Category: Spiritual Discipline

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Words Matter

Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees and teachers of the law. They tried cornering him. They pointed their judgmental finger at him and his disciples, accusing them of breaking their longtime standard of washing hands before eating a meal. They weren’t concerned with sanitation and germs, but holiness expressed in a traditional practice. Their created rule to wash hands before eating was an attempt to keep people holy before God.

Jesus wasn’t buying what they were selling. He pushed back. First, he accused the religious leaders of breaking God’s law commanding (adult) children to honor their parents. They were all in for their own rules but failed to keep the important rules. Secondly, he made a profound statement that it is not what goes into a person’s mouth that makes them unholy, but what comes out.

The pig and the pork entering the mouth do not make a person unclean before God. Instead, it’s the words and phrases that exit the mouth that do. The anger words. The sensual words. The lying words. The hypocritical words. The fraudulent words. The hateful words. The manipulative words. The racist words. The shaming words. The slanderous words. The dehumanizing words. The divisive words. The evil words that rise from the heart and pass over the lips spoken by the tongue are the words that reveal our true self. And let’s be honest, it’s not very attractive.

Words matter.

What we say matters.
Ask anyone who has been hurt by a spoken lie,|
Or has experienced a broken promise.
Words matter.

Words carry weight.
Ask anyone who has been bullied and verbally abused,
Or anyone who has been in a meeting when the person with the power stymies all
forward progress by words chosen to intimidate others;
Words matter.

Words are not without meaning.
Ask anyone who knows a second language,
Or anyone who had to defend themselves by saying, “That’s what I said, but not what I meant;”
Words Matter.

The pen is mightier than the sword.
Ask anyone who has been trashed on social media,
Or has a paper returned from the teacher highlighted in red;
Words Matter.

Words will never harm me.
Ask anyone whose husband has told her, “I don’t love you anymore,”
Or that child whose classmate insults him for the “umpteenth” time;
Words matter.

We live in a time when words are overused, filled with cliches, drowned out by the noise around us, and have often lost meaning. Like truth, it feels like words can convey anything we want them to say. Thus, words struggle to take root in the heart of people as they bounce off the heart like a superball ricocheting off the street. We find ourselves dismissive of the words spoken to us for if we heard it once, we’ve heard it all before. Didn’t Solomon once say himself, “Nothing is new under the sun.” Maybe so.

Words matter.

The Bible is filled with words. In a society that is shaped visually and where attention span is as long as goldfish’s memory, God’s Word contains over 700,000 words. That is a lot of words. In the middle of those words, we find Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path.” The Psalmist believes that God’s word, Scripture, will help guide the reader through life clearly and safely.

Sprinkled throughout the Old Testament like seasoning, we find the phrase, “The word of the Lord.” One hundred times this phrase will surface to make the reader cause to pause. Sometimes the phrase signifies that God is communicating information or insight to a person. Other times, it is used to signify the validity of the prophet’s spoken word.

The Gospel of John opens his Jesus story by drawing the reader back to Genesis 1, “In the beginning.” This time, though, John tells us that it is the Word who was with God, and in fact was God from the beginning. The very Word of God who called the universe into existence is the Word that now dwells among us in the form of Jesus. John writes in wonder if his readers will heed such Word or turn a deaf ear.

James, who was Jesus’s brother and an important leader in the Jerusalem Church, speaks to the words we use. Unlike animals, our words have never been tamed. We speak sweet praises to God while poisonous words ooze from our mouths against those made in the image of God. James shakes his head because mixing streams of fresh and salt waters are incompatible and may even be combustible.

In Exodus 20 Moses comes down from Mt. Sinai with two tablets, tablets known as The Ten Commandments. That title was coined late from the Bishop’s Bible (C.E. 1568) which the King James Bible picked up on to popularize. The Hebrews called them the 10 Words. 10 Words. And the nineth word in that list addresses words directly: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against your neighbor.” At the core of the Hebrew moral and ethical law is the use of our words. You do not lie and make up stories or accusations against someone or a people for any reason. For any reason. The Hebrews bearing a false witness is criminal. Our American word, perjury, hardly does this justice.

Words matter.  

