The church is precious to God (see: Ephesians 3:10). In fact, it is so important to him that he has given us some tremendous metaphors in the New Testament to describe it, "Christ's Building" and "Christ's Body"; but there is nothing more sacred or personal than being called "Christ's Bride." Christ's Bride... stop on that a second. If this is true, why do so many people run away from it? Why do so many people see the church as nothing more than a tedious man-made construct designed to get into your wallet? Some people see no value in attending the local body of believers; to them the church community serves no important purpose; and they actually believe they would be served much better if they went fishing or slept in on Sunday. In John 20, on the first day of the week (Sunday) after Jesus rose from the grave, he appears to Mary and the first thing he does is he goes to church. He does this because he wants to give his church two tremendous things: His Peace (presence) and his Spirit (specifically to be witnesses to the world by offering the power to forgive). These two gifts are still given to the church today - - and for some unknown reason, the runaway bride finds very little value in receiving these things. I think one of the reasons for devaluing the church community is because people don't think they need the church to actually receive these gifts. In some ways they are right, but in other ways they are dead wrong. Do you really think Jesus wants you to love him while you forget or could care a less about others? Is the Spirit of Christ given to be experienced solely on a personal level? Many Americans and hermits think so, but that is utterly not the case. God loves all people, and he wishes for all his people to know his forgiveness; and they primarily experience this forgiveness by forgiving each other, and being forgiven by each other. Here are my personal thoughts about the importance of church: (1) He wants his people, as community, to be unified, to be one (John 17:20-23). Oneness in this context does not mean to be alone. The concept of a "desperado" is not found in the New Testament. (2) God intends for his forgiveness to be dispersed and extended in the context of his community (James 5:15-16). In other words, forgiveness is next to impossible to receive alone because it is a relational gift. Think of a real marriage, how can you be forgiven to your spouse when you are separated or divorced? This idea is the epitome an oxymoron! (3) People who run away from church are leaving the spiritual protection of the body (1 Corinthians 5:4-5). (4) The longer people stay away from Christ's local body, the more they become confirmed in their sin and grow hardened to his grace (1 John 2:19-20). In other words, runaway brides either have not the Spirit of God in them (2 Timothy 3:10) or they are foolishly thinking they can be a faithful Christian without belonging to a local church...I say this is rubbish! (Ephesians 2:19-22). (5) God gives us a body in the form of other believers to make us more like him (Galatians 6:1-4), and often this oneness hurts - - but it is for our good (2 Corinthians 7:8-13)! So, you think the church is not that important? I wonder, who has been telling you that? Take a look at 1 Timothy 4:1: "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will ABANDON (runaway) the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." Hmmm...kinda scary. One final thing, I know what some of you are thinking, "Yeah, you are wanting people to go to church because you are a pastor and people pay your salary. The less people who come to church the less you make. You can't fool me - - you are a money hungry fool!" Maybe you're right....I went into the ministry to get rich. I wish!
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The near east side of Cleveland in the mid 1940 and 50's was truly a melting pot. This is where my dad grew up and learned that people come in many shapes, sizes, smells and strangeness; but regardless of the group they come from, individually they are all flesh & blood people. People to be respected and loved for who they are as unique individuals, not as a race, nor as a nationality, but as a person. My dad was of Polish Catholic descent mixed with a smidgen of Choctaw Indian, living smack dab in an Italian neighborhood while a few blocks away African Americans were moving in. As he grew up he had no other choice but to play with them all, learn from them all and show respect to them all. As individuals. I can remember him telling me about one of his most vivid memories as a kid: It involved playing "hide-and-go-seek" with his black and Italian friends. This was a high stakes game because the person who got caught first, had to become the catcher. You did not want to be the catcher because while the other kids hid, you had to count with your face buried in the apron of an Italian boy's mom -- he said her well used apron reeked of garlic, onion and oregano...and you had to slowly count to 100! Yuck!
