Author: Jon Partlow

Posted on

CHURCH: Surviving the Dream Land

In the past Sioto County’s Portsmouth, Ohio gained a reputation for successful shoes companies, as well as the shoestring company that employed many of its residences. Portsmouth was part of the “Rust Belt” in America as a big manufacturer of steel. Portsmouth produced some household names who played in the Major Leagues like Al Oliver and Gene Tenace, while across the river came Don Gullett.  Who could talk baseball without mentioning the influence of local hero, Branch Rickey, the Dodger’s General Manager who signed Jackie Robinson? From an iconic marker who couldn’t think of Portsmouth without the pool, Dream Land, where friends and family gathered at the park to swim, eat and dream away the summer days. 

But those days are past. The shoe companies abandoned the region. The steel factories shut down. Portsmouth’s presence in the Major Leagues has been quiet. And the Dream Land pool has been filled in and paved for a strip mall.

In the void, Portsmouth became Ground Zero for the opioid crisis. According to Sam Quinones’ book, Dream Land, a perfect storm converged that hit in Portsmouth. First came the pharmaceutical companies who perpetuated a misinformed and fallible research belief that opioids were virtually non-addictive. The pharmaceutical industry believed they found the solution to controlling pain without fear of addiction; they were wrong. The second gathering storm was the “Pill Mill” factories, where doctors, focused on pain management, set up practice for the purpose of dispensing the opioids. What emerged was an industry without regulation being run by many doctors who had lost their license to practice. Patients paid in cash and were given, what turned out to be, an open ended prescription to opioids like OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin (honest doctors were caught in the middle of either prescribing for pain or being seen as insensitive to patients pain). Finally, smuggled in from a small state in Mexico came the Black Tar Heroin. In a “pizza delivery” format, the Mexicans sold heroin, to white middle-class people in bigger cities like Columbus, Ohio and to smaller towns like Portsmouth. Instead of you going to a crack house or allies, they delivered to you in a public area. The price was cheap, accessible, and the product was potent. Many who were addicted to opioids eventually became hooked on this form of heroin. 

Living in the wake of this perfect storm is certainly better than the storm itself. Federal regulators finally stopped the Pill Mill industry and held the pharmaceutical industry accountable for the damage done. Law enforcement agencies figured out how the Black Tar Heroin ring was operating and started convicting dealers to long-term prison sentences.  Most importantly, family members of drug addict victims started speaking out to remove the stigma and shame of their loved one being an addict.  What happened to them could have easily happened to anyone, anywhere. 

As Quinones drew conclusions to his opioid story, he noted the important role community plays in heading off addiction and gaining support while recovering from addiction. For thirty years our society has barricaded itself within its homes believing that it’s safer than engaging the world. The opioid crisis struck at this belief as the ones hit hardest by the crisis were the white middle-class who believed their home was a sanctuary. It’s time to engage our neighborhood community.  Also, our prison system needs to look at the role they play in helping recovering addicts.  Simply locking up addicts without long term drug intervention will not curb the epidemic nor the addiction. Finally, churches must rethink their role in staying off the drug epidemic. One church in Portland, Oregon started with the intent of sharing the gospel with addicts. Their teachings focusing on Jesus: love, forgiveness and transformation. They’re known as “The Rehab Church.” 

Church is the first and last line of defense in surviving the Dream Land. Church provides a built-in community needed for an alternative to a destructive lifestyle and a protection against drugs and the drug world. Church provides a venue for confession to transpire, confessing either an addiction or the battle a family member is fighting. Church provides the grace to struggle along with the cushion to fail and to fall without fear. Church provides the hope for a recovering community to succeed. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

Posted on

Behind the Masks

For the past couple of months, the news media has reported a number of disturbing episodes arising out of our society. None of these stories are related. All these stories seem to be tied together by a common social (or possibly spiritual) problem behind the joyous mask of our culture. 