Let me tell you a story about a local enterprise,
There’s one in every town, no matter what its size;
It doesn’t bring a profit or bring any revenue,
It’s good for one thing and that’s the damage it will do,
It’s called, The Rumor Mill.

The people who work there are all volunteers,
Their only qualification is a mouth and two big ears;
If the story’s not clear enough, that OK,
They’ll just doctor it up and then send it on its way;
It doesn’t matter who’s involved or who is gonna hurt,
As long as folks are listening, they’ll keep shoveling dirt
At the The Rumor Mill.

The Rumor Mill (And you’re manufacturing lies)
The Rumor Mill (The truth is disguised)
The Rumor Mill (Where reputations are crushed)
The Rumor Mill (Where nothing is untouched)
If it can be twisted, you can be sure that it will,
‘cause there ain’t nothin sacred,
At the Rumor Mill.

Now listen, my children, to this warning I make,
We’ve got a lot to lose, there’s a lot here at stake.
The Bible plainly states you’re gonna reap what you sow,
And you’ll be shown mercy by the mercy you show.
So shut your mouth and ask your friends to kindly do the same,
For you’ll end up as a victim with no one else to blame
At the Rumor Mill.

Words matter.

While I was at home caring for my mother, the hospice chaplain came to visit. Since he and I were in the same profession, we got off to the side to talk shop. He told me that his whole approach to his hospice chaplaincy changed when a patient said something to him. She looked at him and said, “Why haven’t you given me any words of hope?”

I questioned what I have been doing for the past three years. Have I used words to bring hope to my patients? Preachers tend to use a lot of words. We say something, but do we say anything worthwhile? Do we use our words to offer hope, or are they empty phrases filled with filler notes or cliches, or worse, negative words that lead to despair? Moving forward, how will I engage with my patients so that I will be more intentional with words of hope?

Words matter.

Billy Graham was a no-nonsense preacher. Stadiums overflowed as he proclaimed words of warning and salvation to the audience. His credibility and crafting of words led thousands to the alter in dedication or rededication, and prime-time television showcased his crusades. When Billy Graham spoke, people listened.

Martin Luther King, Jr. painted pictures with the words he uttered. Where Bob Ross used paint, paint brush, and a canvas to bring something to life, King used his poetic phraseology. The finished product of his words ignited a flame that swept through America known as the Civil Rights Movement. Mind you, how beautiful his words were, they were often hard to swallow. Even today, some sixty years later, his words are still hard to hear and just as hard to swallow.

Words from the mouth of Hitler is another verse. Fueling the hatred for the Jews, they were called unmentionable names in order to blame and scapegoat them for their nation’s problems. Hitler’s words dehumanized the Jewish people, making it easier to view them as less than human. If they weren’t real humans and part of society’s problems, then it would be that much easier to remove them like an exterminator removes mice and roaches. Hitler’s words tapped into Germany’s fear and ignited a hatred that led to the extermination of six million people. The only thing worse than Hitler’s words are the words spoken by the Holocaust deniers.

Words matter.

One day a woman was caught in the very act of adultery. The intimacy was exposed for all to see. As her accusers were dragging her through the streets leaving her dignity behind, Hank Williams was playing loud and clear in the background. If you listen carefully, you can hear, “Your Cheatin’ Heart” echo throughout time. The scene was ugly, like someone capturing the moment on TikTok for the whole world to see. And the whole town was witnessing the humiliation of the moment.

They brought her before Jesus and the gathered crowd, displayed like it was a reality tv show for ratings. The Pharisees forced Jesus to embrace the law of Moses which called for the execution of the those caught in adultery. In their hands were the rocks ready to be thrown. But Jesus spoke no words, and the silence was deafening. It doesn’t take a New Testament scholar with a PH.D. to ask the simple question, “Where’s the man?” If they caught her “in the very act of adultery,” then the missing guilty man means she’s been framed and is a pawn for their show. Suddenly, this story is getting creepily dark.

Jesus knelt on the ground and began to write. Did he doodle something? Did he write words? My curiosity is captured because I want to see what he was writing. And isn’t that the point? All eyes are now squarely focused on Jesus, and not on the woman. For a moment, her guilt and shame dissipate, as the crowd is more interested in what Jesus is doing than in what she has done.