In America of today, cultural groups no longer melt together, but rather as one sociologist said, "We are like a tossed salad, trying to mix and work together in the public arena and marketplace, but in private we cling to our distinctive groups and fight to preserve our specific tribal identity. As a result we only know other communities and people superficially." I would agree. It seems people these days desire to live in separate communities, forming isolated sub-cultures of our own; and in turn judging the other cultures through our own community's values and norms. Simply put, we don't look at people as individuals anymore, but as distinctive segregated non compatible groups. Politicians have played a big part in fostering this divided es·prit de corps. Deviously they have used our differences as a wedge to divide and conquer instead of working to have us melt together. They do this by promising individual communities more privileges and a bigger part of the economic pie in exchange for votes. This tactic both polarizes and then pits opposing groups against each other in a Marxian arm wrestling match as they jockey for power over the others: - Women vs. Men - Blacks vs. Whites - Un-documented (illegal) aliens vs. Legal naturalized citizens - Unions vs. Corporations - Metropolitan Elite vs. the Suburban & Country Folk - Wolverines vs. Buckeyes (maybe not) Honyaks don't fit or work well with this kind of generalized categorizing and labeling. They are used to living in a world where individuals are known and respected for their own personal achievements and trustworthy character. They don't first ask what group a person is from, but they ask: "Does that person work hard?", "Do they tell the truth?", "Do they keep their word?", "Do they fear God?". Some readers may be thinking, "It's not that easy Chris. People no matter what you say will still judge a book by it's cover, and another person's character by their skin color!" No, you are right, it isn't easy; but a Honyak has never expected it to be easy. They understand that most of life and the societal systems you are living in will somehow be against you. So they have been taught, by their Honyak fathers, to personally work through the difficulties and inequities of life. Fight to advance, and never allow yourself to expect to live off of other people's handouts (Especially a 'suppossedly' impartial government. Remember, government is never impartial, they are arbitrators of power). The truth Honyaks all know is that handouts shrink a soul: a hard day's pay without a hard days work makes Jack a spoiled, lazy, rotten boy. They also learn to follow the example of 1 Peter 2:19-24 when it says: For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. If you live like this won't you be taken advantage of? Yes. But notice, "You are entrusting yourself to him who judges justly." In other words, the living God has your back. The problem with our world is we want the government to have our back; but the government is full of broken people. So stop seeing people as groups. See people as individuals so you can offer them the kindness and love of Christ instead of painting a whole group with a broad black brush. Are some men jerks and misogynistic beasts? Yes, but some men are the greatest people you will ever want to meet. Are some women mean and spiteful? Yes, but some women have given everything they have to raise a family and love their God. Are some white people greedy? Yes, but some will sell everything just to try to help the world. Are some Black people thugs? Yes, but some black people live day after day in tough neighborhoods trying to make their world better for their kids and grandkids. So stop seeing all politicians as scum. Are some Democrats evil? Yes, but some Democrats are honestly wanting to give people a fair share. Are some Republicans hard hearted money hungry sharks? Sure, but some Republicans want to give all people a fair share. The problem with "a fair share" is how each group defines it, and how we as a people achieve it. This debate is good & healthy for our country. Let the honest civil servants present their arguments without the mud-slinging, name calling and malice. If we do that we will have a better country. When my dad said "Their ain't a horse that can't be rode and their ain't a man that can't be thrown" he was stating a brilliant truth about all of mankind. We all have flaws, we all will fail, we all are human. We need to stop the labeling and see the person. Because it is here, on the individual level, where we can follow Jesus and obey his command to "love our neighbor as our self." What if you were a pastor, and you allowed a friend to fill your pulpit on a certain Sunday. And lets say this person, instead of preaching a sermon, spit, ranted and raged all over the stage? How would you feel? A little uncomfortable? What if instead of presenting a well reasoned argument from scripture, he kept screaming, "Crucify! Crucify! Crucify!"? How would you feel? A bit repelled by his audacious display? And what if he came down off stage pointing fingers, and then after the end of a long exhausting presentation he hugged a 5 foot wooden cross weeping saying, "I love you man!"? A bit strange, maybe too much of a personal display of affection (PDA) for what was supposed to be a calm Sunday morning service? Uncomfortable, Repelled, feeling it was a very strange and an out of place display. That, my friends, is exactly what God intends you to feel whenever you are to consider his Son being slaughtered on a cross. It is meant to be ugly and audacious. I read an article this morning about a book that just came out concerning a female reporter who resigned her position working for CBS news. She was not respected or wanted by her company any longer. The reason? She was unreasonable! (here is an article promoting her autobiography) "When the longtime CBS reporter asked for details about reinforcements sent to the Benghazi compound during the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack, White House national security spokesman Tommy Vietor replied, “I give up, Sharyl . . . I’ll work with more reasonable folks that follow up, I guess.”Another White House flack, Eric Schultz, didn’t like being pressed for answers about the Fast and Furious scandal in which American agents directed guns into the arms of Mexican drug lords. “G__________t, Sharyl!” he screamed at her. “The Washington Post is reasonable, the LA Times is reasonable, The New York Times is reasonable. You’re the only one who’s not reasonable!” In nearly 20 years at CBS News, she has done many stories attacking Republicans and corporate America, and she points out that TV news, being reluctant to offend its advertisers, has become more and more skittish about, for instance, stories questioning pharmaceutical companies or car manufacturers. Working on a piece that raised questions about the American Red Cross disaster response, she says a boss told her, “We must do nothing to upset our corporate partners . . . until the stock splits.” (Parent company Viacom and CBS split in 2006)." In the same way people that wanted Sharyl to be reasonable; the outside world wants Christians to be reasonable. We are not to make the world feel uncomfortable, we are to reasonable and accepting. We are expected to look the other way at sin. We are to be nice. Don't call a spade a spade, don't voice your opinion in the public square, don't cause waves. Be reasonable! Have you ever read the book "A Portrait of Dorian Gray?" It is a fascinating novel by Oscar Wilde about a man who sold his soul to the Devil. He wanted to stay young and healthy, and so the Devil agreed to allow him to have his wish in exchange for his soul. There was one condition to this deal; a portrait that was painted of Dorian would reflect the outside and inside state of his soul. As the man grew old and every time he sinned the portrait would age and decay. Dorian couldn't stand to see the damage done to the portrait so one day he hid it in the attic never to see it again. But alas, after many years he was chased up to attic with a gun by a man who hated him; he was shot under the portrait and the state of the portrait was so hideous that Dorian was more in fear of the picture than he was at the man who came to kill him.
