I am so saddened by the way some think. I wonder what was the feeling in Paul's heart as observed that "they have traded the truth for a lie." I wonder what pain my Father feels as he looks at his children who seem bent on self destruction. Does Jesus still feel the nails? I have watched people fight with hatred to do what pleases their heart. Is ... Read Morethis what evil has the ability to drive us too? How long will God stomach this? How long before he says, "enough"?
I know that I will be glad to get to Heaven but I can't help wondering, contrary to popular teaching in the Church, if I won't since a twinge of saddness for a world of lost people. Will I not see a tear of hurt on the face of my God when i get to his throne to worship him? Should this punishing thought not behoov me, all of us, to chase every one who will parish so that they may be saved before it is too late? Has history taught us nothing? Are we willing to allow the current events in Iow ato be relegated to the, "that's too bad's" and the "glad isn't me's" of history"? or will we alas be motivated to fulfill our Great Commission? Will we finally see the world of hurt and death through the eyes of the Creator who sent his only begoten Son to save it? I wonder. I am another Joshua. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Will you.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
3 Christians that tick me off.
Maybe this sounds like a rant but after my experiences over the last couple of days I think it is warren ted. Being a Christian leader who has an active desire to see his world healed makes this a flow from the heart
1. The guy who just calls himself a Christian.
I am so tired of inviting people to church and then getting the line about the hypocrites that go to church as a defense for not going themselves. I recognize that is a week argument and doesn't make a difference on whether or not a person should follow Christ but the sad mark is that I really can't argue with them. I am so tired of so called Christians. I fully recognized Jesus' sentiment when he said that he wished folks were either cold or hot but sense they are just luke warm he feels like puking them. I get it. It is so disheartening to see folks smiling faces on Sunday morning knowing that at work no one can tell they have Jesus as their savior. My opinion is that Jesus died to save me for all seven days of the week, not just Sunday.
2. They guy who calls himself a Christian and just lives a good life.
Much like the previous guy I am having a hard time believing this guy is actually saved. To me Christianity is an active relationship. By all cases it is a verb, a sense of being and doing, not just a title. I am so aggravated by Christians who are happy that they live a good life and never move beyond themselves. I am so angry with those who call themselves Christians, even those who may be in leadership, who are unwilling to take a stand and fight. I believe that the Great Commission welcomes a little horn tangling for us. We may just have to get our hands dirty and it is entirely likely that we may be a little unpopular. Society has its motion and it is going the wrong way. Dear lazy Christian, get off your backside and change your world. I live in a state where the average church size is around 30 and it has been for years. That tells me one thing. Lazy Christians are letting society go. They are to cowardly to draw a line and to stand for truth. Like the first guy, you make me sick.
3. The wallflower Christian.
The tempo of this one is very different from the first two but he makes me just as irritated. I have seen this in men and women alike and I especially see it in so called Christian leadership. I am talking about the man, or woman, who acts as if they would break if you countered them. They are a shrieking violet, a gentle dove. These are the folks who's favorite picture of Jesus is the mild mannered, pale shepherd who delicately holds a lamb as if it would break. Might I remind you, that isn't Jesus. Yes David refers to God as a shepherd and he talks about the comforting aspects of God. These are indeed true but lets face it, that the reference to God only at those times when David truly needed rest. Other times God bolstered David to conquer. Jesus also made a whip and drove the merchants from His temple. Jesus was one tough guy with a soft heart.
Folks who act as if to be a maturing Christian is to be a wimp make me sick. To act this way makes the world believe that Christianity is irrelevant. After all, who would swear allegiance to a wus, who would trust their life to a man who seems barley able to keep his eyes open. Wallflower Christians make me sick.
1. The guy who just calls himself a Christian.
I am so tired of inviting people to church and then getting the line about the hypocrites that go to church as a defense for not going themselves. I recognize that is a week argument and doesn't make a difference on whether or not a person should follow Christ but the sad mark is that I really can't argue with them. I am so tired of so called Christians. I fully recognized Jesus' sentiment when he said that he wished folks were either cold or hot but sense they are just luke warm he feels like puking them. I get it. It is so disheartening to see folks smiling faces on Sunday morning knowing that at work no one can tell they have Jesus as their savior. My opinion is that Jesus died to save me for all seven days of the week, not just Sunday.