But the instigators persist and press Jesus for a ruling. So, he rules, stating that anyone without sin casts the first stone. He then bends back down on the ground to write, while all eyes are now fixated on the provocateurs. And in an unexpected plot twist, the rocks begin dropping from their hands as they walk away from the scene, the oldest to the youngest.

And with the crowd still watching, Jesus looked up and questioned the woman. “Where are your accusers? Is no one here to condemn you?” Looking at the one sinless man with the right to condemn, she said, “No one.” And with words, he removed the guilt and shame as he kindly dismissed her. As she walked away you could almost hear Hank Williams singing, “I saw the light.”

 Words matter.

“May these words of my mouth, and this meditation of my heart, be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Ps. 19:14).

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

* The Rumor Mill words by Jon Mohr.

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To Buffet or to Buffet My Body: The Power of a Disciplined Life to Say No

The eight years I spent in competitive running demanded discipline and sacrifice. Friends wanted to hang out, I had to train. Unhealthy foods calling to me were ignored. “Early to bed and early to rise” was the motto overriding the desire to either stay up or sleep in. When an athlete is in full training mode, unless significantly gifted, discipline and sacrifice are essential components for any success.

Looking back on my running career, I feel like discipline and sacrifice were often short changed. With the amount of miles I was running combined with a high rate of metabolism, I could eat almost anything I wanted with very little consequences. I went to bed early, not because I rose early to run, but because I liked going to bed early. Since running was my identity, I never really saw myself giving anything up. I was sufficiently gifted to enjoy enough success to coast through the off seasons. Overall, I loved running. I had friends who were runners. Whatever sacrifices I was making seemed minimal compared to the gains of high school and college competition. In hindsight I do not believe I comprehended the sacrifice of a truly disciplined life. Thus, I was never genuinely disciplined.

Paul knew what it meant to keep the careless desires at bay, and so did the Corinthians. Paul used the athletic image of a runner running to win the prize and a boxer who does more than simply shadow box for victory (1 Cor. 9:24-27). Since Corinth hosted the Olympic-type events called the Isthmian Games, the church was well versed in the dedicated sacrifice of the athlete. Successful athletes embrace training that cost them something in life (v. 27) in order to achieve something greater. They controlled their lives, instead of their lives controlling them.  

Paul’s use of the athletic imagery (1 Cor. 9:24-27) appears in the middle section of three chapters dedicated to addressing whether or not meat sacrificed to idols should be eaten by Christians (1 Cor. 8-10). By chapter 8’s ending Paul stated that if eating such meat causes a brother/sister to sin, then one should avoid eating the meat altogether (8:13). Turning the page to chapter nine Paul anticipates the pushback from the church as they demand their rights to eat the food. So Paul, dealing with rights, makes two strong points. First, he models giving up rights. He not only elects for a single life, but he refuses pay from the Corinthians for his preaching (9:3-6). Secondly, and to his point, giving up rights is an expression of the disciplined life as saying “no” manifests itself as a sacrifice. The athlete in training undergoes a strict regiment of diet, exercise, and sleep. In order to say “yes” to training he/she must say “no” to certain foods, to skipping workouts, and to sleep deprivation. Regardless of the pull to break training, the athlete leans into the power of a sacrificial discipline by saying “no.” In order to maintain control and discipline in his/her own life the athlete must say “no.”

I never quite understood this as a high school and college athlete. I was young and full of energy with a high metabolism. Much of that has changed. As I am staring down at the sixty year marker, not long ago, I experienced a health scare which forced me to alter my diet. I made changes that involved saying “no.” No to sweetened drinks and processed foods, while red meat and fried foods were far from my first choices. Sugar and salt intake were scaled back as I needed to drop significant weight. The disciplined life came into clear focus the day I craved a Sonic burger. I usually don’t crave Sonic burgers, but I did early on in this transition. I discovered that if I broke my fast and had the burger (with tater tots, yummm) I would satisfy my craving, but the hope of losing the weight and ruining my long term health were jeopardized. I came to realize that sometimes one just has to say “no” so that one remains in control and not being controlled by certain cravings. Even now, living with a clean bill of health, I’m pressed with the power that one must occasionally say “no.” Sometimes I succeed, other times I fail.