Episode #1 . . . Media mogul Harvey Weinstein has been ousted by his production company because of ongoing sexual harassment charges brought against him. Women have been coming forward in droves to report the abuse they’ve faced by this powerful man in an industry known for making women nothing more than sex objects for men. The indignation has set off a firestorm across Hollywood; they’re scrambling to figure out how an industry known for exploiting women could have an executive treating women as an object of his own lust. Others have been coming forward to make their voices heard. Ayssa Milano took to social media and began the #Me Too campaign raising awareness for women who have been sexually abused; her tweets have given women the courage to come forward to share their own story.  

Episode #2 . . . University of Louisville officially fired head basketball coach Rick Pitino, who is embroiled in a scandal where the FBI has conducted a “sting” operation over the past two years. Simply, at least five NCAA basketball coaches, including an assistant coach at Louisville, have been indicted for bribery, wire fraud and mass corruption.  These coaches, assisted by Adidas, operated a “pay for play” scheme where six digit figures were funneled to top recruits’ families promising to sign with Adidas once the player reached the NBA. The fear is this problem is systemic to the NCAA. For Pitino, innocent or not, his firing emerged because of a lack of “institutional control” as this corruption was operating under his watch.  It’s not the worst scandal he’s found himself tied to, but it’s the latest in a string of scandals.

Episode #3 . . . Members of a now defunct Penn State fraternity are facing misdemeanor charges in a hazing incident where a 19 year old pledge, Tim Piazza, died (felony charges have been dismissed). The under-aged victim was forced to drink vodka, beer, and wine on an empty stomach. Intoxicated, he passed out and fell down the stairs of the fraternity house. He was carried to a couch where he was slammed and punched in the stomach. The fraternity men poured beer on him while he groaned and held his stomach. In the wee hours of the morning a decision was made to call 9-11. He was rushed to emergency surgery, but died of a ruptured spleen, brain injuries and internal bleeding. 

The three episodes have very little to do with each other, except that the public outrage has been loud and clear. Stop men like Harvey Weinstein from making women objects of man’s desires! Stop the greed-driven organization that makes millions off of poor and vulnerable athletes. Stop turning our higher education system into one party after another!

The outrage is loud and clear, and people want justice (i.e. where individuals are treated fairly and with respect). But the outrage is a mask, for behind it lies an ugly, decaying truth. We’re outraged over the treatment of women, but we’ve supported the dehumanizing of women as sex objects. We’re outraged over the flow of money to our universities sports programs, but we want our teams to win (at all costs). We’re outraged over the death of an under-aged fraternity wanna-be, but we dismiss the parties as a normal part of the college experience. Yes, the outrage continues, if only as a way to mask our true selves. 

On the Greek stage the actors wore masks to cover their faces as they pretended to be people other than themselves. The Greek word for actor is hypocrite. Jesus applied this word to those whose piety to God was motivated by applause of men (Mt. 6:1-18). The word may be used to describe America, outrage by the injustice, without admitting we’re the ones causing the injustice. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. Only God is Glorified!)

Posted on

CHURCH: A Darker Side

The Church is a beacon of light and hope to the community, and even to the world. For two thousand years the Church has built hospitals to heal the sick. They’ve built orphanages and provided adoption agencies to give children a home off the streets. They’ve dug wells in third world countries, and sent doctors overseas where medicine cannot be found. They’ve worked with people to break their addictive behaviors. They’ve provided counseling for troubled people and couples. They’ve comforted families during times of painful death, and celebrated with families during times of joyful birth. They’ve provided the foundation for education and have been prolific in publications. They’ve been a part of changing people’s lives. More importantly, they’ve provided the framework for a community to connect with God. 

If the Church’s accomplishment is a banner flying high, then the Church’s failure is the black eye, exposed for all to see. We’re not speaking of missteps, where the Church fails to show compassion, or fails to close the back door and members are lost. We’re talking about systemic failure that has tarnished the Church, both locally and world-wide. 

Three words come together that may stand at the root of the Church’s darker side: Power, Politics, and Protection. 