2. They guy who calls himself a Christian and just lives a good life.
Much like the previous guy I am having a hard time believing this guy is actually saved. To me Christianity is an active relationship. By all cases it is a verb, a sense of being and doing, not just a title. I am so aggravated by Christians who are happy that they live a good life and never move beyond themselves. I am so angry with those who call themselves Christians, even those who may be in leadership, who are unwilling to take a stand and fight. I believe that the Great Commission welcomes a little horn tangling for us. We may just have to get our hands dirty and it is entirely likely that we may be a little unpopular. Society has its motion and it is going the wrong way. Dear lazy Christian, get off your backside and change your world. I live in a state where the average church size is around 30 and it has been for years. That tells me one thing. Lazy Christians are letting society go. They are to cowardly to draw a line and to stand for truth. Like the first guy, you make me sick.
3. The wallflower Christian.
The tempo of this one is very different from the first two but he makes me just as irritated. I have seen this in men and women alike and I especially see it in so called Christian leadership. I am talking about the man, or woman, who acts as if they would break if you countered them. They are a shrieking violet, a gentle dove. These are the folks who's favorite picture of Jesus is the mild mannered, pale shepherd who delicately holds a lamb as if it would break. Might I remind you, that isn't Jesus. Yes David refers to God as a shepherd and he talks about the comforting aspects of God. These are indeed true but lets face it, that the reference to God only at those times when David truly needed rest. Other times God bolstered David to conquer. Jesus also made a whip and drove the merchants from His temple. Jesus was one tough guy with a soft heart.
Folks who act as if to be a maturing Christian is to be a wimp make me sick. To act this way makes the world believe that Christianity is irrelevant. After all, who would swear allegiance to a wus, who would trust their life to a man who seems barley able to keep his eyes open. Wallflower Christians make me sick.
Friday, February 13, 2009
The wonders of "Shacking up"
I don't know how many times I get into the conversation with both men and women who are talking about living with their boyfriend or girlfriend before they are married. I get differing opinions on the issue. Some say they know it is wrong but don't care. Others say they don't see a problem with it and then there are those who put on a strong face in front of me, the pastor, hiding a secret since of shame for what they are doing. So what is the answer? Can boys and girls live together, while calling themselves a Christian, and be Okay? (By ok I mean "can I still get to Heaven?”)Well, here is my answer. It might seem a little long so stay with me.
First of all let me say that I'm not so stupid as to say that boys and girls can't live in the same house without going to bed together. Technically, maybe it’s possible. Is it probable is another question entirely but let me be on record as saying that it is POSSIBLE.The crazy thing is that many in our world have developed their own philosophy for determining right from wrong. We have so complicated things so that we can do what we want to do that we cause ourselves a lot of complicated grief in the end. I do not thing boys and girls, men and women, should live together and I think that refraining from it saves a lot of grief. Let me tell you why.
1. If you can live with your boyfriend and girlfriend without going to bed then you are either amazing or dead.
You and I were made to be sexual beings. I like sex. It is great. You and your mate should love it too. God gave it to us and the only thing I can say about it is, "allll-right God, you da man." (No irreverence intended.) A romp in the sack is the absolutely natural reaction for any man or woman who is attracted to someone. Let’s consider a little logic here. If you are in the same house and you get that certain feeling, what is likely to happen, to act on it or to turn it off? In fact, I bet some of you are thinking a little about misbehaving having read only this much of this blog, haven’t you? If you can turn it off then you must be Superman, or Superwoman.Now that I have stoked your fire and have gotten you thinking that you are ok if you're Superman or Superwoman let me do a bait-and-switch. If you can live with your future spouse and avoid hitting the sack with them then how are you going to break that trend once you tie the knot? One of the greatest reasons cited for marital breakups is a lack of sexual satisfaction. This means that husbands and wives aren't getting their jollies with each other in such a way that keeps them happy. This happens once a man or a woman decides not to pleasure their spouse either for selfish reasons or because they just don't want to anymore. If you can contain yourself when you see your boyfriend or girlfriend heading to the shower or cooking in their bare feet don't you think you are probably starting this same disastrous habit even before you are married? Now what do you have to look forward to?According to figures from StatsCan’s 1998 National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, 63% of children whose parents were living common-law had seen their parents split by age 10, compared with 14% of children of married couples.