Such a sacrificial disciplined life stretches into our spiritual well-being. In a world that tells us to spend money and to embrace consumerism, sometimes acting in “no” helps reinforces contentment without forcing us into (more) debt. At a time when we’re bombarded by electronics and the need to mindlessly look at our phones, saying “no” frees us from all the negative social media platforms. In a culture driven by fast foods saying “no” might lead to a healthier lifestyle. Might. With an overly sexually stimulated society, saying “no” secures us from a deadly addiction with devastating consequences – not only to ourselves, but also to those we love the most. And for those who pride themselves on their own self-control, such self-control may simply be another cloak actually controlling you.

During the 1980’s FLOTUS Nancy Reagan initiated an anti-drug campaign called, “Just Say No.” Ultimately, the program failed because the producers underestimated the complexities of America’s drug problem (remember, the opioid crisis was still another generation away). The problem was individualized instead of empowering society. By treating the symptom of fighting peer pressure in the short term, they failed to provide concrete tools to resist drug use over the long haul.

What Paul is advocating is something far more encompassing than a political or social war on drugs. The discipline to say “no” is different in 1 Corinthians 9 than the “no” combating drugs. Paul is protecting the church from the arrogant as his community plea outweighs the individual rights. His message may be simplified by this axiom: you control it so that it does not control you.

I remember watching Rikki-Tikki-Tavi as a child and failing to understand why the mongoose refused the temptation to eat the entire banana. With danger lurking, the hero had to stay fit and sharp. Something was stalking, preying in the garden and far more pressing than Rikki’s personal desire and appetite. He had to stay in control so that the enemy would not gain control over him.

Thus, Paul argues, by saying “no,” we buffet our bodies over buffeting our bodies so that we remain in control so that it does not control us.

Solo Deo Glor
(i.e., Only God Is Glorified!)

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Unequally Yoked

The Law of Moses was explicit on the care of farm animals, particularly in regard to plowing one’s field. Never yoke an ox and a donkey together (Dt. 22:10). Because the ox is so much bigger and stronger than the donkey, the smaller and weaker animal (proportionally) was at risk to being dragged by the ox. Imagine two football linemen (i.e. Jared McCray and his friend, Joe Anderson) in a tug of war against two cross country runners (think Jonathan & Matthew Partlow). The runners aren’t weak, but we know the outcome of this tug of war. The same with yoking an ox with a donkey; the donkey doesn’t have a chance.

Paul picks up on the imagery of the unequal yoking in 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1. The principle is straight forward as the apostle links two opposing positions that people mistakenly believe can be yoked: the righteous and the wicked, those in the light and those in darkness, Christ and Satan, believers and unbelievers, and finally the temple of God and the temple of idols (v. 14-16). None of these hold anything in common and all are so diametrically opposed to each other that everyone knows the outcome. It won’t end well.

The center of the passage is verse 17, “Come out from them, and be separate.” The call to come out, from Isaiah 52, is wrapped in hope as God exhorts Israel to make a clean break from Babylon in returning to Jerusalem. Paul picks up on the exhortation for the church to make a clean break from paganism, because if they don’t, the outcome won’t end well.

What Paul says is one thing. How to apply the apostle’s words is another argument completely. Traditionally, this passage has been used, and solely used, to preach against unequally yoked marriages. What happens when a believer marries an unbeliever? It’s a good question as we’ve seen the struggle, and marriage is hard enough without adding one of faith and one without. The problem is, even though these verses can be applied to dating or engaged couples, that this passage says nothing about marriage. The words “courting” or “marriage” or even a reference to Genesis 2 never surfaces in the text.

Another option is that Paul is speaking in generalities, which certainly could include couples. Maybe he has in mind business partners. Assuming that the believer has moral integrity, will the unbeliever cut corners and short change customers giving the believer a bad name? Can someone who is dedicated to a risen Savior make business decisions with a person committed to idolatry? Beyond the business partnership, what about the local guilds? Pagan temple banquet halls were rented for both weddings and guild meetings. Being a member of the guild meant eating meals dedicated to an idol.

