savior and would wholeheartedly state that their faith is of paramount importance to them, choose to sleep in, attend an unimportant sports match, go to an amusement park, watch TV, or travel- not because they are unbelievers or heathens, but simply because their faith is about them, and that morning they simply didn't feel like attending.

Every church in America is filled with people whose biggest concern in the world isn't accomplishing the Great Commission but whether or not to put a pool or a jacuzzi in the back yard.  Nothing wrong with a pool or a jacuzzi, but if Jesus had $50,000, would He spend it on a pool or would He use it to further the gospel?  Sadly, we don't have Christians thinking about life that way.  We have Christians that in practice embrace Victoria Osteen's theology while roundly criticizing her on Facebook.

Every church in America is filled with people who steal the Lord's resources (Malachi 3) and spend it on themselves.  Only about 6% of Christians tithe, let alone follow the New Testament teaching of Jesus where He says to give it all.  94% of Christians apply Victoria Osteen's theology to their practice of giving- Giving isn't about God, it's about you!

Every church in America is filled with people who chose that church not on its mission or commitment to the Word but because that church met their needs.  It had a cool children's area, cool lights, cool sound, cool fog machines, and a good-looking hip preacher who says all the right things in very non-offensive ways. Nothing wrong with any of those things if God's will is being done, but that's not always on the forefront of thought.  They are following Victoria Osteen's theology that church isn't about God- it's about you!

What Victoria Osteen has done is brought the ugly sin of self-centeredness to light.  She has shown how rampant self-centeredness is in the church. I think all that she did was say what everyone else has been denying all this time.  Now that it's out in the open, we see that churches and Christians have a severe self-centeredness problem and we need to repent.  We need to repent big time.

The Christian faith is not about me.  It's not about you.  The Christian faith is about the story of God. It is the story of God's creation, including humanity.  It is the story of how humanity screwed it up and sin entered the world.  It is the story of God pursuing His people who wanted nothing to do with Him.  It is the story of the Son of God coming down from heaven to live among us in a world that He created yet was hostile to Him.  It is the story of Him sacrificing Himself so that God's original creation could be restored.  It is about the Resurrection of Jesus, who set up the church and called it to be His hands and feet in the world.  It is the story of the Great Commission where we are commanded to take the faith all over the world.  It is the story of God who literally walks with us, talks with us, and calls us to lead lives of love and surrender.

The Christian faith is summed up in John 3:30- "He must become greater, I must become less."  That is the motto of the Christian.  Sadly, many Christians have no desire to see God greater or themselves becoming less.  Quite the opposite.  Prosperity gospel preachers draw these folks in droves, promising the opposite- that you will become greater and, as a result, God will become less.

It is time for the Christian to choose.  We have to choose sacrifice over comfort, selflessness over greed, faith over worry, simplicity over materialism, and love over neglect.  We must constantly battle selfishness, overcome it, and become selfless.  We must sacrifice our plans, goals, dreams, and desires for GOD'S plans, goals, dreams, and desires for us.  We must stop viewing worship as "for us" and start viewing worship as "for God."  We must let go of all things this world says are important and go after the eternal treasure God offers.

Until this happens, Victoria Osteen will simply be the first honest church person who says what everyone else believes; in practice if not in statement.  

I watched a mass suicide in my kitchen yesterday

About a million lives were lost yesterday.  In my kitchen.

Fortunately, it wasn't people.  It was an ant colony.

We've had ant problems in our house all summer.  They haven't really gotten into anything, but they were constantly crawling across our counters, windowsills, etc.  I had to do something.

I got some Terro Ant Killer.  It is a sweet liquid that attracts ants like nothing else.  Literally a few drops and ants come out of the woodwork and surround it.

I placed several different drops of Terro on my kitchen windowsill, and within seconds, ants were crawling all over each other to have at it.  It was like crack cocaine to these ants.  They couldn't get enough of it.

They ran to the very thing that would kill them.  They failed to see the danger.  They weren't killed.  They were enticed, and they willingly committed mass suicide just to have the pleasure of good-tasting poison.  No one took their lives.  They willingly gave them away for a moment's pleasure.  Here is a video of the event:

We are like those ants.