2. My little boy can't tell if you're behaving when you shut your door.
I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt. Because you are reading this blog I am guessing you already know that sex, although wonderful, is reserved for those who wear the rings. I once heard a woman who said “No ringy, no dingy.” But you already knew that. You have already included the logic that says that since the first sexual intercourse has such a profound physical and emotional effect on the body, especially the woman’s body, that it must be something that has a little more substance that your immediate thrills. And I know that since you have heard all the news of STD’s and you see all the babies who are born you have realized that sex must be a little more than a romp in the hay with this week’s “love of my life.” You know that the Bible says sex is reserved for husbands and wives and all of that jazz so I’m not going to stay here. I trust you.
Maybe you can live with your boyfriend or girlfriend and behave yourself but here is a big one for you. My little boy doesn’t know you are being a good boy or a good girl when you shut the door. One day he is going to have his own sexual awakening. One day he is going to notice that there is a lot more to girls than a creature that has long hair and acts funny. Let me place this on your shoulders. My son and thousands of his friends are all seeing how you live and if they see you shacking up they will learn from you and they just might be able to try it themselves. Let’s be honest, every 12 year old knows what might be going on when men and women close the door. They are not stupid. Are your actions teaching my son that it is ok to mess around with his girlfriend?
3. Once you move in it is hard to move out.
As a pastor I have talked to a lot of unhappy married couples who want to end their marriages. What is really interesting is that most of them can trace their overall unhappiness to the time before their marriage. Sure they had a great wedding and maybe even a few smiling pictures with their newborn children but the overall temperature of their marriage has been cold and unhappy. The obvious question then is, “Why didn’t you breakup instead of getting married?” The most common answer I have heard in my own office and from others I have talked with is, “We were already living together so we thought we might as well go ahead.” The simple fact is that once a couple lives together they often find it harder to break up, especially once they share bills, furniture, pets, etc. When you live with your boyfriend or girlfriend it is much harder to think clearly and end the relationship when might otherwise do so. This means that after several years of unhappy marriage you will have to pay thousands of dollars, endure tons of guilt and emotional distress and loose at least half your stuff in a nasty fight called a divorce.
Common-law relationships are a whopping 450% more likely to split up than a marriage!
You know, maybe your saying, “oh this stuff wouldn’t happen to me”, “what a bunch of exaggerated mumbo jumbo wrapped in churchy bull”, “this guy is nuts.” Maybe you’re right. Maybe it is a crock. Or just maybe, I know what I am talking about. Maybe if we all opened our eyes we would see that I am exactly right. Are you willing to take the expensive risk to find out? If you do I’ll do your couple’s counseling.
First of all let me say that I'm not so stupid as to say that boys and girls can't live in the same house without going to bed together. Technically, maybe it’s possible. Is it probable is another question entirely but let me be on record as saying that it is POSSIBLE.The crazy thing is that many in our world have developed their own philosophy for determining right from wrong. We have so complicated things so that we can do what we want to do that we cause ourselves a lot of complicated grief in the end. I do not thing boys and girls, men and women, should live together and I think that refraining from it saves a lot of grief. Let me tell you why.
