Why I am for McCain

First, and, yes, I know some think this is simplistic, I cannot vote for any person who voted yes, or present or anything but “NO!” to late term abortion. Anyone who votes for pro-abortion legislation will not get my vote. See quotes, citations and news items regarding Obama’s position.

Second, I must vote experience, courage and vision. I love the two latest articles on these subjects this morning by Charles Krauthammer (“McCain for President”) and Pat Buchannan (“What if ‘SNL’ mocked Michelle Obama?”). McCain has 40 years of experience to demonstrate his resolve, courage, integrity (Even coming clean through repentance on the Keating scandal) in economic and foreign affairs.

Third, the moral slant of the democratic party astounds me. The greed of both parties astounds me. The religious naivety of the liberal, left and democratic party astounds me. Only McCain has walked the talk. He’s open and friendly with reporters. He and his wife have given over 10% of their income away (Obama and Biden gave less than 1/4 of 1% in most of the past ten years). Obama spent 20 years under a pastor who was at the least a mirror image of the Nation of Islam founder, Louis Farrakhan, but in Christian, religious garb. The blathering of Garrison Keillor about how bad our current leader is, yet he religiously uses references to church and the religious sounding phrases of Christianity in spite of Jesus and Paul’s insistence that we submit to our leaders, pray for them and honor what God has instituted. Debate over policy is not outlawed by the Word of God. Public or private name calling and reputation bashing is!
Fourth, no magic bullet exists for this world’s problems, tyrants or crisis. Anyone says, “We need a change at the top to bring America to good standing in the world again,” is trying to find a silver bullet. When people allow the label of “Messiah” to be attached to Sen. Obama without shock or media dissent, they want the magic, mystical cure for their anxiety. When former Bush cabinet members override obvious fundamental logic to swing across the chasm of conservative or republican to the most liberal leaning person in the Senate, they are acting out of something other than principle, i.e. revenge, race, self-preservation. It’s ok to change our feeble minds on issues. Swinging across the grand canyon to find your savior is just plain dangerous.

The funny thing about elections is that no one person will solve our anxiety. That solution is in a daily walk with the God who loves us. He brings the peace that passes understanding. In the meantime, we’re fellow travelers and pilgrims here on earth. I promise to get along and submit to whoever is elected, yet dissent and discuss where needed. I hope you would, too.

Belarus deports Christian bishop

Is religious freedom jeopardized in Belarus? Yes! Can foreigners go to Belarus to help other Christians or to do mission work? Yes, but acceptance is restricted and supervised. The government even regulates the transfer of pastors between churches within Belarus even for one Sunday! Pray as we go to Belarus again. It’s a great place, great people and the potential for Belarus is still phenomenal. Pray for my visa acceptance!

Read more about the Christian Bishop and the religious laws here.

Religilous: a Threat or a Good Critique?

Dr. Greg Boyd’s blog contains a reasonable analysis of the latest movie, Religilous, and its bipolar attempt to explain away the gospels and Christianity. Religilous, according to Dr. Boyd, correctly critiques some of the insanity of religion. If you have any desire for reasonable analysis and are open to a few hundred words more than a normal blog, you will see a scholar/pastor/teacher/author at work analyzing rationally. Dr. Boyd needs more publicity than the fluffy, a-biblical, sermonizing that usually happens in mega-church Christianity.

http://www.gregboyd.org/blog/religulous-and-the-alleged-horus-christ-parallels/

Aha! One Cell Group Extravaganza!

Americano pizazz hunters everywhere! Checking out “churches” that have that j’ne sais quois, pizazz, that something that “clicks”. Typical American phenomena: church hopping, hunting, looking for a Sunday morning fling, a one-morning-stand.

I can easily see the disappointment on faces. Checking out churches is HARD WORK. MANY DISAPPOINTMENTS. Pizazz hunters often find it easier to STAY HOME, or go somewhere unrelated to church to escape, and maybe find that fling.

Last night, at the Sunday Night Cell Group, the fling was found! As Charles Kennedy says, “We got to trust the discovery process.” We studied a simple, familiar section of Mark: “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” I thought we’d be done in ten minutes. After an hour we got the discovery we all were looking for. We examined the minutae, the gory details. Probing the “Why is this here?” and the “Is Jesus mad or throwing out a bone?” A couple had notes and references to get some more details.

After forty five minutes of digging last night, we were all wondering, “How does this apply?” Was there a political message for us? Is this about tithing? The temple tax? The image of Caesar, “A god,” a graven image carried in Jewish pockets? Do we disagree with our politicians and grumble about paying taxes? We turned to Romans 13:1 and 7 “Submit to your rulers! Pay your taxes!” The Apostle commanded the Romans to obey the evil Emperor, Nero. But there was so much more than this simple application.

As we probed and tried to figure out how the confrontation between the Jewish delegation and Jesus started, we saw an incredible shape take form. I guess you would have had to have been there to catch the amazement, but we were all totally amazed by Jesus. His answer, has layers and layers of meaning. What seems simple is absolutely profound. What looks like easy separation of church and state is difficult theology to understand. Caesar gets a coin. God gets everything. It’s his theme, his mantra, his slogan. Got gets everything! It’s not about money. They had asked about taxes. The real question was about God! Without hesitation or stutter, Jesus dissected the impossible dilemma. He used a coin so that every time they saw that Roman denarious, they could remember a powerful lesson about his amazing response.