When you look to the cross, you are looking at your very own "Portrait of Dorian Gray." It says in Isaiah 52:14, "As many were astonished (uncomfortable, repelled, disturbed) at you - his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind." We could not look upon him, because his disfiguring was caused by our sinning. The cross is meant to shock. Your sin is shocking. You are never meant to be comfortable living in it. So...why don't you stop it? * I have made an executive decision not to prepare you for this weeks' sermon...I don't think there is anyway possible to do that. You will have to come to find out why. So I have focused my blog on a request from a frequent reader: "A List of My Favorite Books" Devotional & Relationship Builders with God "With" Skye Jethani - (Relating to God) "Knowledge of the Holy" A.W. Tozer - (Considering God) "A Tale of Three Kings" Gene Edwards - (Pleasing God) "Appointments with Heaven" Dr. Reggie Anderson - (Longing for God's House) "The Jesus I Never Knew" Philip Yancey - (Rethinking God) "Walking from East to West" Ravi Zacharias - (God Looks for People from Everywhere) "God Came Near" Max Lucado - (God is Mind Blowing) "Desiring God" John Piper - (Loving God) "The Prodigal God" Timothy Keller - (Being Loved by God) "In His Steps" Charles Sheldon - (Simple Living for God) Apologetics "Making Sense of it All" Thomas Morris - (Wrestling with Pascal) "Is Jesus the Only Savior? James Edwards - (Meeting the Post-Modern Mind) "Mere Christianity" C.S.Lewis - (Classic on Classical Thinking) "Avoiding Jesus" Micheal Green - (Standing Strong as a Christian) "A Pilgrims Regress" C. S. Lewis - (For Philosophical Minds Only) "More Than a Carpenter" Josh McDowell - (A Simple Approach) "God in the Dark" Os Guinness - (Why Christians Must be Comfortable with Doubt) "Can Man Live Without God?" Ravi Zacherias - (God Luck Mr. Atheist being Honest Here) "Reason for God" Timothy Keller - (Kind and Wonderful Thinking) "Is God a Moral Monster?" Paul Copan - (For those who Ignorantly Use the Old Testament) Bible and Theological Wow! "Green Letters" Miles Stanford - (Mind Blowing, Twisting, Refreshing) "On Being a Theologian of the Cross" Gerhard Forde - (Mind Bending, Clean Cutting) "The Epistle to the Romans." Douglas Moo - (Overwhelming) "Orthodoxy" G.K. Chesterton - (Hilarious!) "Don't Stop Believing" Michael Wittmer - (A lot of Theology taught Simply) "Knowing God" J. I. Packard - (Theology taught Clearly) "Let the Nations Be Glad!" John Piper - (What existence is all about) "Prayer" Ole Hallesbey - (Makes Praying Accessible not Guilt Driven) "Trust in an Age of Arrogance" C. Fitzsimons Allison - (High Brow Man who Loves Low Brow Me) "Bondage of the Will" Martin Luther - (Good Luck thinking all old Theologians were Dusty Old Men) Biography "Martin Luther" Martin Marty - (A Dangerous Man) "Bonhoeffer" Eric Metaxas - (A Courageous Man) "Jonathan Edwards" George Marsdan - (A Flawed but Brilliant Man) "John Adams" David McCullough - (A Complex Man) "Hitler's Cross" Erwin Lutzer - (How Easily Duped Mankind can Be) "C. S. Lewis" Alister McGrath - (A Wonderful Mind) "Bird By Bird" Anne Lamott - (A Hilarious Book on the Writing Life) "Francis Shaeffer" Colin Duriez - (An Authentic Man) "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" William Shirer - (I can't leave this out) "Unbroken" Laura Hillenbrand (Wow!) Personal Favorites "Tell No Man" Adela Roger St Johns - (Wierd and Wonderful) "Hobbit/Lord of the Rings Trilogy" J. R. R. Tolkien - (Yep) "God in the Dock" C. S. Lewis - (Love it!) "Bad Religion" Ross Douthat - (Must read for Christians, Catholics, Culture Watchers) "Velvet Elvis" Rob Bell - (Watching A Mind fall off the Cliff: Good mixed with Dangerous) "The Dust of Death" Os Guinness - (I was Born in this, the mess of the 1960's) "Telling the Truth" Frederick Buechner - (So Much Fun!) "Works of Friedrich Nietzsche" Nietzche - (Full Frontal Attack...it forces you to wrestle) "Redeeming Love" Francine Rivers - (It's Not just a woman's book) "A Wolf at the Table" Augusten Burroughs - (I Never want to be this Kind of Dad) There you have it. The secret of Chris' weirdness. buon appetito!