  • Power is the ability to manipulate or control the direction of the Church, or its membership. Leadership uses their power to force people in line (Mk. 10:42) instead of serving them. They will resort to intimidate, threaten, and verbally assault people to comply with their wishes. Being right is more important than doing right. Members exercise their power through attendance and contribution. The fact is money talks, and congregations need people in the pews and a means to finance ministries. Members resort to manipulation in order to achieve their own personal agenda. 
  • Politics skews right and wrong, and justice is lost. Politics involve the abuse of power through key individuals. Maybe they have money. Maybe they have influence. The result is that certain subjects are not addressed, and certain individuals are never confronted. Too many preachers have been forced to sell out their own integrity for fear of offending the wrong members of a church; truth has often been sacrificed for position. 
  • Protection is a Biblical mandate, but only in regard to the weak and vulnerable (Jam. 1:27). However, when certain members, because of money, position or family connections, commit indiscretions that are covered up, then protection is flipped on its heels. For years the Catholic Church protected priests who abused boys in their diocese. The abuse fractured the Church, but the cover-up sent shockwaves beyond the Church. 

In an era when Church’s reputation has been tarnished, when Churches are viewed as irrelevant, and when the good the Church has accomplished has been outweighed by the bad it has done, the Church needs to be proactive in securing its own integrity.  John tells us that “light shines in darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (1:5). Light needs to continually shine in and on the church in order to prevent the dark side of the church to overcome the light.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. Only God is Glorified!)

Posted on

A Piece of the Action

A few years ago, a speaker at a conference painted a picture of the church in modern day Jerusalem. He said that when the church comes together, the membership is drawn from the demographics in the region. Such can be said for many and probably most churches. You plant a church in a certain community, and that church is a cross section of that community (or at least it should be). So what do the members of a growing church in Jerusalem look like? He said, their membership is comprised of Christians whose backgrounds include Jews, Palestinians, Israeli’s and Muslims.

I think it’s hard for us to get our minds wrapped around a church comprised of so many different, if not volatile, backgrounds. We’ve bought into the American belief that the best way to grow a church is through minimizing differences and maximizing commonalities. White Christians have their white churches, while black Christians have theirs. Rich Christians have their churches, while poor churches have theirs. Christians to the “so-called right” have their churches, while Christians to the “so-called left” have theirs. Such a mindset is so pervasive, we cannot imagine another option for building churches. 

The more I reflect on this church in Jerusalem, the more intrigued I am about the inner-workings of this church. What do they talk about? How do they manage separating their national heritage from their spiritual reality? We’re looking at Christians whose national people have shed blood over a God-given land, and over a city where his Name resides. In a region so divisive, holding peace together by a thread, how does that church not tear itself apart?  Surely, individual members want a piece of the action!

In the final chapter of Romans, Paul issues greetings to almost thirty individuals (more so if you count the households and house churches). Scholars will tell you that the list of names include Jews and Gentiles, slaves and freedmen, men and women. The core problem in Rome was primarily the Jewish Christian and Gentile Christian trying to come together as one. In an over simplified illustration, when they came together to eat, were they serving ham sandwiches or kosher fish sticks? So as Paul was encouraging the church to apply his rich theology of the previous chapters, he tells them to “greet one another.” More so, the commonality for their greeting was not their Jewish or Gentile heritage, but in the One who saved them. Four times he tells them that their relationship is rooted in Jesus Christ (Rom. 16:3,7,9, 10), while five times he says it’s rooted in the Lord (Rom. 16:8,11,12a,12b,13). What brings Christians together is beyond one’s ideology, but is found in our relationship to the Risen Savior. He’s the common point of reference. 

Beyond Christ, everything of importance becomes a reason to divide, and it fuels our passions to have a piece of the action. Fans defend their sports teams, and even turn a blind eye to the unscrupulous conduct of the players, coaches and schools/ownerships. Christians mark off denomination territories to defend their doctrinal positions, at the expense of justice, mercy, and humility. Citizens take their personal political views to draw a line in the sand daring someone to cross or to hold an opposing viewpoint. And when sports, religion and politics converge, it’s always combustible. We’ve witnessed this as if we’re sitting in box seats: instead of seeking peace, everyone wants a piece of the action. 

So how do you counsel members of the church in Jerusalem, whose background includes such divisive political perspectives, and where unity is frail? Do you tell them to stand their ground? Do you help fuel the fires of division, or help bridge the gap by seeking the one commonality they can hold on to? After offering your counsel to them, what advice do you bring back home?  Do you really want a piece of the action, or a peace in the midst of the action?