The pizazz took time. We trusted each other to ask simple questions and to sit asking the questions that only truth could withstand. The application was so much more than money or taxes. As we have discovered about our journey through the gospels, we discovered the real application is when we are amazed at the incredible Jesus. We keep wondering: How did they miss it? How could they have crucified this perfect one from God? No one could have made these stories so amazing unless they really happened. Now, that’s a kind of extravaganza 99.9% of Sunday mornings can never have!

You see, discovering the REAL Jesus is the application, the pizazz, the j’ne sais quois.

Sunday Afternoon Reflection, Pastor Style

One pastor friend told me he never thinks twice about his sermons after Sunday morning. I’m not one of those. I liked today’s sermon: “Don’t worry!” Luke 12:22-40. We can’t be ready for action if we are always worrying. However, as much as I pointed out a couple of key commands (6) and insights (“or proverbs”) (7), then wrapped it up with a systems-thinking-graph about why worry keeps us from seeing all of God’s options, I have never liked the unfinished aspect of a sermon.

What always remains unfinished? Today, three folks came up and said it was a good corrective to their thinking. This is not what finishes it for me, as much as I like compliments. I always feel like a sermon is unfinished. There is always more. Always something to leave out. Always an illustration that could have been stronger or tighter. However, redoing the sermon a day later or a month later doesn’t finish it.

For me, finishing the sermon cannot be done. It’s the most frustrating aspect of preaching. I like feedback, immediate and spontaneous. I like to know how a sentence is perceived, not a month from now, but right now. I want to know what someone else might add, or what someone else has read on the subject. As much as I read and study, I always leave something out. And this is true when I listen to other pastors preach. Though I am much less critical of late, there remains a fallacious heresy among the pews and folding chairs of Christendom that their pastor preaches “the whole counsel of God” in a sermon or two or fifty two. After twenty-five years of preaching, I know it can’t be done.

A beautiful, breezy, fall day with the temp at 75.

What do I do? After preaching in Luke for ten and a half months, and only arriving at chapter twelve, I can say that by far, this has been the most enjoyable preaching. After leaving this morning, I know there will be at least five groups of listeners who will complete the sermon in their cell groups. They will be studying along with me, some in Mark and some in John, but the picture of Jesus teaching, lambasting and testing their faith (“You of little faith!) will be fresh, will spark greater connections and some will even do a little study of their own.

Amid all the sounds and chores of this world, the little voice of the teacher behind the pulpit can sure get lost. The power of that little voice is in sticking to the Jesus who died a bloody death at the hands of ignorant people, who suffered the wrath of God in his burial and was proven to be the perfect sacrifice for sin in his resurrection. In these, how could anyone lose their way!

What Is the Truth? Debates Debated

The Second Debate, 10-07-08

Follow this link to some fact checks that will surprise you about both candidates.

Raising taxes, support for attacking Pakistan, tax breaks for health insurance, support for Bush’s policies.

Dear Mr. Obama

A Dam Saturday Morning

We have to get away once in a while. No, this wasn’t a pilgrimage. A few friends and Nathan and I went to the Watauga Dam via canoe. Did it change my life? No, it just proved we can blow a few hours and get away with the “waste” of time. The hours without work or bailout news was so refreshing. Love was in the air. You can tell by the number of flower pictures! Thanks go out to Dave Ingram who is an avid outdoorsman, biologist and great friend!

Four of the pictures capture the road to the bottom of the lake. The town of Butler, TN, was moved to flood the valley. The old highway still runs along the bottom of the valley/lake. The relocation project required construction of 54.9 miles (88.4 km) of roads and highways, three bridges, and 66 miles (106 km) of utility lines, as well as relocation of 1,281 graves. (Wikipedia article) We stood on the old road to finish the canoe ride. The road leads eerily to the bottom in three of the pictures.

Follow this post for info on the dam itself.

Girls in College

Rather than writing profound theology how’s about I just live it out? It’s all about grace. Grace is the one commodity the church has no one else can give out. Why are church people so stingy?

Lydia at her apartment playing cards.

So, about three years ago, our oldest, Lydia, goes off to college. a month into the experience, I’m pretty upset. She’s up till 2 and 3 am every night. She’s not studying as hard as I did. She’s playing games. After a difficult phone call where I challenged her about some of this, Rhonda and I prayed, I was grumpy, turned out the lights, and God said, “Tell Lydia you trust her. She’ll be fine. She’s going to be fine.” So, I did. I called back and said, “Lydia, I have three words for you, ‘I trust you!’” She burst into tears, relief and reconnection to her dad. That was grace. She’s doing great. What a testimony of grace she has for others, too.

Then, Gracie left for college a few weeks ago. Her college environment is a little more loose and free. It’s a small campus with not much to do. Other kids party. Chapel services are boring. I’ve learned from Lydia. Grace is going to do fine, but what a boy magnet! and what pressure to go out “clubbing.” She’s learned the difference between helpful and harmful, smart and stupid behavior

Grace and one of the girls she coached this summer.

We haven’t had to have the “I trust you” confrontation, but I’ve told her, “I trust you.” She’s growing up fast. A leader. An organizer and collector of kids who want to love God. Interesting. Grace at work.