Calloused hands, dirty britches and just enough spare change to get your son a generous gift -- a pack of baseball cards. Honyaks live in a hard world. Especially in the early part of 20th century America, the lower middle class wasn't afforded too many luxuries. Credit cards weren't as available or encouraged as they are today - - so people scrimped, saved and ate a lot of potatoes to get by. They were forced to live under the every day cold and often cruel realities of life: "Rent is due tomorrow, looks like left-overs for the third straight night. " "I'll patch the knees on those pants, it's the only pair you have." "A man's word is a contract signed...and if you choose to renege on our promise, I will have to let my Uncle Vinny know." In this rough and tumble time, parents were forced to be brutally honest. They had to be, because the world around the Honyak didn't cut you much slack. My dad grew up in this world, it formed the fabric of his mind, so let's just say he never sugar coated his advice to his kids growing up. He was always brutally honest. Sure, sometimes his opinions hurt our feelings, but they kept us out of a lot of trouble. Sure, it wasn't always politically correct, but it saved us from putting ourselves in dangerous positions. I had four sisters, they were very pretty, and my dad was a protective father. So my dad would say, "You aren't wearing that, you will attract the wrong kind of guys. And who are those sleazy girls you are hanging out with, you can do better than that?" Did that hurt my sisters' road to feminist self-actualization? Did it forever scar their fragile female psyches (because you know how misunderstood and disrespected women are in our culture.)? No! The reason my dad was sometimes caustically honest to my sisters and me was because Honyaks don't know what "self-actualization" means. ("Is that what happened to John Lennon when he was smoking hashish with the Maharajah?") They were too busy trying to pay rent and please their bosses than to worry about pop-psychology and books by Betty Friedan. Honyak fathers also know their daughters would be better off living under the sound advice of unvarnished honesty from a man who was responsible for them and loved them more than words could say. The word father used to mean something. Something good, strong, protective and....honest. I can remember my dad receiving a phone call from school about my unruly behavior. It was Sister Joan of Ark on the other line. I told my dad that she always over-reacted - she was once again wrongly accusing me. Do you think he cared? Honyaks take the blame, they accept the responsibility and so do their kids. I had to go back to Sister Joan of Ark, apologize profusely and volunteer to clean the black-boards for her for the next week after school. Brutal honesty. It keeps you out of trouble and it saves you from dangerous positions. Honyaks are brutally honest about God too! Some of the Honyak's favorite verses tend to focus on the brutal unapproachable holiness of God: Isaiah 6:3-4 "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory. At the sounds of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. Psalm 50:21-22 "These things (unrepentant sin) you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face. Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue." Wow, those verses are scary. But the nice Christian who is compassionate toward the sinner who can't help sinning will point out, "If you notice both of those verses are from the Old Testament, that is where God had an anger problem. He would never talk like that in the New Testament." Oh yeah? Have you ever read 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10? Go ahead and read it. Jesus is dangerous too! Because of this honest representation and fear of God, Honyaks are not scared to warn people. Honyaks know that "the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) If you try to guilt the Honyak by painting him as insensitive or uncaring he will probably look at you and say, "So? I am way more scared of a Holy God than the opinion of Ellen Degeneres." (Just a side question: Why are people so taken in by the opinions of celebrities these days?) I was asking my mom about my grandfather the other day, and she told me a little about his life: "He was born in Alabama, lived on the shores of Mobile Bay, got his first job as a professional wrestler, joined the army, fought in Germany, came back to Cleveland to be a mechanic, and finished his career as a parking lot attendant. Nothing flashy about him, just a man who loved his wife and kids, and his favorite thing on earth was to spit watermelon seeds with his granddaughter off the porch." Spitting watermelon seeds with a granddaughter! That sums up the heart of a Honyak! In fact that is really all a Honyak wants out of life. He wants his family safe, he want to live with people who love them, and he wants everything under-girded by a healthy belief built on the foundation of the fear of God. Honesty is hard to come by in the early part of the 21st century America. We have become a people that think we can get by through creating our own personal truths. Honesty does not rule the day, culturally liberal pandering and psycho-babbling is now the norm. Victim-hood is the norm. Putting on airs bought by credit cards is the norm. And the lack of belief in a Holy God is the norm. Honestly, do you even care that God is Holy? Do you? Be Honest. I have been practicing my juggling act and sword swallowing, but I'm not good enough yet to hit the road. Oh wouldn't it be nice to travel, see the world and not be responsible for your neighbors? I have to admit it, it sure sounds nice. But alas, I haven't found a good enough act yet.