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. Only God is Glorified!)

Posted on

Finding Mercy in the Wake of Justice

When Mt. St. Helens erupted in 1980, my dad believed it was punishment from God for the sins of America. He never quite told me what sins America had committed that would unleash the fury of God, though looking back on it I can imagine the sins. Twenty-five years later, when Katrina hit the gulf coast, I heard the same statements coming from multiple sources, only louder. This time, though, the storm came on the heels of 9-11, and numerous people connected the dots to the conclusion: God was punishing America for their sins. Recently, with the fires in the Northwest and hurricanes in Texas and Florida, the voice of doom has been heard again, “God is punishing America for her sins!”

Retributive Theology is the belief that when something bad happens, it’s because of sin and the result is God’s punishment. It’s the kind of thinking being drawn from when people, like my father, associate the natural disasters with God’s punishment. The belief is rooted in stories like the flood (Gen. 6), where God destroys the entire world because of the people’s sin. Or when God uses Israel as punishment to evict the Canaanites from their homes because of their grave sins (Gen. 15:16). 

The story of Job is a story rooted in Retributive Theology, and all the players were driven by the belief that God was punishing Job for the sins he committed. The difference between Job and his three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) was that Job kept trying to defend his righteousness while his friends condemned him for his unrighteousness. Job might say, “I’ve done nothing to deserve this punishment from God” (see 6:24-29; 9:17-18; 13:15). His friends might counter with, “God only punishes the wicked, thus you’ve done something wrong” (see 4:7-10; 5:17; 8:2-6; 11:5-6, 10-11). The problem, of course, is that we know from the opening pages of Job’s story that he’s not being punished for wrongdoing, and that in the ending pages of Job he’s not only exonerated, but his friends must beg his forgiveness for speaking out of turn, an important fact often ignored.    

Beyond the fact that we live in a fallen world where bad things naturally happen, two points are worth highlighting. First, God’s answer to pain, suffering, sin, and rebellion is not fires and floods, but the cross.  God’s purpose for the cross was to redeem and save mankind, not to condemn us (Jn. 3:16). One could argue that if God is punishing people by way of flooding and fires, then God is devaluing the reason for sending his Son in the first place. I wouldn’t want to take the attention off the cross, but we might want to try and figure-out how to keep the cross front and center to his message. With the cross central to our faith, we might find ourselves more compassionate with the victims of the disaster instead of more condemning. 

Secondly, if God is punishing the people with fires and floods, then what is the appropriate response? When Jesus told the parable of the talents (Mt. 25:14-30), the man with the one talent held a conviction about his master (he reaped what he did not sow).  The man’s response did not line up with his conviction about his master. The master confronted him, “If you held those convictions, then instead of burying my money you should have invested it in the bank.” He then called the servant lazy, and threw him out of his presence. If these disasters are punishment from God, then the response from the people is to repent. Those making the “punishment” claim should be the ones leading the charge in repentance by tearing their clothes, putting on sackcloth’s and ashes, or in our society, by coming forward on Sunday to confess their roles in the sins of our nation. Unfortunately, what I’m seeing is a whole lot of self-righteous finger pointing, and very little repentance. 

When the disciples saw a man born blind, they created a theological debate over the reason for man’s blindness (Jn. 9:1-3). Jesus refused to enter the blame game, and instead looked for mercy and compassion, while seeking a means for God to bring healing. Maybe we ought to start doing the same. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. Only God Is Glorified!)

Posted on

Shades of Truth

The use of shading in paintings or sketches allows for depth and realism.  Shading the truth only brings lies and deception to the forefront. I once colored a picture and was showing it to an artist.  She said, “I love your use of shadow, it makes it look like the sun is shining.” I looked at the picture I had drawn, studied the colors as I could see where I pressed harder on the left side of the paper, and lightened the coloring as I moved to the right.  I looked at her and admitted in all honesty, “It does look cool. But I never purposely tried to shade the picture. I guess I just got lucky.” Shading a colored picture is brilliant; shading the truth is another story. 