1. If you can live with your boyfriend and girlfriend without going to bed then you are either amazing or dead.
You and I were made to be sexual beings. I like sex. It is great. You and your mate should love it too. God gave it to us and the only thing I can say about it is, "allll-right God, you da man." (No irreverence intended.) A romp in the sack is the absolutely natural reaction for any man or woman who is attracted to someone. Let’s consider a little logic here. If you are in the same house and you get that certain feeling, what is likely to happen, to act on it or to turn it off? In fact, I bet some of you are thinking a little about misbehaving having read only this much of this blog, haven’t you? If you can turn it off then you must be Superman, or Superwoman.Now that I have stoked your fire and have gotten you thinking that you are ok if you're Superman or Superwoman let me do a bait-and-switch. If you can live with your future spouse and avoid hitting the sack with them then how are you going to break that trend once you tie the knot? One of the greatest reasons cited for marital breakups is a lack of sexual satisfaction. This means that husbands and wives aren't getting their jollies with each other in such a way that keeps them happy. This happens once a man or a woman decides not to pleasure their spouse either for selfish reasons or because they just don't want to anymore. If you can contain yourself when you see your boyfriend or girlfriend heading to the shower or cooking in their bare feet don't you think you are probably starting this same disastrous habit even before you are married? Now what do you have to look forward to?According to figures from StatsCan’s 1998 National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, 63% of children whose parents were living common-law had seen their parents split by age 10, compared with 14% of children of married couples.
2. My little boy can't tell if you're behaving when you shut your door.
I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt. Because you are reading this blog I am guessing you already know that sex, although wonderful, is reserved for those who wear the rings. I once heard a woman who said “No ringy, no dingy.” But you already knew that. You have already included the logic that says that since the first sexual intercourse has such a profound physical and emotional effect on the body, especially the woman’s body, that it must be something that has a little more substance that your immediate thrills. And I know that since you have heard all the news of STD’s and you see all the babies who are born you have realized that sex must be a little more than a romp in the hay with this week’s “love of my life.” You know that the Bible says sex is reserved for husbands and wives and all of that jazz so I’m not going to stay here. I trust you.
Maybe you can live with your boyfriend or girlfriend and behave yourself but here is a big one for you. My little boy doesn’t know you are being a good boy or a good girl when you shut the door. One day he is going to have his own sexual awakening. One day he is going to notice that there is a lot more to girls than a creature that has long hair and acts funny. Let me place this on your shoulders. My son and thousands of his friends are all seeing how you live and if they see you shacking up they will learn from you and they just might be able to try it themselves. Let’s be honest, every 12 year old knows what might be going on when men and women close the door. They are not stupid. Are your actions teaching my son that it is ok to mess around with his girlfriend?
3. Once you move in it is hard to move out.
As a pastor I have talked to a lot of unhappy married couples who want to end their marriages. What is really interesting is that most of them can trace their overall unhappiness to the time before their marriage. Sure they had a great wedding and maybe even a few smiling pictures with their newborn children but the overall temperature of their marriage has been cold and unhappy. The obvious question then is, “Why didn’t you breakup instead of getting married?” The most common answer I have heard in my own office and from others I have talked with is, “We were already living together so we thought we might as well go ahead.” The simple fact is that once a couple lives together they often find it harder to break up, especially once they share bills, furniture, pets, etc. When you live with your boyfriend or girlfriend it is much harder to think clearly and end the relationship when might otherwise do so. This means that after several years of unhappy marriage you will have to pay thousands of dollars, endure tons of guilt and emotional distress and loose at least half your stuff in a nasty fight called a divorce.
Common-law relationships are a whopping 450% more likely to split up than a marriage!
You know, maybe your saying, “oh this stuff wouldn’t happen to me”, “what a bunch of exaggerated mumbo jumbo wrapped in churchy bull”, “this guy is nuts.” Maybe you’re right. Maybe it is a crock. Or just maybe, I know what I am talking about. Maybe if we all opened our eyes we would see that I am exactly right. Are you willing to take the expensive risk to find out? If you do I’ll do your couple’s counseling.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Memories
I think we often sell ourselves short because we act like memories are only for the aged. Our post modern culture lives so fast, "in the now", and future focused that I fear we may be neglecting a beautiful and natural human process, the establishment of memorials.