We as human beings have the amazing capacity for self-destruction.  How many of us are dealing with problems that are completely of our own doing?  We did something stupid, simply for a moment's pleasure, that right now is killing us.  We bought something that promised far more than it delivered and now we are stuck behind huge payments that are killing us financially.  We dated someone who had no character and everyone warned us about, and now we are paying the price in the form of a broken heart, an STD, a pregnancy, or just plain old-fashioned hurt.  We indulged a drug, for a moment's pleasure, that now has us addicted and rebuilding a completely broken life.

Our society reminds me of those ants.  We sit down every night to a steady diet of trash, also known as television, where Jesus' name is used as a swear word, faith is ridiculed, casual sex is the norm, disrespect for parents is celebrated, and we wonder why we are dying as a society.  We belly up to the bar and drink in filthy song lyrics, and we wonder why we are pessimistic.  We dine every night at the table of perversion, calling good evil and evil good, and we wonder why we have school shootings, rampant debt, failing schools, broken marriages, complacent churches, wimpy pastors, ineffective laypeople, gangs, and rampant drug use.

Those ants swarmed over the poison, drinking it in with all their might. Yet are we any different?  Our country is committing mass suicide.  We have embraced and drank in filth, pornography, illicit sex, disrespect for elders, foul language, cynicism, and violence.  We have pulled up to the table of secularism and postmodernism and drank our fill.  We have chosen the poison, bypassing the real food and the real nourishment offered by faith, hope, love, joy, goodness, morality, self-denial, and sacrifice.

We are committing mass suicide on a daily basis, just like those ants on my windowsill.  No one is taking their lives- they are willingly giving them up.  I put down poison that was dressed up in an attractive way, and like unthinking morons, they went for what felt right.  They decided their course of action with what made them feel good.  They didn't stop to think of the consequences, nor did they learn when their friends started dying off.  Thinking with their stomachs and their passions, they dove into the poison, enjoying for a moment what would kill them forever.

I think that pretty much sums up American culture right now.  When will we, as people, sit up and realize the poison that not only has been set out for us, but that we are actually indulging in?  When we will realize the consequences to our souls, to our homes, to our families, to our communities, to our nation?

When will we, as people, stop committing mass suicide and instead turn to the things that give us life- God, faith, goodness, trust, sacrifice, delayed gratification, joy, friendship, honesty, self-control, and most importantly, love?

Richard Dawkins and the "Immorality" of letting a Down's Syndrome Child Live

Prominent atheist Richard Dawkins has shown us a great deal about the fruit of atheism this week.  Without a belief in a sovereign God (and consequently believing that life is a gift from Him and that all humans are made in His image and therefore worthy of dignity and respect) you are left with Dawkins' worldview- kill Down's Syndrome babies in utero.

As a matter of fact, it is immoral to let them live.  His words, not mine.

It is perfectly natural for someone with this worldview to arrive at this conclusion.  After all, life has no point.  We are simply a great cosmological accident- lightning struck a bunch of nonliving matter and life evolved from nothing. Human beings are simply some of the lucky ones to make it off the top of the pond, so to speak, and there is no difference between us and the slime mold that covers damp basement walls.

Why not kill a baby?  We kill flies and ants and cockroaches.  We have no more purpose than they do.  That is, if you subscribe to atheism and the atheistic worldview.

Are all atheists this way?  No.  Some have a higher view of human life than that, but it isn't because of atheism.  Atheism naturally leads to this conclusion, and Dawkins is simply stating what his beliefs have led him to- human beings are not inherently worthy of dignity and respect.  The only ones who should be allowed to be born are those with normal, healthy, fully-developed bodies.

The life of a person with Down's Syndrome isn't worth anything. They will simply suffer, cause caregivers to put their lives on hold, and be an inconvenience to everyone.  So, they should be aborted and save everyone the trouble.

Hence, the fruit of atheism.