We’ve always known people who’ve shaded the truth; we’ve even done it ourselves. Abraham introducing Sarah as his sister while ignoring the glaring truth that she was also his wife shaded the truth to the Egyptians (Gen. 12:10-13). However, it seems that the shading in our society has gotten darker not lighter. Stephen Colbert coined the phrase, “truthiness,” to describe a person or people who hold convictions as true, even though empirical evidence, logic, or intellectual examination of the facts say otherwise. At the beginning of the year, Kellyann Conway coined the phrase, “alternative facts” (i.e. truth) to counter the report of the low turnout for the Presidential Inauguration. If fact is fact, or truth is truth, then what exactly is an “alternative fact,” if not shading the truth? 

This last week, in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, FaceBook lit up in what only became known as the next cycle news story perpetuated by those who like shading the truth. The facts slowly emerged, but never fast enough to counter the lies. What is true is the Lakewood Church, home of Joel Osteen’s mega church in the old Compact Center, never opened its doors for the displaced. Another truth is that the outcry against him was heard all over the internet. As the facts emerged, Lakewood was never asked to open their doors by the city, for fear of another Superdome tragedy from Hurricane Katrina (bad plumbing, no showers & fresh water, and reports of sexual abuse). The Compact Center received its own damage during the rains; between flooding and structural integrity issues, the city feared escalating problems. Besides, the city had made arrangements for a number of other places designated as refugee spots, and using the Compact Center was only a last resort plan. 

In all candor, I am not a fan of Joel Osteen, but that doesn’t mean I don’t that I have no admiration for him. Not only do I admire his personal narrative of how he reluctantly entered the preaching ministry, but I also admire his ability to attract people who flock to his church every week in a culture where many (or most) churches are struggling to maintain status quo (Phil. 1:18 might apply here). My critique is that in his attempt to offer a “positive” message, the message he offers is rooted in the self-help, prosperity gospel. If we’re going to criticize someone, let’s make sure the accusations against them are the truth, without having to shade them for our advantage. Osteen never closed his doors to the people of Houston, but offered assistance where his church could. 

FaceBook has become a breeding ground for Fake News, which is another word for lies. We share and post articles without determining their validity.  We assume far too much, and it helps perpetuate lies. We post memes because they fit our conclusions. We’ve stopped reading, and when we do read we fail to allow for reflection on what we’ve read. We share articles without ever double checking the source, the agenda, or consulting with www.snopes.com (a website committed to filtering the truth from the lies). 

Jesus claimed to be truth (Jn. 14:6). Paul exhorted his readers to embrace truth and reject lies (Eph. 4:25). David plays the role of Diogenes as he searches for anyone who will tell the truth, but he searches in vain (Ps. 12:1). Maybe it’s time for our discipleship to Jesus to force us out of the shades and into the light of truth. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. Only God Is Glorified!)

Posted on

A Total Eclips of the Heart

With apologies to Bonnie Tyler . . . turnaround because every now and then I get a little tired. Tired of the fight. Tired of the pride. Tired of the anger.  Tired of the blame game. Tired of the incessant need to be right, instead of doing right.  The result is a total eclipse of the heart. 

Since the Charlottesville incident last week, America’s heart has been exposed for what it is – a heart eclipsed by Satan’s will and sin. What we’ve witnessed is a nation in the grips of hatred, racism, and nationalism. The news media and FaceBook have taken sides and have helped feed the frenzy. 

Maybe we’re just trying to figure out how all of this happened. Maybe we’re trying to get our heads wrapped around the events. Or maybe our hearts are that dark, and we’re exposed for what we really are. In the process we’re tearing ourselves apart; when that happens, everyone loses. We need to turnaround.

Turnaround and look at the man hanging on the cross. In that moment, God removed the barrier that existed between himself and mankind. The act was symbolized in the temple when the curtain that prevented access to God was torn from top to bottom (Mt. 27:51). Everyone now has access to God.  No human priest is needed. No human mediator is needed. Jesus fills that role as he escorts mankind into the throne room of God (Heb. 10:19-22). The work at the cross not only removed barriers between mankind and God, but also removed the barriers between each other. We are one in Christ. Paul says that male or female, slave or free, Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, black or white is irrelevant to God (Gal. 3:28), and if it’s relevant to us, it’s because our hearts have been eclipsed by sin. 