As you drive around our country, and even our world, you can find monuments, plaques, signs, buildings, grounds and even highways that are dedicated to the preservation of the memory of an event or a person from the past that has had a significant impact in shaping the culture of the given area. Quite simply these memorials give the culture its foundation and sustenance because it gives it a picture of the struggles and successes of the past, therefore, promoting faith in the hope of surviving the struggles and enjoying the successes of the future.
In our own personal lives and in the lives of our families we need to be sure to build memorials. Remember those difficult things you have survived, those successes you have enjoyed and those blessings God has given you. It is a good idea to have something tangible like a photograph, a plaque or some other physical memento that can help us to remember.
As you drive around our country, and even our world, you can find monuments, plaques, signs, buildings, grounds and even highways that are dedicated to the preservation of the memory of an event or a person from the past that has had a significant impact in shaping the culture of the given area. Quite simply these memorials give the culture its foundation and sustenance because it gives it a picture of the struggles and successes of the past, therefore, promoting faith in the hope of surviving the struggles and enjoying the successes of the future.
In our own personal lives and in the lives of our families we need to be sure to build memorials. Remember those difficult things you have survived, those successes you have enjoyed and those blessings God has given you. It is a good idea to have something tangible like a photograph, a plaque or some other physical memento that can help us to remember.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Insanity in the face of reality
I don't want to sound whiny nor do I want to seem overly pessimistic. However, at the moment I am at best greatly saddened for the condition of our fallen world and, at worst, deeply depressed for the blindness of men’s hearts. Due to a car accident I was unable to make it to Des Moines this morning to participate in some level of the Judiciary process that could relieve the current restrictions of same sex couples when it comes to marriage. I was however able to get back home in time to watch the last couple of hours of the hearing.
There was nothing that I heard that gave me much hope. The Justices seemed, to me anyway, far more pointed toward the conservative arguments than they did with the plaintiff. This could have been a process of playing devil’s advocate in order to force the attorney to flesh out his position but I found it to seem a little more like a way of tripping him up in his arguments and to some degree I think they may have been successful. The Plaintiff did a great job of playing the victim card. He did irritate me quite a bit when he matter of factly included “we have a separation of church and state” and tore down the credibility of the conservative experts because they have had some brush with religion in their past. He went on to build his argument based on how allowing same sex couples to marry would in no way affect his own heterosexual marriage so there would be no problem for the rest of society. It was almost surreal to see this actually taking place other than just something we have heard about.
How have we come to this point? How have we come to the place, again, without learning from the past, where we challenge the very fundamentals of creation? To answer I think I may give the plaintiffs part of their argument in agreement. They are exactly right. They are victims. However, they are not victims of society, prejudice, bigotry or cruelty as they have asserted around the country and have duped half the world into believing. They are, just as we all are, at least at one time, victims of a sinful nature. I am no attorney so I don’t know how you can combat this stance on the bench but I think that goes to prove the point that this is not an argument that should be argued in the court room or even the legislature. Of course I want either DOMA or a Marriage Amendment that defines marriage as the sacred union between God, one man and one woman, that will protect, or at least slow the downward spiral of, society. But these must never be interpreted as the solution to the problem. If it is considered in this way we can rest assured that one day in the future it will be contested again by an even more liberal society and it will be passed at that time.
So what is the answer? I think the first part of the answer comes with a chastisement of the Church in North America. Shame on us. Shame on the Church of the last three or four generations who have slowly and ever so lazily allowed the morality of our being to slip through cracks. I place blame on the generation of power in the 50’s who after the Great Depression and the challenges of World War II opted to build their American dream based in technology and dollar signs rather than to rebuild the moral compass of the nation. Maybe they won great victories in Europe and the Pacific but I think they lost part of the war at home that was only beginning to rear its head. I believe it was probably done innocently but many of the men of this generation, I believe hardened by the ravages of war, enforced a society of rule without heart to the extent that they begat the generation of the Hippy.