Things are radically different when you hold a theistic worldview.  I know this for a fact.  My wife and I were faced with exactly what Richard Dawkins was talking about when we found out that our third child, Jacob Benjamin Kibler, had hypoplastic left heart syndrome, meaning he was going to be born with a three-chamber heart.  It was a condition that was 100% fatal without surgery, and even after three rounds of surgery, his prognosis wouldn't be good.  He would be doing well to have an IQ of 100, wouldn't be able to play sports, probably would be slower than other children his age, etc.  Our OB/GYN told us that many parents upon receiving this news choose to abort.

Now, if we held Dawkin's worldview, we would have said, "Well, here is a defective child. It will be immoral to bring him into the world.  Let's just kill him now." Makes perfect sense, huh?

No, it doesn't.  This isn't some blob of cells or nameless parasite growing inside my wife's womb.  This is my son.  He has a name.  He has a family.  He has a father who is proud of him.  He has sisters who care about him.  He has a mother who cries tears over him.  This is a human being made in God's image whom God has fashioned together and whom God loves more than anything in the world.

That's who it is.  Now, it would be immoral NOT to bring him into the world.

Mr Dawkins, I understand where you are coming from.  I don't want to see people suffer, and to a healthy, normal human being, it would seem like people with special needs are suffering. However, have you ever spent time among people with special needs?

Have you ever known the love of someone who has Down's Syndrome? They are some of the sweetest, kindest, most humble people I've ever met.  Do you know the love their families have for them?  Do you know the bright ray of sunshine they bring to the lives of people?

Sometimes I wonder if special needs kids aren't the ones that are okay, and it is WE who have the problem.  After all, I've never seen a Down's Syndrome kid call for the death of healthy people.  I've never seen a Down's Syndrome kid commit mass murder- that is reserved for us "normal, healthy" people.  I've never seen the mass numbers of Down's Syndrome rapists, or thieves, perjurers, or anything else.  No, Mr Dawkins, that is the sole domain of people with "normal" sets of chromosomes.  And we have the gall to say that THEY don't deserve to live?

Could it be that there is a purpose for special needs kids that you, in your limited human ability, can't see?  Some eternal purpose that we could only see when we reach eternity?

But of course, you can't see that with your atheistic worldview.  Therefore, you just want them dead.  Even worse, you seem to think it GOOD to kill these babies before they are born. It is the moral thing to do, right?

My son only lived ten days. This year will be the tenth anniversary of his short life (9/5/04- 9/15/04). His short life was spent in a hospital, stuck with wires and tubes and test after test. He never saw the sky, trees, grass, or anything else.  However, he was loved.  He was held.  He was prayed for.  He knew the closeness of family, the love of his mother and father, and he brought a perspective on life to our family that we never would have had otherwise.  He impacted more people in his ten days than most people do in their entire lifespan.

I believe Down's Syndrome children do the same thing, and therefore Mr Dawkins, you are wrong.  Dead wrong. It is NOT immoral to bring a Down's Syndrome child, or any other child with special needs, into this world. I pray that one day you will be loved by a special needs child and you will see how truly wonderful they are.

Five Constitutional Words that too many Christians have forgotten

Most of us remember times in our lives when we thought we were completely right when we were wrong.  We were on our way somewhere, thinking we were following the directions, thinking we knew where we were going, and wound up someplace completely wrong.

I believe America is in one of those phases right now in regards to religious liberty.

We all know the rhetoric surrounding the "establishment clause" where public officials, schools, and government organizations are not allowed to pray, read the Bible, or otherwise encourage religious activity (which only boils down to CHRISTIAN religious activity, mind you) because of a constitutional separation of church and state, right?

Wrong.

Atheists and militant secularists will always cite the First Amendment, using it to justify shutting down school prayers, prayers before football games, filling shoe boxes for underprivileged kids, etc. However, the First Amendment says this:  "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

Who?  Congress.  Congress can't pass a law.  I guess that means that state legislatures can, school boards can, local councils can, depending on the will of the local people.  However, that's small potatoes compared to the second part of the First Amendment:

"Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."

What?

I'll say it again:  "Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."