But the context of 2 Corinthians says nothing about couples, marriages or business ventures. Paul’s second letter to Corinth was an attempt for them to reconcile with him; the apostle was offering an olive branch to the church. The background to the letter was a group of outsiders infiltrating the church in a hostile takeover of Paul’s ministry and church leadership. They exploited a weakness in the relationship between the church and Paul, creating a chasm where a rift had been present. In derogatory terms, Paul calls this group “super apostles” (2 Cor. 11:5). They prided themselves on their “giftedness” and communication skills (10:1-2,10). They bragged about visions and prophetic experience (12:1-10). They built themselves up while tearing down Paul. They even accused Paul, not only of stealing from the church (11:8-12), but being a weak leader for the church. Paul said they were false apostles, deceptive men masquerading as angels of light (11:13-14).

Paul’s plea to avoid being unequally yoked is far more concerning than simply marriage, though its application to marriage is anything but simple. Uniting two people whose faith and world-view compete instead of complement gives anyone cause to pause. When a person of faith steps into covenant with a non-believer, someone will have to compromise. Unequally yoked relationships bring danger. But the immediate context is when two peoples of faith are unequally yoked. In this instance, one is loyal to the gospel of weakness Paul preaches and the other is loyal to a gospel of strength preached by those who have infiltrated Corinth. If the church in Corinth was going to reconcile with Paul, they had to break the yoke with these false teachers.

Just because someone name drops Jesus, or says a prayer to God, does not mean a wise partnership will be realized between two Christians. If one is going to embrace the gospel preached by Paul, a gospel where strength is expressed through weakness (12:8b) and the other rejects such a gospel, then we already know the outcome. It won’t end well.

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

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Eats, Shoots, & Leaves: The Importance of a Comma Placement

In the old west, a stranger entered the local saloon. He wore a black, ten gallon hat and his fur was black and white; even his eyes were black like he was wearing a mask. A holster, holding his Colt 45, was strapped around his fat belly. Spurs “clinking” as he walked into the saloon. The music and talking came to an eerie and abrupt stop as the patrons’ eyes slowly followed the stranger to his table where he removed his hat and holster. 

A nervous waiter served the stranger. He showed him the menu to which the stranger pointed to the items he wanted to eat. The waiter cautiously and quietly thanked his guest and put the order in. A few minutes later he returned with a bamboo stick and fresh greens, to which the stranger slowly chewed each bite. 

When he finished his meal, he reached for his hat and holster. The waiter came and with a crack in his voice, thanked him for his patronage. The stranger pulled out his Colt 45 and shot the waiter. When the stranger reached the exit, the owner of the saloon shouted with a very country twang, “Whatcha do that fer?” The stranger looked at him and quietly said, “Look it up.” 

The saloon owner reached under the counter for his 1880 edition of the World Book Encyclopedia (it was only a one-volume encyclopedia back then). He found the letter, “P” and started looking for Pandas.  “Here it is,” he noted, and began to read aloud, “Ailuropoda Melanoleuca . . . Giant Pandas . . . endangered species . . . native to south central China . . ..” And with the light of understanding and a nodding motion of his head, he added, “Eats, shoots, and leaves” (cue the laugh track, now).

A friend of mine once sat in my office, sharing his concern. His buddy was engaged to marry a woman who was a member of a questionable, cult-like “Christian” organization. He wanted to know from me what I knew about their core belief system. I told him I knew very little. What I did know comes from two facts: One, this group has their own translation of the Bible. Secondly, they deny the incarnation, so that the Jesus who walked on the earth was not the God who created the earth. Thus, their own translation is a manipulated attempt to support what they already believe (it’s a clear example of “instead of Scripture shaping one’s theology, one personal and bias theology is shaping Scripture” which happens all the time, but on a less formal basis). John 1:1 is the best example, “. . . and the Word was with God and the Word was a god” (New World Translation). All other translations universally translate the same verse, “. . . and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” 

However, understanding the Greek is complicated. I looked to my library and retrieved Jack P. Lewis’ book, The English Bible: From KJV-NIV (Dr. Lewis taught at my alma mater, Harding School of Theology), and started reading on the NWT until I found another fascinating verse in Luke 23:43, which clearly exposes their bias. By paralleling the two passages, you can notice the difference:

“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (NIV).
“I tell you the truth today, you shall be with me in paradise” (NWT).