I blame the Hippy generation who chose to rebel against the morality of the previous generations opting for free expressions of love and self gratification. This boomer generation has lived their existence in such a way as to challenge every precept of society. Some of this has been good, such as when it comes to allowing the expression of women and people of non-white races. However this generation has also dealt a blow to the world by allowing and promoting the slaughter of unborn children, beginning the process of weakening the influence of God in culture by touting the insanity of a “separation of Church and State”, and by placing the god of self above the God of the universe in nearly every moral and societal issue to come before them for a decision.
I blame my own generation for not opening their eyes and seeing the failure of society around them. I blame us for being too lazy to challenge the current culture and thereby rebuilding the society of morality that works and was intended. I blame us for drinking in false teaching, psychological noise and cultural chatter to the extent of ignoring sound reasoning and logic. Folks we are smarter than this. We have allowed Satan to keep our attention and we enjoy it.
I blame every person who has ever occupied a pew, called themselves by the name of the precious Son of God but has failed to be a Christian in their world. Those who have failed to let their light shine, have failed to train their children in the way of the Lord and have sat back and allowed society to “happen” around them without actively working to take charge of it. I blame every Christian, including myself for I am the worst, who has fired from the mouth but lacks callous on the knee.
We must be people of prayer. This is God’s issue, God’s battle and he must be invited and allowed to fight it.
God’s laws are not man’s laws and, therefore, I doubt they can be legitimately argued in court. So the question is, “What are we going to do to win…outside the courtroom…in the real world?” First I believe we must ask for forgiveness for our neglect and laziness. Secondly I think we must make a priority to raise Godly children. And lastly we must give up ourselves to win back our nation. If we do not do this, the next generation will meet with the final demise. America, I believe will cease to exist in the next three generations. Our children will be lost and hopeless. It is our fault. What are you going to do about it?
There was nothing that I heard that gave me much hope. The Justices seemed, to me anyway, far more pointed toward the conservative arguments than they did with the plaintiff. This could have been a process of playing devil’s advocate in order to force the attorney to flesh out his position but I found it to seem a little more like a way of tripping him up in his arguments and to some degree I think they may have been successful. The Plaintiff did a great job of playing the victim card. He did irritate me quite a bit when he matter of factly included “we have a separation of church and state” and tore down the credibility of the conservative experts because they have had some brush with religion in their past. He went on to build his argument based on how allowing same sex couples to marry would in no way affect his own heterosexual marriage so there would be no problem for the rest of society. It was almost surreal to see this actually taking place other than just something we have heard about.
How have we come to this point? How have we come to the place, again, without learning from the past, where we challenge the very fundamentals of creation? To answer I think I may give the plaintiffs part of their argument in agreement. They are exactly right. They are victims. However, they are not victims of society, prejudice, bigotry or cruelty as they have asserted around the country and have duped half the world into believing. They are, just as we all are, at least at one time, victims of a sinful nature. I am no attorney so I don’t know how you can combat this stance on the bench but I think that goes to prove the point that this is not an argument that should be argued in the court room or even the legislature. Of course I want either DOMA or a Marriage Amendment that defines marriage as the sacred union between God, one man and one woman, that will protect, or at least slow the downward spiral of, society. But these must never be interpreted as the solution to the problem. If it is considered in this way we can rest assured that one day in the future it will be contested again by an even more liberal society and it will be passed at that time.
So what is the answer? I think the first part of the answer comes with a chastisement of the Church in North America. Shame on us. Shame on the Church of the last three or four generations who have slowly and ever so lazily allowed the morality of our being to slip through cracks. I place blame on the generation of power in the 50’s who after the Great Depression and the challenges of World War II opted to build their American dream based in technology and dollar signs rather than to rebuild the moral compass of the nation. Maybe they won great victories in Europe and the Pacific but I think they lost part of the war at home that was only beginning to rear its head. I believe it was probably done innocently but many of the men of this generation, I believe hardened by the ravages of war, enforced a society of rule without heart to the extent that they begat the generation of the Hippy.