Bonnie Tyler is right, in a call for repentance, we need to turnaround. 

Turnaround . . . and realize that the sins of the White Community are coming back to haunt us. No, those of us living today have not been slave owners. But it wasn’t even a hundred years ago (my grandparents era) that the White Community could and did lynch black men for any unprovoked reason and feel justified in doing so. Eighty years ago black communities were forced to live in areas of towns that provided subpar living conditions and education. Sixty years ago the White community could discriminate simply because of the person’s skin color. In my lifetime, whenever black families tried to purchase homes in White Community neighborhoods, they have been met with resistance, followed by White Flight. Listening closely, you still hear racial slurs from White people, even those claiming to follow Jesus. 

At the most, the White Community needs to repent for holding onto racists view and spouting slurs against their black brothers and sisters, and to acknowledge that woven into the fabric of our nation was an unfair advantage given to White people over Black people. At the very least, we need more White leaders to follow the lead of Daniel by identifying with the sins of the nation or church even if we’re not directly guilty ourselves (e.g. Daniel 9:1-20).

Turnaround . . . start choosing the Kingdom of God over Patriotic loyalty, especially when Patriotic idealism clashes with God’s ethic. Some have wondered how the churches in Germany could ever support the Nazi regime. The simple answer was that somewhere along the way, Christians in German were far more loyal to the nation and blinded by the myth and propaganda produced by the government. God’s Kingdom cannot tolerate hate, racism and the dehumanization people which have been so prevalent in America and in the American churches. God, on the other hand embraces color and its diversity as the Spirit always leads toward reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:16-21; Gal. 5:22-23; Eph. 4:4). In the fallout of Charlottesville, we appear to be far more concerned with the well-being of statutes, than we are with the well-being of our fellow man. 

Turnaround . . . and in the midst of fear, choose faith.  I don’t know how life will unfold tomorrow. But we need to choose faith, trust God with the future, and believe that his purpose will endure long after we’re gone. 

Turnaround . . . because once upon a time we were falling in love with Jesus, now we’re only falling apart. We need cleansing from this total eclipse of our hearts. I pray that it happens. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. God Is Glorified!)

Posted on

Trying to Psalm 148 When You’re Stuck in Psalm 130

The day is burned into my memory, and was the first marker of hope in four months of darkness. My dad had passed away before Christmas in 2003. He was a recipient of a liver transplant in 1997, but nearly seven years later he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We had a family reunion to say “goodbye” to him at Thanksgiving, and after the first of the year we held a memorial service for him. While each of my brothers spoke, I gave the eulogy. 

What I never expected was how deep and dark the hole I was sinking into was going to be. For three months I never saw the Son’s ray break through the darkness, and there were times when I thought I’d never see the Son’s rays again. What made this journey more difficult was that I was preaching at the time. Every week I was standing before my congregation with a message of hope, given by someone who had all but lost hope. I distinctly remember one Sunday morning when my lips and tongue told the congregation of God’s love and mercy, but my mind was telling me, “I don’t believe it.” I was worshiping from Psalm 148, but emotionally and spiritually, I was living in Psalm 130. 

Psalm 148 is filled with hope, praise and adoration to God. God receives the glory and recognition for his creation. Everyone and everything bursts forth in praise. At the end of Psalm 148 everyone feels good, for God is in control. However, Psalm 130 is filled with despondency. The Psalmist is in the depths of despair and keeps crying out to God, a God who is not responding to the prayers of the Psalmist. It’s hard to strengthen your faith when hope is all but lost. 

So when the Psalmist stands before us and calls out Psalm 148 but you’re stuck in Psalm 130, what can you do? As someone who has been in that situation before, allow me to share with you some thoughts. 

● If you’re looking for a reason for the darkness, you may not find it. Ultimately, does knowing a reason change your response to your situation?  The story of Job places the audience in the “know” but keeps Job in the “unknown.” We know why Job was enduring suffering, but God never explains the reason to him. Maybe God knew Job wouldn’t understand, or maybe God needed Job to act in faith and to praise God in the midst of his pain, not in the absence of it. Never underestimate the power of praising the Light in the midst of darkness. 