The conflict is over the placement of the comma. Does it belong after “truth” or after “today.” If the NIV is right, then Jesus is assuring the criminal on the cross that his paradise experience will occur “today.” However, if the NWT is right, then Jesus is assuring the criminal that his words are true “today” (almost as if on another day his words might be false). Where is the comma supposed to be? By looking at other verses with the same structure (Mt. 5:26; Mk. 10:15; Jn. 1:51, et. al.) it soon becomes apparent that the comma belongs after “truth.” 

So the whole story and debate comes down to a comma. Nothing in the English language is as small and minute as a comma. Yet, if ignored or wrongly placed can have devastating results. Where are the commas in your life? Where are those little items in your life that, if you ignore because they are small and seemingly insignificant, they could cause great conflict? Who knows? Instead of one who “eats shoots, and leaves,” you might end up being someone who “eats, shoots, and leaves.”         

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

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Remembering Who the Real Enemy Is

Before Katniss Everdeen stepped back into the arena for the 75th Hunger Games, Haymitch Abernathy offered her one final word of advice. While in the arena, the games forced its “contestants” (called “tributes” in the book) to battle each other to the death – for the entertainment of the Capital along with a means to control its citizens in the districts. In order to survive, tributes build temporary alliances. Katniss needed an alliance because she had a target on her back. As the popular tribute, too many in the arena saw her as the threat. As the face of a movement to challenge the capital’s reign of terror, President Snow saw her as a threat. So before stepping into the arena, Haymitch reminded her, “Remember who the real enemy is.”

In the arena disorienting the tributes is part of the Games itself. The game-makers ensure unexpected dangers keep the competition interesting. While only one will survive the games, formed alliances are not just essential for survival but clearly brings trust issues with it. Then there is the danger of simply surviving the elements; they are called The Hunger Games for a reason. All of that begs for her to remember who the real enemy is.

We’re living in our own arena. No, it’s not a battle to the death for the last man standing. But it is a battle. Sometimes we are the players and other times we’re being played. So we always need reminded as to be who the enemy really is.

In Paul’s famous military metaphor (Eph. 6:10-18) he takes his readers through the Armor of God images. Belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation and sword/Sprit of the word of God. While we’re less aware, the original audience were well aware of the imagery Paul uses. The focus is not on modeling the belt, breastplate, fitted feet, shield, helmet and sword, as we have often done. The focus is on the character of the “soldier” who models truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation and Spirit/word of God. Too often we have allowed the soldier image to drive the message instead of the character qualities that define the soldier, which ends us distorting who the real enemy is.  

The posture of the soldier is never in the offensive position, but the defensive position. The soldier does not look for a fight, any more than a shepherd looks to fight the wolf or the bear. But if the battle comes to him, he is more than able to defend himself by standing his ground (mentioned three times). Note that the shield’s role is to extinguish the flaming arrows, to protect oneself from attack, and that Paul never authorizes “weaponizing” the sword. In fact, the only offensive posture mentioned in the passage is to pray, and Paul tells us to pray five times in verses 18-20. Because understanding the position helps clarify who the enemy is.

You are not my enemy, and I am not yours. As Paul clearly states, the struggle is not in the physical sense, though it may take form in the physical sense. The struggle is real and its source is the devil (v. 11; 1 Pet. 5:8). He implements his schemes through rulers, people in power, and evil spiritual forces that are at work (v. 12). Structures and systems assembled by the society, including the State, with the purpose to dominate, destroy and dehumanize people is the means for the devil to achieve his evil schemes. That’s why we are called to peacefully stand against evil systematically woven throughout our society. Since we’re not enemies, but allies, and as we are called to take our stand, we remember who the real enemy is.

During the games, Katniss became disoriented. Other tributes carried out an attack on her and her alliances. While under attack, her own allies looked to be turning on each other. Chaos was controlling the moment. In the confusion, Katniss drew her bow. Ready to defend herself, Finnick Odair entered her sights. He raised his hands, pleading, to stop her from killing him. She paused, trying to assess the situation properly. He called out using Haymitch’s own words, “Katniss! Remember who the real enemy is!” Sometimes, when we’re ready to turn on each other, we need that same reminder.