Yesterday, on a comment feed to my last blog, I found posted one of the funniest and personally enjoyable comments ever. The person didn't leave their name, but their comments really got me laughing & thinking. (The writing was colorful and uniquely creative, I loved it!) It challenged me to consider, for the first time in my life, finding a good money making act, buying an RV and hitting the road. Here is what they wrote... "It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier than thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor." These comments were directed at me because I guess I am the man with the distorted judgmental face? I guess I am the one acting holier than thou, I guess I am the one who doesn't offer a washcloth to my neighbor? All because I had the nerve to suggest in my previous post that when people sin God doesn't like it. So he or she accuses me of having a "traveling road-show" mentality. If only it were that simple? Traveling road show guys are usually trying to woo the crowds with words that "tickle ears" and perform amazing spectacular feats that bring in quick cash. Road show guys are in town for the night and out the next morning. Road show guys love the lime-light. Now if you were to describe me and my job, I am not the road show guy. I am the lowly wayside pastor. These two kind of jobs are vastly different roles that have uniquely different responsibilities. Here is why: (1) Telling people they need to stop sinning on a weekly basis, as a lowly pastor must constantly do, does not bring in the crowd. Instead of tickling ears, preaching about the ills of "drunkenness, adultery and being a sluggard" causes many people to leave and look for a large church run by a smooth talking a traveling salesman that will gladly tell you what you want to hear. (ie. Joel Osteen) (2) Lowly wayside pastors are not too spectacular. We are rather boring, often working in the lives of the same families for two to three generations. I can't even count how many wash clothes (tissues more like it) I have given out, all-nighters spent with kids, tears shed with dying grandpas or lunch meetings with cheating & humiliated husbands. Long term relationships that mature in the context of a small town have a way of dispelling the sparkle of the spectacular. You can only impress people for a few years until the novelty wears off! (3) Lime-light is the last word I would use to describe the pastor's call. Really, who would want a job that makes half the pay of a traveling comedian or politician, but still expected to be just as good a speaker with new material week after week? Being invited into the living rooms of dying people doesn't bring you a lot of glory. Going into homes of marriages where couples can't even talk to each other isn't what I would call glamorous. Bandaging up the damage from people destroying their lives by drinking too much and killing someone, or committing adultery and seeing wives and kids destroyed, or trying to motivate 35 year old kids to get a job doesn't win you a large fan base. If only I could be part of a Traveling Road Show then I would be able to care less about what people do with their lives. I guarantee you I wouldn't preach on sin. I think my material would consist of what the commentator on my blog said is what Christianity is all about...it would be my main by-line and I would rake in millions. Here is what they said a true Christian is about: "I'm after mercy, not religion." Yeah, I love it, give me more, give me more. Can't you hear the cool college students cheering while they are swaying to rockin' praise music loving the idea of having a Christ without the Christianity? Man, I don't have to commit to rules, I can do as I please, I can make up my own belief system! I love it! Traveling Road Show Guy, tell me what my itching ears want to hear. I could even have R.E.M. (I know I am dating myself) come out as a headliner singing the song, "Losing my Religion!" People would eat it up! I was raised in a family of six kids. My dad hated it when I came home drunk, he never wanted us to bring our girlfriends or boyfriends into our room, and he wanted all of us to get a job after we graduated High School. Wasn't he a terrible father for wanting us to live under a certain set of behaviors and rules? One of my brothers who wanted to try life out on his own, far from the reaches of my dad's rules, decided to join a traveling Road Show, it was a high diving act, it was cool, it was fun, he didn't make much money. After a few years of living as he wished, he met a gorgeous woman and he got married, and they had kids of their own. Guess what, he bought a house and started giving his family rules in the home to live by. How dare the traveling road show guy turn domestic!! I guess that happens when you grow up, you start living by mature expectations. You stop acting like an adolescent kid, and even accept truth into your life that isn't easy to hear. Face it, God wasn't judging us when he gave us the 10 Commandments, Paul wasn't judging when he said in 1 Corinthians 15:33-34... "Bad company ruins good morals.” Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame. Oh well, I guess I can still dream. I can see the bright lights, I can see the smiling crowd, and I can see me juggling 20 red rubber balls at once. But I am still working on juggling three at once. I have a long way to go to be the traveling road show guy I always wanted to be! If you grew up in the 80's you probably are familiar with the TV show "Cheers" and it's theme song: Making your way in the world today Takes everything you've got; Taking a break from all your worries Sure would help a lot. Wouldn't you like to get away? Sometimes you want to go Where everybody knows your name, And they're always glad you came; You want to be where you can see, Our troubles are all the same; You want to be where everybody knows your name. Don't we all want to go to a place like that? A place where people are genuinely glad to see you, they are quick to put an arm around you and let you be you? We assume that is what it is like coming home to our family; but often the family is the last place to find refuge. Then how about the church: Isn't that supposed to be a place of love, kindness, caring? Sadly, if people were honest, God's house for so many has become the one place they feel the most unwelcome. Listen to some thoughts from a good friend:
Wow, as a pastor that is hard to hear. Are we not supposed to be different? A Christian is a "Christ-follower," and for people to come into a community of "Christ-followers" and not meet Christ is a travesty. I think you could even say this is the main thing wrong with the world: "Salt & Light" has turned out to be "Sewage Water & Black Darkness."