I blame the Hippy generation who chose to rebel against the morality of the previous generations opting for free expressions of love and self gratification. This boomer generation has lived their existence in such a way as to challenge every precept of society. Some of this has been good, such as when it comes to allowing the expression of women and people of non-white races. However this generation has also dealt a blow to the world by allowing and promoting the slaughter of unborn children, beginning the process of weakening the influence of God in culture by touting the insanity of a “separation of Church and State”, and by placing the god of self above the God of the universe in nearly every moral and societal issue to come before them for a decision.
I blame my own generation for not opening their eyes and seeing the failure of society around them. I blame us for being too lazy to challenge the current culture and thereby rebuilding the society of morality that works and was intended. I blame us for drinking in false teaching, psychological noise and cultural chatter to the extent of ignoring sound reasoning and logic. Folks we are smarter than this. We have allowed Satan to keep our attention and we enjoy it.
I blame every person who has ever occupied a pew, called themselves by the name of the precious Son of God but has failed to be a Christian in their world. Those who have failed to let their light shine, have failed to train their children in the way of the Lord and have sat back and allowed society to “happen” around them without actively working to take charge of it. I blame every Christian, including myself for I am the worst, who has fired from the mouth but lacks callous on the knee.
We must be people of prayer. This is God’s issue, God’s battle and he must be invited and allowed to fight it.
God’s laws are not man’s laws and, therefore, I doubt they can be legitimately argued in court. So the question is, “What are we going to do to win…outside the courtroom…in the real world?” First I believe we must ask for forgiveness for our neglect and laziness. Secondly I think we must make a priority to raise Godly children. And lastly we must give up ourselves to win back our nation. If we do not do this, the next generation will meet with the final demise. America, I believe will cease to exist in the next three generations. Our children will be lost and hopeless. It is our fault. What are you going to do about it?
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Fulfilling one's purpose
One of my activities is to participate in a special government process. This is a CISM debriefing of National Guardsman who have returned from a deployment.
I once worked with a unit that had been deployed for a year in a "quieter" part of the world. They were still active duty, mind you, just not in the heat of things like they would be in Iraq or Afghanistan. Initially I thought this would indicate a "cakewalk". "Great, no big issues to work through." I thought this would indicate we would just have to go through our process and go home with no worries. However, the day proved me wrong. Many of these guardsman were furious. The reason was simple, they didn't feel they had fulfilled their purpose.
They felt their first duty was to their state. In the previous year their state had been hit over and over with natural disasters. They felt they should be home to take care of their state but instead they were abroad, "wasting time". As a second consideration they realize their training as soldiers and as such felt that if they had to be deployed then their duty was with their comrades in Iraq or Afghanistan. However, they were sent to a "quiet" place where they felt they were wasting their abilities, training and talents.
I realized the brunt of a lesson I thought I had already learned that day. We are designed for a purpose. When God created us and placed us in our mother's womb he had a plan for our life that would give us a future and a hope. When we operate in contrast to that plan we find ourselves miserable and wasted.
Hey maybe I should get paid the big bucks. I have the answer to the problems of every unhappy person in the world. It is quite simple really. It is this, "Contentment=following God's plan."
I once worked with a unit that had been deployed for a year in a "quieter" part of the world. They were still active duty, mind you, just not in the heat of things like they would be in Iraq or Afghanistan. Initially I thought this would indicate a "cakewalk". "Great, no big issues to work through." I thought this would indicate we would just have to go through our process and go home with no worries. However, the day proved me wrong. Many of these guardsman were furious. The reason was simple, they didn't feel they had fulfilled their purpose.
They felt their first duty was to their state. In the previous year their state had been hit over and over with natural disasters. They felt they should be home to take care of their state but instead they were abroad, "wasting time". As a second consideration they realize their training as soldiers and as such felt that if they had to be deployed then their duty was with their comrades in Iraq or Afghanistan. However, they were sent to a "quiet" place where they felt they were wasting their abilities, training and talents.
I realized the brunt of a lesson I thought I had already learned that day. We are designed for a purpose. When God created us and placed us in our mother's womb he had a plan for our life that would give us a future and a hope. When we operate in contrast to that plan we find ourselves miserable and wasted.