● Draw from what you know is true, and your feelings will catch up. That morning I was preaching, I spoke the truth, though emotionally and in the moment I had a hard time believing. Given time, my feelings caught up to truthful faith and I whole heartedly believed what I said was the truth. Even if you’re stuck in Psalm 130, go ahead and sing your heart out in Psalm 148 because at some point, you’ll believe the words in Psalm 148.

● Remember that God’s final answer to suffering is the cross. When your life situation forces you to quote Psalm 22:1, remember that Jesus quoted that same verse as well. Take comfort and knowing that Jesus sits with you, not only through the darkness, but when the Psalmist is calling the assembly to Psalm 148 and you’re stuck in Psalm 130, he is praising God with you and the congregation (see Psalm 22:22;  Heb. 2:12).   

So if you’re stuck in Psalm 130, above anything else, keep reading Psalm 130. Even when the Psalmist cries out to God, his faith is fully entrenched in God, “I wait for the Lord . . . and in his word, I put my hope” (Ps. 130:5). Your faith needs that same entrenchment.

So the day that is burned into my memory is not the day my words and my mind held a crisis of faith. The day burned into my memory is that Sunday morning I turned to Cile and said, “The Son broke through this morning. Today, I worshiped.” What he did for me, he’ll do for you. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. Only God is Glorified!)

Posted on

The Unwritten Rules

During the Saturday double-header televised baseball games of the 1970s, the network showed video clips of controversial plays. Before the umpire actually made the call, the video stopped and challenged the viewer with, “You make the call.” After the commercial break and before the game resumed, they returned to the video and explained the proper call, and you were able to test your knowledge of the rules. My rules of the game knowledge was never very good. 

The Major League rulebook contains about 71 rules; conversely the Little League rulebook holds 111. Every game has rules, and in order to avoid chaos and an unfair advantage, the rules are written down, explained and published so that everyone knows the framework by which the game is played. No one wants to play a game where rules are fluid and are arbitrarily changed just to give an advantage to one player or team. 

Baseball, unlike any other game or sport, has a series of “unwritten rules” to help guide the play of the game. According to one website, at least twenty-five of these rules exist. Some of these rules include: don’t steal third base with two outs; if a pitcher hits a teammate, hit one of theirs; no showing up or bat flipping for a home run (refer to previous rule). At least twenty-five of these so-called rules exist, and my guess is that the list will get longer not shorter with time. Baseball isn’t the only group to have rules run amok. 

According to some sources, the Jewish religious leaders in the first century had calculated that the Law contained over 600 rules. To top it off, they quickly debated among themselves the most important rules to obey. Thus, when Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment (Mt. 22:34-40; Mk. 12:28-34), they were inviting him into a current discussion/debate. While one may marvel at their penchant for numbering commands, it was their Unwritten Rules that exposed their hypocrisy. 

I’ve read a number examples of the rules that were enforced in order to protect the Israelites from breaking the commands. They decided a specific distance was safe enough before breaking the 4th Commandment. They also refused to eat eggs that chickens laid on the Sabbath, because the chickens “worked” to lay the eggs. Of course we can quickly see their flawed thinking, and even mock them, because noting others’ legalism is easier than noticing our own tendencies. They were man-made. They were fluid and could easily be changed. They became more important than keeping the Law itself. They were the Unwritten Rules.

When we prescribe a dress code for worship, or demand everyone to use a certain translation, or refuse to allow certain songs sung in the song service (i.e.  Stamps-Baxter or “camp songs”), or saying the Old Testament doesn’t really count because we’re New Testament Christians (the list is endless), are we not simply creating or enforcing Unwritten Rules? 

Two passages come to my mind concerning these Unwritten Rules. First, when Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, he focused on Deuteronomy 6:4-5, “loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength,” and Leviticus 19:18, “loving our neighbors as ourselves” (Mt. 12:29-31). Secondly, when he uttered the seven woes against the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, he told them they should have spent more time focusing on the more important points of the Law: justice, mercy and faithfulness without ignoring the other matters (Mt. 23:23). 