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

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The Apologetix* of “Weird Al” Yankovick

For forty years “Weird Al” Yankovic has cranked out parody after parody of hit songs, and some of them are better than the original song he’s mocking. With his accordion he broke through with a parody of the Knack’s “My Sharona” with his “My Bologna.” As his fame grew and his musical talents developed, his parody’s deepened as well. During the 80’s he caricatured Huey Lewis and News, Madonna, The Kinks and Cindy Lauper. He continued playing his accordion by arranging pop songs into polkas which were often as popular as his parodies. He even delved into writing some of his own songs.

Taking something original to spoof as an exaggeration for the sake of humor is the heart of a parody. They are a distorted reflection of the initial song. Others have chosen this form of artistic style, but none seem to have the longevity and endearing passionate success as “Weird Al” Yankovic.

Parodies are a lot of fun, especially if you’re familiar with the song it’s spoofing. On the other hand a parody of Christianity is a sad expression of faith, and too many Christians spend their days spoofing Christ instead of providing an authentic-original Christ to the world.

Beyond the easy target of charlatans who claim God is telling them to bilk or con millions out of the people, let’s bring this closer to home. Because even in our defense of the Gospel, we may be just a parody of Christ’s expectations for our lives.

If we sing with all gusto, “The Old Rugged Cross,” but refuse to carry our own cross (Lk. 9:23), we may be a parody of Christ ● If we plead with God and others for forgiveness, but refuse to forgive (Mt. 6:15), we may just be spoofing Jesus ● If we look in the mirror and only see what we want to see instead of the blemishes that need fixed (Jas. 1:24) then we may be making a mockery of Christianity ● If we condemn people for failing to follow the “whole council of God” but pick and choose which commands we’ll obey (Mt. 7:1), then we may be misrepresenting God’s Word ● If we pride ourselves on what we do for God, but fail to realize who we are before God (Lk. 18:9-14), then maybe we’re simply satirizing the Christian faith ● If we show no compassion for the poor, but demonstrate plenty of concern for the wealthy (Jas. 2:1-9) then we may be distorting Christ’s presence in the world ●  If we are willing for everyone to wash our feet, but are unwilling to wash anyone else’s feet (Jn. 13:14), then we may be insulting Jesus ● If we’re willing to hold to doctrinal purity at the expense of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), then we may be lampooning the Gospel ● If we can quote the Great Commission (Mt. 28:16-20), but resent it when God brings the Great Commission to our back door, then we may be perverting the very Gospel God expects us to preach.   

All of us run the risk of simply making a parody out of the genuineness of Christ and his teachings. When we “parody,” it’s not funny and it’s not even fun. People want the authentic and real Jesus and it’s our challenge to deliver a real, authentic, genuine melody of Christ.

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

*Apologetix is a Christian band who parodies pop songs into Christian songs. Their name is derived from “apologetics” which is a defense of the gospel.

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Stone of Sisyphus: Excercises in Spiritual Futility

In the 1966 “campy” Batman movie starring Adam West, Batman finds a bomb. His attempt to defuse the bomb was really about trying to get it over the docks and into the body of water before it explodes. Yet at every attempt to defuse the bomb, innocent people were in his way.

He looked out a window only to find a marching band playing, “Bringing in the Sheaves.” He ran down the stairs only to find a restaurant filled with customers eating dinner.  He headed out the door to the corner of the pier only to find some nuns walking by. Turning down the boardwalk he encountered a mother pushing her baby in a stroller. Rotating around, he headed to the dock only to bump into the band again, still playing “Bringing in the Sheaves.” Running back to the pier he spied a perfect spot beyond a ladder attached to the pier, until a man appeared on the ladder. Changing directions he headed to the corner of the pier only to discover a couple enjoying a romantic afternoon in a rowboat. And just as he found the perfect spot to unload the bomb, he sees a family of ducks swimming in the water.

In a moment of exasperation Batman looked directly into the camera to speak to the audience, thus breaking the “fourth wall,” and cried out, “Some days you just can’t get rid of a bomb!”