There you have it.  Government cannot stop someone from exercising freely the actions and commands of faith.  In other words, government cannot stop someone from praying before a football game, no matter who it is.  ""Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."  Government cannot stop a school from packing shoe boxes for underprivileged kids for Samaritan's Purse.  "Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."  Government cannot stop teachers from praying in schools-  "Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."  

Why have we forgotten the second half?  

Because we are ignorant.

How many of us truly know our rights?  How many of us truly know the law?  How many of us have simply allowed the atheists and secular forces, determined to remove God at all costs from every aspect of public life, to tell us what to do?

"Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."

I would like for Christians to get ahold of what the Constitution really says.  There are no limits, no governmental limits, on what can be religiously be practiced.  We've been traveling down the wrong road, thinking we were right all these years.  Court cases have interpreted the amendment, liberal courts, mind you, to say that all religious expression should be banned from schools, public areas, public extracurricular activities, and just about anything else. And we've taken it.

I say that Christians take back the Constitution and begin challenging the secularists by saying these five words:  "Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."  Make these five words your mantra as you move the free exercise of religion into the public sphere.  If anyone says anything to you, just calmly say those five words and point them to the First Amendment.  

"Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."

For too long, people have looked at the First Amendment through the lens of not establishing a state religion.  I don't want that.  I don't want to look like Europe with it's church-state marriage.  That would be terrible.  However, allowing prayer in schools, prayer before football games, Bible reading in classes, and other expressions of faith is not establishing a state religion.  It is "not prohibiting the free practice thereof."

I realize this is radical.  It goes against what we've been ramrodded for the last sixty years of American history.  But stop to think of it.  A public high school teacher who is a Christian, by Constitutional Right, can pray in his or her classroom.  "Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."  A Christian football coach can pray with his players.  "Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."  Government has no right and no constitutional grounds to deny them that right.  They cannot, by the Constitution, pass any law prohibiting the free exercise of religion, and that includes public teachers, public officials, coaches, etc.

Take back your constitutional rights and remember those five words- "Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."

Another atheist group with too much time on their hands

Breaking news.  An atheist group threatens to sue a football team in Georgia over prayer and Bible references.

This atheist group is from out-of-town.

This atheist group is annoying.

This atheist group has too much time on their hands.

And Christians are getting sick of being bullied.

I read the news story that the school board, unlike many other school boards who run around fearing lawsuits and wringing their hands, has stood up to the group and said, "Bring it on."  More than 200 people from the community gathered in prayer on the school field in defiance of the atheist group's demands.

What should Christians do in the face of letters threatening lawsuits from atheist groups with too much time on their hands?

I had a few reactions:

1) My immediate reaction is the hypocrisy of these atheist groups.  What happens when Christians complain about movies, songs, media, etc that glorify violence, sex, and drugs?  We are told, "If you don't like it, don't watch it.  If you don't like it, don't listen to it."  Then these same people, when they are offended by prayer, fail to exercise their own words.  Hey atheists- don't like people praying?  Don't pray.  Don't like prayer at football games?  Don't go to the football game.  Or, show up later when the prayers are done.  How does that suit you?  That's what we Christians have been told for years.

2) My second reaction was an incredible outpouring of disinterest. So what if there is a lawsuit?  Pray anyway.  So what if the court rules that prayer and Bible verses are illegal?  Pray and post them anyway. When did Christians start worrying about their beliefs being legal?

The people who have gone before us in our faith faced all kinds of government persecution for their faith.  It didn't stop them. Peter and John were threatened in Acts 4 with jail and death if they preached in the name of Jesus.  Their reaction? "Oh no!  We'd better stop doing this. We'd better listen to these authorities. We'd better just go into our homes and be safe."

Actually, no.  They said, "We must obey God rather than man.  For we cannot stop preaching about what we have seen and heard."

What are these atheist groups going to do, sue every Christian who prays?  Fire every coach who disobeys the ruling and prays with his team?  Christians should do little more than yawn at these baseless, empty threats from atheists that have little more to do than annoy everyone else.

3)  My third reaction was a motivation to prayer. If there are forces within America trying to intimidate Christians into being quiet, then I will gladly move the other direction and intensify my prayer life. We need Christians to be openly defiant of these annoying atheist groups who try to impose their secular humanism on others. Will there be consequences?  Maybe.  Probably not. At least not on the scale that the guys in the Bible faced, or the Christians in Iraq are facing, or other parts of the world.