Without creating another set of rules it seems Jesus’ challenging words are clear enough. Keep loving God and each other a priority.  Start investing in justice, mercy and faithfulness. Stop creating Unwritten Rules, because keeping the first two challenges are hard enough. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. Only God is Glorified!)

Posted on

His Way: A New Way to Eat Fresh

Even though Subway has been around as long as I have lived, the sandwich shop never entered my peripheral until the turn of the century. In fact, I didn’t really see the store until Matthew started talking about his friend, Chandler, telling him it was his favorite restaurant (I think the slogan, “Eat Fresh,” was part of the reason he enjoyed the franchise).  Soon after, my friend, Terry and I, started eating lunches together and we often chose Subway as a healthy alternative to the local Mexican or the local buffet. Having fresh vegetables to add to sandwiches allows for healthier choices to our food. 

Soon after moving to Elkton, I discovered that Subway became my “go to” restaurant in a town with limited dining opportunities. Not only was it a relatively healthy and affordably priced, but it was also delicious. I ate there as many as four times a week, and created a strong friendship with the Indian husband/wife owners and their workers. When I moved to Scioto County, Ohio, I had high expectations about the local Subway stores. To be honest, I never realized how spoiled I got eating at the Subway in Elkton, as something has been missing from the number of the local Subways in Scioto County (not all, but some). 

I can’t help but wonder why the same franchise, offering the same product, has quality-control problems. How the one in Elkton could become almost an addictive treat, and the ones here struggle to satisfy? A number of reasons may exist to explain the discrepancy, but we might focus on the Subway slogan, Eat Fresh.  Could it be that some Subways cut corners on freshness? Maybe. But you’re not reading this for a critique of Subway, are you? In that case, what can we say about churches? How come certain churches, even within the same fellowship of believers, are almost addictive to be a part of while other churches within the same fellowship struggle to satisfy? Could the answer be found in Freshness verses something Stale? 

If Jesus is the Bread of Life (Jn. 1:35), then some churches are offering a Fresh Jesus, while others are offering a Stale Jesus. Let me offer three areas where we can replace the Stale with the Fresh. 

FreshWorship > When Jesus was talking to the woman at the well, he talked about worshiping in “spirit and truth” (Jn. 4:23-24). When Jesus spoke these words, he wasn’t arguing a doctrinal position about worship. In fact, he had just told her that the “place” of worship was about to mean nothing to God (Jn. 4:21).  Jesus was addressing issues of integrity, honesty and authenticity. We come to worship God with so many agendas and motives.  Sometimes we want people to pat us on the back to tell us we’re spiritual (see Mt. 6:1-18). Sometimes we’re just punching our ticket thinking we’re doing God a favor by showing up. Sometimes we arrive as critics, dissecting the worship leaders, the preacher, and the leadership.  If enough members are acting out of such agendas, the worship will be Stale. Fresh Worship means checking our hearts at the door and throwing ourselves into the worship of God. 

FreshRelationships > the New Testament contains over 100 “one another” statements (love one another, serve one another, serve one another, etc.). These statements force church members to move from peripheral relationships into something real and authentic (try that “forgiven one another” when you don’t want to forgive). Stale church relationships remain on the surface, never allowing times to share dreams, struggles, and hopes; they tend to be disposable too.  Fresh Relationships love spending time together. They create safe areas where confession is encouraged and accountability is present. Fighting for each other is far more common that fighting with each other.     

FreshPreaching > When Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus, he coined a phrase unique to those epistles, “sound doctrine.”  The teachings of the church is the best way to understand, “doctrine.” On the other hand, “Soundness” is best understood as “healthy.” The teachings of the church is supposed to be healthy for the members of the body. The word and the context of the “Pastorals” also speak to the moral and ethical message. In short, Fresh Preaching is less about the preacher’s dynamic or props he uses, nor is it about holding to party-line beliefs, but is more about healthy teaching that leads members into making changes in their lives. 

While I’m still looking to capture the Subway experience from Elkton, I’m far more interested in watching churches capture the freshness of God’s vision for the church. Stale bread needs to be thrown out and replaced with something fresh. A stale church needs the Holy Spirit to breathe freshness through it. When that happens we’ll find a new way to Eat Fresh!

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)