Why is this? Why do people view the church in such derogatory terms? I think there are 2 negative reasons, and 2 positive reasons - - you decide what is keeping you from coming. THE NEGATIVE: when SIN destroys unity in the church (1) Churches destroy joy when righteousness is measured by outward acts and appearances. Legalism kills. Legalism separates...and legalism makes the name of Christ toxic. Legalism communicates that to be a good and proper Christian you have to live by our rules; and if you don't, "Good riddance!" This is the kind of church that makes you feel like the stranger walking into an old western town where nobody trusts you and nobody wants you, and they stare at you with a blank face hoping you will choose to just walk on by. (2) Churches hurt people when they become competitive businesses. When a church wants to grow fast by winning the market-share of possible believers in a city or a town; they often institute certain business tactics that are more concerned about promoting their brand of Christianity than the people they are meant to serve. If a pastor doesn't say the right things, dress the right way or bring in the numbers, "Your fired!" If the people attending do not quite fit the demographics of the church's target audience (ie: not cool enough, rich enough, beautiful enough, or don't drink Starbucks coffee) it is indirectly communicated to them, "You're not welcome." THE POSITIVE: when HOLINESS draws healthy lines (1) Churches protect the purity of Christ when they don't join in the world's cesspool. The world is always seeking to persuade us to follow their bad habits, adopt their carnal tastes, and join them in a culture gone mad. God wants us to be separate, to be holy. And this tension will cause real division - - this division is a good thing. It is a good thing that you don't adopt a liberal political agenda just so the cosmopolitan people will think your cool. It is a good thing that you don't adopt a lock-step approach to conservative political agenda just so the old guard and your grandma will think you are a good baptist boy. It is a good thing to not be a drunk, an addict, an adulterer, or a sluggard. It is a good thing that your god is not your stomach, nor your glory is in your shame. (2) Churches are on this earth for kingdom mission, not comfort, entertainment and maintenance. Bars like "Cheers" want people to feel good. They don't care if you are a bum, a cop, a hooker or a tap-dancer. They don't care if you sit at the bar drinking until closing, or just come for a quick nite-cap. Bars have zero expectations. Not so with the church of Jesus Christ...we are on mission. When people only come to sit on Sunday and sing a few songs, there is just something not right about that. Sermons are meant to exhort people to action, not to cradle people to sleep. We shouldn't judge a singer by how we feel, but by how they help us exalt our King. Slackers and Consumers, people who just want to exist in church without committing, will often feel uncomfortable and guilty. Not because people are pointing at them or accusing them, but because they were meant for more. The church was designed for more. People who don't want to be more will eventually leave. Is that the church's fault? No more than a parent who is sick of their 30 year old son who is living in the basement without a job. In John 17 Jesus prays that his church would be one, unified, friends. We are to be unified on mission, not on comfort. We are to be one in exalting his name, not one in feeling entertained. We must as a church not judge based on our rules and laws; but we also must not allow any kind of lifestyle or sexual behavior just to keep the peace. Balancing all of these objectives is difficult; but it is what Jesus has asked us to do! Why do you go to church? Why don't you go to the bar? Or do you? *Honyak: a Polish/German reference to a person with a poor sense of manner or appearance. A harmless idiot. A bohemian redneck. My dad loved the city of Cleveland.
He grew up on the Near East side in a tiny two-bedroom house. His dad was poor, his mom was poor, his sister was poor, he was poor; but they loved life! He would often tell me stories of how his dad and uncle would push their furniture to the side of the living room so they could wrestle. His mom would play Italian operas on their large antique dial radio while cleaning house. His sister was painfully shy, and he was the persistently sick little brother. Before the Cleveland Clinic became one of the most famous hospitals in the world; they experimented on my dad by sticking him with countless needles and allergy scratches. The big event for my dad’s family in Cleveland were Saturday afternoons when they would go to the open market to buy fish, large strings of hot dogs, and of course Polish kielbasa. Every true Honyak loves kielbasa. Even though their income wasn't much, nor were their amusements high-brow, they were joyful, thankful people. This is what being a Honyak is all about, enjoying and even thriving in the simplicity of humble living. Somewhere along the line, as modern day Americans, we have been taught to believe that “we deserve more.” And in the context of that pride a bitter root has grown where we are always trying to prove our significance by outdoing one another, casting blame on those we feel are holding us back, or not giving us our fair share. By the way, what is a fair share? Can’t we just live in humble gratitude for a change? Honyaks instinctively and often by circumstantial necessity, live like this. My dad, as a poor boy in Cleveland, had no other choice. And it was this man that taught and trained me in the Honyak ways for 40 years. I had the great honor over this period of watching how a Honyak loved his wife and cherished his kids, and wrestled with grand kids (people were his hobby). Eventually our family moved to an upper crust suburb of Cleveland called Bay Village, but in the midst of larger mortgage payments he never lost the Honyak. Just ask my sisters, they will tell you that Kielbasa still sizzled on the stove and accordion music was often heard in the halls. Out of the simplicity of Honyak humility and gratitude that I learned from him, I am going to share some of these life lessons on my Wednesday blogs for the next few weeks. I think people reading my blogs often take me for a conspiracy advocate or a mean-spirited contrarian. When the truth is, I am simply the son of a Honyak. Wednesday’s lessons will center on the fine art of “being a human being;” a real flesh and blood man. My Cleveland dad never pulled punches, but expressed his thoughts straight. From simple street wisdom like… “Chris, when you get a job, shut your mouth and let your hard work do the talking.” “Chris, when you play serious cards, you better not be caught cheating because you will get a beating from the other players at the table.” To deeper philosophical truths… “Chris, if you want people to like you, ask them about themselves and you will soon become the life of the party.” And my personal favorite: “There ain't a horse that can’t be rode, and there ain't a man that