I've had it with these we'll-save-you-from-yourself meddlers and busybodies who like to walk around looking for things to be offended by. These groups that have too much time on their hands and feel the need to shove their noses into everyone else's lives to fix what doesn't need to be fixed are just bullies.  The way to deal with a bully isn't to give in. The way to deal with a bully is defiance. Bullies enjoy power; they enjoy imposing themselves on others, and they love it when their intimidation tactics work. What they can't stand is when their intimidation tactics backfire and they are shown to be the spineless, gutless cowards they truly are.

So, don't be intimidated by these bullies.  Don't worry about the "consequences."  Christians never have paid much mind to laws outlawing the practice of their faith.  They have never been good at following lawsuits that say they can't pray whenever they want.

Don't capitulate to the atheist group.  If it goes to court and you lose, disobey the law. That's been the history of Christians for the past 2000 years, and it's not likely to change soon.  

3000 years later . . . it's the same old thing

I've been reading The One Year Bible reading plan on YouVersion this year.  In the Old Testament part, I'm at the part where Israel is in its latter days with king after king being listed.  The Biblical writers view the kings of Israel and Judah through one lens- how faithful they were to God.

There is no mention of the economy, of military might, of what they did for the people, etc.  The Biblical writers didn't seem to think that was very important.  The only thing that mattered about the kings was how faithful they were to God.  Did they worship the God of the Bible, or did they go after other gods?

One of the "gods" that appears quite a bit in this section is a god named Baal.  Baal was a half-bull, half-man god of fertility that was worshiped by many of the neighboring tribes and nations around Israel.  Israel took on their customs and began to worship him as well.

What does this have to do with us today?  Well, a lot, actually.

The pillars of Baal worship were child sacrifice, sexual immorality (both homosexual and heterosexual), and pantheism (reverence of creation over the Creator).  Ritualistic Baal worship looked like this:  Adults would gather around the altar of Baal.  Infants would then be burned alive as a sacrifice.  While the children were being burned alive, men and women would then engage in both heterosexual and homosexual orgies hoping to bring rain and fertility.

There are strong forces in this nation that, while not mentioning Baal, still engage wholeheartedly in the worship of him.

Abortion is our means of child sacrifice.

Sexual immorality, both hetero and homo, is promoted and pushed to the point that anyone criticizing it is labelled an extremist and is mocked and ridiculed, just like God-worshipers in the Bible who condemned Baal worship.

The religious fervor of the global warming/climate change pushers, the militancy of some radical environmental groups, where the creation is worshiped rather than the Creator, is alive and well.

In other words, 3000 years later, it's the same old story.

It's time that the church recognizes the current trends as more than just passing fads or "changing times."  Truth is, times HAVEN'T changed.  They've been given a new name.  Baal worship is now called "pro-choice," "marriage equality," and "climate change/environmentalism."  However, what went into Baal worship hasn't changed at all.  At its heart, the pillars of Baal worship are alive and well- child sacrifice, sexual immorality, and worship of creation over Creator.

The scary part of this section of the Bible is that the nation of Israel was at one point extremely devoted to God.  However, over time, things changed so radically that there were altars to Baal everywhere- even in the Lord's temple.  The nation did a complete 180 to where it not only tolerated Baal worship; it actively persecuted those who condemned it.  The nation actively persecuted those whose faith was in God- in a nation that once dedicated itself to God and received His blessings.

3000 years later . . . .  it's the same old story.

We like to think we have evolved so much as a society and as people.  We like to think that we are so much more advanced than those "primitive societies" of thousands of years ago.  The truth is, we aren't.  The human heart still struggles with the same sins.  The human heart still desires the same things.  And the human heart still rebels against God to the same extent that it did 3000 years ago, choosing any god but God.

When I see the clear parallels between modern America and Baal worship, I also take note of the consequences faced by Israel for their rejection of God and their embracing of Baal.  Do we, as a country, think that we will not see the same consequences?