Hey maybe I should get paid the big bucks. I have the answer to the problems of every unhappy person in the world. It is quite simple really. It is this, "Contentment=following God's plan."
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Extreme Marriage Makeover Weekend
This weekend my wife and I worked as marriage mentors for what is called the Extreme Marriage Makeover Weekend. This is a weekend hosted by the Iowa Family Policy Center's Marriage Matters department. The focus of this weekend is to invite married couples who are facing, and even intending divorce.
Actually, as a last minute switch, Jonda and I didn't actually mentor an individual couple but served as the "pastor on site" for the week. We worked to debrief the mentors and also as spiritual guides for each of the couples. We met with each couple after their mentor session to highlight what they were learning and experiencing. We also spent special time teaching the couples how to focus on including God in their marriages. We taught them how to pray for and with each other.
There were four things I learned from this weekend. These are four ingredients that led to the demise of the marriage.
1. These folks were normal people. Not one of them had any kind of wild and crazy event that forced them to this stage in life. Every one of them were going through life just as anyone else does and found themselves facing this kind of difficulty.
2. These folks had simply forgotten how to have fun together. A common thread among all of them was that they don't date anymore. Why do married folks feel like they don't need to date anymore? Why do they feel like after the wedding there is no more need to learn about the other person?
3. These folks had all forgotten how to communicate. Each of these couples felt as if their marriage problem was unique but we were able to quickly reduce the big problems to another common thread, the inability or the unwillingness to communicate.
4. Divorce was not the only answer. There were a few couples who had already filed for divorce. In fact one couple should have had their divorce finalized some time ago but their attorney asked them to go through this weekend. Lets just say they thought they were over but after taking some time to put things back into perspective they are moving back in with each other and making a go of it.
Why do so many folks default to the idea that when the going gets tough the tough get a divorce? I learned very clearly that folks can save their marriage if they are willing.
Actually, as a last minute switch, Jonda and I didn't actually mentor an individual couple but served as the "pastor on site" for the week. We worked to debrief the mentors and also as spiritual guides for each of the couples. We met with each couple after their mentor session to highlight what they were learning and experiencing. We also spent special time teaching the couples how to focus on including God in their marriages. We taught them how to pray for and with each other.
There were four things I learned from this weekend. These are four ingredients that led to the demise of the marriage.
1. These folks were normal people. Not one of them had any kind of wild and crazy event that forced them to this stage in life. Every one of them were going through life just as anyone else does and found themselves facing this kind of difficulty.
2. These folks had simply forgotten how to have fun together. A common thread among all of them was that they don't date anymore. Why do married folks feel like they don't need to date anymore? Why do they feel like after the wedding there is no more need to learn about the other person?
3. These folks had all forgotten how to communicate. Each of these couples felt as if their marriage problem was unique but we were able to quickly reduce the big problems to another common thread, the inability or the unwillingness to communicate.
4. Divorce was not the only answer. There were a few couples who had already filed for divorce. In fact one couple should have had their divorce finalized some time ago but their attorney asked them to go through this weekend. Lets just say they thought they were over but after taking some time to put things back into perspective they are moving back in with each other and making a go of it.
Why do so many folks default to the idea that when the going gets tough the tough get a divorce? I learned very clearly that folks can save their marriage if they are willing.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Parents....do your job
It always irritates me when I look around and see kids raising their parents. Have we in this day in age completely forgotten what it means to be a parent? Why do we think our kids are amazingly going to behave at age 15 when they can't even sit still at age 5?
I believe that perhaps the most important job we can do in ministry, apart from the practice of evangilism, is to teach men to be men and to teach women to be women. In doing this we teach men to be good husbands and women to be good wives. Incidentily, when they learn this lesson they will be well on their way to learning to be good dads and moms.
I believe that perhaps the most important job we can do in ministry, apart from the practice of evangilism, is to teach men to be men and to teach women to be women. In doing this we teach men to be good husbands and women to be good wives. Incidentily, when they learn this lesson they will be well on their way to learning to be good dads and moms.
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