can’t be thrown.” I learned life from a real human being, a Honyak, and that is what seems to be missing these days in most Christian circles & political dialogue. The important practice of reading men and women’s hearts is what my dad gave to me, my brother and three sisters - - a capacity to relate, listen and care for others. I don’t say this as a platform for arrogance; I say this as the starting point for real discipleship. Somehow discipleship has evolved in America as a class to take in seminary or Sunday school, or to the rest of the world they think it is people striving to pass their biased brand of political agenda - - but that has never been the biblical pattern. Discipleship, as taught by Jesus throughout the gospels, is a natural one-on-one human affair. You know, there is a lot of Cleveland, or should I say, Nazareth in Jesus. (Nazareth, does anything good come out of Nazareth?) For male Australian Aborigines there is a traditional rite of passage in which they go on a personal journey in their adolescence where they live in the wilderness for a period as long as six months. It is known as the "Walkabout." To the average Australian citizen this urge to go wandering without notice, and then reappear back to civilization when they so desire, is accepted as something inherent in the Aboriginal nature. But as one sociologist writes, "The actual reasons for going on walkabout may be more mundane: the Aborigines simply do not like to be under any societal controls, especially requesting permission to leave from their white employers." Even though the Walkabout is originally understood to be a deeply spiritual journey for the Aborigine; it also affords the Aborigine teen a great opportunity to exercise some personal independence & rebellion against Australian authority and the expected norms of society. I like how the Walkabout is described on the popular movie"Crocodile Dundee": "It is an effort to satisfy one's itchy feet, a need to be elsewhere, the craving for the open road, that space over the horizon...yes... something like that... you can't quite touch it so you have to go find it because it's you just know it's there...or maybe it just feels good to go walking around." In America, for the last 30 or so years, the adolescent (ages 13-47 and rising!) rite of passage for both men and women is a "Walkabout" of the mind; I call it the "Whatabout?" Just as the Aborigine who physically and socially does not like to submit to civilization's restraints; the American adolescent mentally and morally does not like to submit to the traditional requirements and accepted standards of their parents, institutions, and God. "Whatabout?" is when a person walks through a wilderness of thought, where the exception always becomes the rule. American adolescents don't like constricting principles or convictions that may limit their freedom -- so what they do is apply "Whatabout?" arguments to break down those restraints. Just like the quote from "Crocodile Dundee": "Whatabout?" is an "effort to satisfy one's" itchy mind...or more likely, they adopt it because, "maybe it just feels good..." Let me show you what I mean... * Don't you realize that abortion is the murder of an actual human being that is still growing in the womb of the mother? "Yeah, but WHATABOUT in cases of rape or incest? It's not murder but compassion." * Don't you see the complications of having teen boys shower in the girl's locker room? That just isn't right! "Yeah, but WHATABOUT the transgender boy who has chosen to be a girl and feels more comfortable playing on the girls volleyball team? Shouldn't he be treated as the same as the other girls?" * Don't you think having a gay boy scout leader sleeping in the tent with young boys is dangerous? "Yeah, but WHATABOUT his rights? Where else can he go to experience the wonder of the outdoors with his son? It isn't his fault he is gay?" * Don't you realize how much scrutiny and attack the Holy Scriptures have endured over the years, and it still stands strong? Don't you think God has miraculously preserved his word? "Yeah, but WHATABOUT the 'Gospel of Judas' or the 'DaVinci Code?' They offer some unique takes on the person of Christ that you won't hear in the average church? We have to give them equal wieght, don't we, even if it does question the validity of the Bible?" * Don't you know that the majority of the world's violent terrorists, like ISIS or Al Qaeda, are mainly influenced by a literal reading of the Koran and the Islamic World's contempt for the West? "Yeah, but, WHATABOUT the long sordid history of the Christian Crusades? Who are we to criticize and complain how the Muslim world wants to live out their religious convictions?" Implementing "Whatabout?" thinking allows a person to live in a state of vague and fuzzy understanding. But even more importantly, this kind of thinking gives people the confidence to exercise dangerous sexual and moral license as they ignore truth. "Whatabout" is a deflection tool that lets me live as I want, how I want, without letting anyone or any law to put limits on my freedom. It truly is taking a walk into intellectual wilderness where reason, logic and the brilliant minds and opinions of the past cannot be allowed to penetrate. To tell someone in the middle of their "Whatabout" that their action is sinful, dangerous, or foolish is usually met with a callous smile and a "who cares?" attitude that's looks on you as a crusty old remnant of a by-gone era.. You are an uncool person that is woefully out of touch and definitely out of your right mind. The strange thing about people in "Whatabout" they all seem to think the same. I recently visited the "Rock the Vote" website that is 'trying to get out the youth vote to the polls. Fusing pop culture, politics, and technology, Rock the Vote works to mobilize the millennial voting bloc and the youth vote, protect voting rights, and advocate for an electoral process and voting system that works for the 21st century electorate.' Here is their byline: "We're smart, we're passionate, we're badass!" In their recent video Lil John was campaigning for legalization of marijuana use by smoking a huge joint aimed at teens.**(to see the utter foolishness click the bottom address.) Sounds fair and unbiased, doesn't it? Not quite. It is loaded with artist and celebrity supporters who could care a less about a culture that is intellectually and morally becoming a wasteland. Seriously what kind of agenda do you think Lady Gaga, Madonna, Maroon 5, Soulja Boy, Beyonce, Katie Perry, The Crystal Method and Beastie Boys care about? "You've got to fight for your right to parrrrrty?" Just what I want my kids to go out and vote for! Yeah, right. What we need to teach our adolescent teens is that maturity isn't the freedom to do what you want, but it is exercising restraint over the freedoms that will kill you. And restraint always begins in the mind, so stop letting the "Whatabout?" logic from destroying those you love. **http://www.mediabistro.com/agencyspy/starworks-group-rocks-the-vote-with-lil-jon-in-turn-out-for-what_b73111
Jack Kevorkian, an angel or a devil?