We live in a world where bad things happen and it’s like everyone or everything stands against us. You stub your toe first thing in the morning. Someone pulls out in front of you on the way to work, or worse you’ve totaled your car. You’re overdrawn and still have bills to pay. A friend backstabbed you and all trust is lost. You turned left when you should have turned right and now your GPS is yelling at you as it recalculates. And all the time you’re thinking, “Some days you just can’t get rid of a bomb!”

The Biblical story is filled with events where the world (people or systems) turned on the faithful. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, and he’s eventually falsely accused of a crime and thrown in prison. David loses his kingdom to his son and is on the run with Absalom in hot pursuit. The kinfolk of Jeremiah turn on him and his preaching by dumping him in a well. Gomer cheats on Hosea. Jesus heals a man and stirs up conflict because the healing was on the Sabbath. Paul is falsely accused in Philippi and his affliction list in 2 Corinthians 11 is a sober reminder of living a life for Christ. The Hebrews writer may have said it best,

There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground (Heb. 11:35a-38, emphasis mine).

Because we’ve all have days where we’ve been left holding a bomb, we have a choice. We can let it explode making a bigger mess. Or we can keep looking for a place to dump the bomb. Do we really have another alternative?

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

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Confessions of an Over-Packer

When my boys were packing for Boy Scout camp, they had a list of everything they were supposed to include for the week.  The list made the packing easier as you could check off each item as you packed: uniform, toiletries, shirts, swimwear, compass, flashlight, etc.  No matter how well we followed the list, I always felt like they were leaving something behind when they walked out the door. 

When they attended the National Jamboree, the packing became a crucial element to the camping experience.  Everything they needed for two weeks had to be packed in the duffle bags provided by BSA.  With strict packing guidelines, we did everything humanly possible to accommodate BSA.  We stuffed and crammed two duffle bags full of everything a boy might need for two weeks, and it felt like the kitchen sink was included. 

At the time of writing this article, Cile and I are going through boxes and boxes of things we’ve accumulated over the last 28 years.  As much as we’ve tried to purge – either by giving stuff away or throwing it out – we, like so many others, failed. 

Simplifying our lives to traveling light is the best path to take, and the trend is heading that direction.  The digital era is helping lead the way as books, movies, music, and pictures take up far less space in a home than the physical volumes.  Houses are being built less than 1000 square feet. 

Two stories emerge where “traveling light” is key.  The first comes from the first Passover in Exodus 12:11.  The Israelites were to eat Passover with one hand on their staff, ready to exit the land.  When the moment came, they took what they could carry and hastily departed from Egypt (Ex. 12:33).  The second “traveling light” incident came when Jesus sent his disciples on a short-term mission trip (Mk. 6:7-13).  They were to take nothing with them, except a staff.  No money and no extra tunic.  They were to trust God with their needs, and rely on the generosity of others. 

While I have been on numerous campouts with my sons for Boy Scouts, I’ve never gone backpacking (my sons have).  Packing everything you need for a week on your back is freedom; letting go of all the things I think I need is the ball and chain weighing me down. 

We carry far more through this life than we need, and I’m not talking about suitcases and boxes but baggage.  I can think of two types of baggage we lug around on our journey.  The first is sin (Heb. 12:1).  A life of freedom is a life free of sin and sinful ways.  While many claim that sinful desires should be expressed and pursued, so much guilt and shame often come with expressing those desires, which translates into extra baggage.  For instance, someone makes us mad and we decide to unload on him/her.  We feel good for “getting it off our chest,” but then we realize how much damage we’ve caused, or how embarrassed we are by our actions.  Suddenly, the momentary feelings of freedom are replaced by long-term feelings of guilt.   We carry that baggage of guilt with us for a very long time. 

The second type of baggage is an unforgiving heart.  While Jesus commands us to forgive (Mt. 6:14-15), having a forgiving heart is a different matter.  One might say our ego stands in the way of forgiving; we want that person to suffer.  However, the only one suffering is the one refusing to forgive.  Having an unforgiving heart tends to lead to bitterness and anger, both become excess baggage on our journey. 

While I’m trying to unpack my boxes, I’m confessing that I’ve over packed for the move.  But more so, I need to confess that I’ve over packed for my spiritual journey.  I need to let go of some nagging sins, to forgive myself, and to forgive some people around me.  The result is a lighter load and easier journey.  And isn’t that what we want?                                                                                                   

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