15 years ago, when he was tried and found guilty of assisting patients in voluntary euthanasia (means ‘good death’), he was considered a devil. During the height of his notoriety he proudly admitted to assisting over 130 terminally ill people to take their own life. He once famously quipped, “Dying is not a crime!” and, “My aim is not to cause death, but to end suffering.” I wonder, if Jack did his nefarious work today would he be tried and found guilty, or heralded as a saint? I am beginning to think more people these days would paint him with a halo rather than the horns he once was believed to wear. It is true that we all will die someday, but in this audacious age people are no longer scared to ask questions that once were considered a sacrilege, like, "why not let each individual be allowed to choose when their time to die will be?" This line of argument is gaining traction: quality has become more important than quantity, and for many they believe it should be up to an individual’s free conscience to decide when enough is enough. We can all agree that this world is a tough place to live in; so why shouldn't we be allowed to decide when we want out? What I have found interesting in my research is that some of the patients that Kevorkian claimed where suffering, after they were given autopsies, were found to have no disease or physical pain at all. According to a report by the Detroit Free Press, “60% of the patients who committed suicide with Kevorkian's help were not terminally ill, and at least 13 had not complained of pain.” The report further asserted that, “Kevorkian's counseling was too brief (with at least 19 patients dying less than 24 hours after first meeting Kevorkian) and lacked a psychiatric exam in at least 19 cases, 5 of which involved people with histories of depression.” So what, right? At least he helped them exercise their freedom. Let them die if they want to die. The new terminology for this is called, “End of Life Choice.” Even the brilliant Stephen Hawking is for it: “I think those who have a terminal illness and are in great pain should have the right to choose to end their lives and those who help them should be free from prosecution.” Hmm, I wonder who gets to decide when pain can be considered great? Should we once and for all take suicide off the list of traditional sins; especially when I am in ‘too’ much pain, or I have decided I have lived long enough? Well as a Christian pastor, this whole concept of euthanasia is disturbing to me. Not only does the exchange of a new ethic from “sanctity” to “quality” put the weakest among us at risk, but I believe it violates four profound truths scripture never wants us to let go of: (1) HUMAN WORTH IS PRICELESS (Genesis 9:5-6): Who determines the price of a soul? The autonomous individual who is in their right mind, their parents, legal guardians, the Federal budgeting office, or the Sovereign God? People once respected God’s opinion in our society, but sorry to say, not so much anymore. The experts of culture and the whims of consensus are now becoming the soul’s arbiter. And what is even more morose, inconvenience and a dwindling bank account have a funny way of recalculating human worth, which always seems to depreciate on value. (2) ETERNITY AND HEAVENLY GLORY IS THE MAIN EVENT (Romans 8:18): What should weigh more on the scales: The amount of human pain a person must endure on earth or the degree of glory that they get to display in heaven? The more our society loses touch with God, the more importance we place on the elimination of all pain, even siding with termination of pain over life. The less heaven is a reality, the less I consider how serious my decisions might be for me in the eternal long term. Our time on earth is not a game, it is a serious journey that we must engage in battle. God is forming Christ in us (Romans 8:29 & Philippians 3:10), and "giving-up" short circuits it's attainment. (3) GOD HAS LESSONS FOR US TO LEARN ABOUT LOVING OTHERS IN THE MIDST OF SUFFERING (2 Corinthians 1:3-7): We don’t like to be bothered, and the sickness and distress of those who are suffering that are close to us can become quite bothersome. God wants us to comfort one another, because when we suffer alongside with those we love, his life overflows and becomes real and his presence is felt. Euthanasia is the easy way out - - while it may seem to cost us nothing, it results in shutting out the witness of Christ in the community of saints, while swiftly losing our very own souls. (4) FAITH BECOMES REAL AS WE ENDURE PAIN (1 Peter 6-8): Suffering has a way of forcing us to let go of the small things down here while causing us to find our true life up in heaven hidden with God. God really is the best thing for us, but the silly things of earth, the cheap things, have caught our attention and corroded our appetites. What really matters to most people these days? I mean honestly? Sports, movies, cabins, clothes, fine food and the iPhone 6. Suffering helps us let go of these things, and makes us see that the deep things of life, love, relationships, worshiping God, becomes our satisfaction. I agree, life is hard. It hurts. I am no stranger to pain. I lived with my wife daily as she cared for her dear mom for 14 years – she watched her slowly crumble before her eyes, turning into an immobile skeleton, helpless on a cot, as Parkinson’s Disease did it’s dirty work. My wife, my sister-in-law and father-in-law showered her with constant love for all those years; and as a result, my kids got to see sacrificial love on constant display. I have watched my mom struggle for 54 years with a mentally handicapped daughter who can’t feed herself, talk, clean her diapers, she has ground down her teeth to nothing, and now she isn't eating and she can’t even explain to my mom why. What kind of a life does my sister live? Should we give her a morphine cocktail and let her slip slowly away? Is that humane? No, because my sister isn't a dog, she is a person made in the image of God. How dare we destroy that? The older I get the more I realize a large portion of my dreams are never going to be realized on this earth. But I have also realized something else which trumps my original plans: “Who have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Ps. 73:25-26) On April 15, 2010, Kevorkian appeared on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360°, Anderson asked, "You are saying doctors play God all the time?" Kevorkian said: "Of course. Anytime you interfere with a natural process, you are playing God." Do you really want face the creator of the Universe and tell him we decided to take over his job when it comes to life and death; do you really want to tell him you think he is doing a terrible job? Oh my… |
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