I Believe in Anger

I'm an angry person. I'm not talking about anger in the sense of having a temper or getting mad over stupid things. But I'm still an angry person.

When I see a man or woman maliciously beat their kids I get angry.
When I see kids forced to come home to an empty house because their parents are too self-absorbed with their careers, I get angry.
When I see a homeless person, digging through the trash trying to survive off of the scraps that most of us throw away, I get angry.
When I hear about children in 3rd world countries who die everyday from preventable diseases and illnesses, I get angry.
When I hear about pastors who abuse their churches and extort money from their congregations, I get angry.
When I hear about churches that abuse their pastors and make him feel like an employee, I get angry.
When I see people who lift their hands in worship only to walk out the doors of the church and deny Him by their lifestyles, I get angry.
When I see people who are duped into believing and carrying out the most ridiculous lies in the name of "Religion," I get angry.

In Ephesians 4:26, Paul quotes Psalm 4:4, "Be angry, but do not sin." Anger is not intrinsically sinful. In fact, the Bible calls us to be angry at the atrocities that we see in the world. Paul was calling the Ephesian church to get angry at the moral corruption that had fled into the congregation. He wanted to them to be angry because that was the logical response. In Matthew 21, Jesus got pretty ticked when he saw the corrupt state of the temple complex where people had turned God's house into a market place. In His anger, Jesus flipped the tables and drove out these criminals with a whip. Jesus was angry but did not sin. But it doesn't stop with anger. We are called to do something about our anger.

You see, when we look at our world, we as Christians should be angry; because believe me God certainly is. Most of the time we are told that anger is sinful and that to act out in anger is even more sinful. But that is not what Paul was saying and certainly not what Jesus was demonstrating. To be angry and sin means to see the corrupt moral state of our world and to do nothing; to pretend that it's none of our business.

We as Christians have a responsibility to be the hands, feet and mouth of Jesus in a fallen world. Jesus came into this world "to preach good news to the poor...to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor (Luke 4:18-19 HCSB). We as Christians carry on that responsibility as we fallow in His footsteps.

When you claim to follow Jesus, the state of this world should tick you off!!! And when it does, it should drive you to action starting with the proclamation of the good news of Jesus our Savior. Be angry, but do not sin by doing nothing!

Organized

Organized. It’s funny how one word can have so much meaning. In most cases you either are or you aren’t organized. When you’re organized, life is simpler; things are easy to find, projects don’t fall through the cracks and life doesn’t easily get out of control. When you’re not organized, life can get crazy pretty easily because you have no idea what’s going on, you can’t find anything, and the next thing you know, balls are dropping everywhere.

All the skill and determination in the world can’t conceal the disorganization of anyone. A disorganized person will eventually fail. On the other hand, an organized person will go far in life. But can organization go too far? Can we try so hard to organzie our lives that we inadvertently compartmentalize God into only one part of our lives; separate from our job, our family and even from our daily routine? We sometimes get in the habit of making a list of priorities and as long as God is at the top, we think we’re ok. But in so doing have we missed the point?

Even the Pharisees of Jesus day would have said that God was #1 in their lives. They left families and friends in order to devote their lives to studying scripture. These weren’t evil people, just misguided. They were so single minded in making sure that God was #1 through their own efforts that they never allowed God to influence any other part of their lives. They viewed God as so important that to involve Him in the mundane tasks of life would be to defile His majesty. God doesn’t want to be #1 on a list, He wants to be the all encompassing focus of our lives that influences and impacts each major part of our lives in His own special way.

God doesn’t want to be organized in our lives; He wants our lives to be organized around Him.

When did I grow up?

Yesterday I was playing in a sand box with my Tonka Trucks. Today I drove to work in a real truck. When did I grow up?

Yesterday, I pushed the neighborhood girl down and made her cry. Today I kissed my wife goodbye before she went to work. When did I grow up?

Yesterday, I started my first day of school. Today I paid a student loan payment for an education I completed 6 years ago. When did I grow up?

Yesterday, I got a $5.00 allowance from my dad. Today, I got a paycheck from my job. When did I grow up?

Yesterday, I paid $1.50 for school lunch. Today, I paid my first mortgage payment. When did I grow up?

Yesterday, I suited up in my pads and helmet to go to war on the gridiron. Today, I played 2-hand-touch and couldn't walk for the next 3 days. When did I grow up?

Yesterday, I played countless hours of Nintendo. Today I played countless hours of Xbox 360. Did I grow up?

Yesterday, I prayed the simple prayer of a child. Today I taught someone else to pray. When did I grow up?

Yesterday, I couldn't wait to grow up. Today, I wonder where all the time went. When did I grow up?

Mike Vick and I are a Lot Alike!

I was listening to a radio show yesterday (after the massive beatdown Mike Vick put on the helpless Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football). The question was posed, after how well he's been playing, "would you want him on your team?" Now barring (and understandably so) the Atlanta Falcons, I think every other teams should want to have the best player (right now) in the league on their team, because winning is winning. However, the host responded, "I would not want anyone on my team who is capable of doing what he did."

This got me thinking, "what makes us any different than Michael Vick?" Why is it that when people like Vick make these huge mistakes that we start making these strong assertions that we could never have done something like that. The problem is that many of us are fooling ourselves (especially those in the Christian community). Each of us is much closer to Michael Vick or even Adolf Hilter than we'd like to admit. We're all human and given different circumstances, things may have turned out a lot different for us.

It doesn't take a lot to look around this world and notice that there is something wrong. There are a lot of bad people: crooked politicians, shady business men and women, bullies, spouse abusers, drug dealers, pedophiles, rapists, murderers. What separates us from them? The answer is circumstances and God's grace.

It's funny how if a young African American young man or women ends up in jail for dealing drugs or killing someone, many are quick to defend him or her saying that they were a product of their environment. However, Mike Vick makes it out of the ghetto of Newport New, VA on a seemingly super-human athletic ability and we automatically expect more of him despite the fact that no one cared to show him the way. All we cared about was that he was electrifying on the field and how much money was being made off of him. Vick grew up in a community that was steeped in dog-fighting. Are we surprised that it carried over into his professional life as well?

Now some of us need to get down off our high horse and accept the fact that we are products of our environments as well. We had everything we could ever want. Our circumstances were different. By God's grace, we were spared the circumstances that might have lead us down the wrong road. But nevertheless, we are all human and suffer from one major flaw that each of us inherited from a common ancestor. Sin. Any of us is a sinner who have ever lied to our parents, copied homework, held a grudge, looked lustfully at a woman or even held hatred in our hearts for Michael Vick. In God's eyes sin is sin and we have all fallen short of His standard. Stop acting as though your "good" life has earned you the right to cast judgment on others because if anything it should make you more forgiving of others because, by God's grace, you have been spared.

The Bible tells us that "just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned. (Romans 5:12 HCSB). Sin is a part of the human condition and we are all capable of the most terrible atrocities even if we never end up commiting them. Likewise the Bible teaches us that we are not to condemn people for their sins lest we be condemned ourselves (Matthew 7:1-5). Mike Vick publicly claims to have received Jesus as his savior. Therefore, he has been forgiven; period. And if his sin had to lead him into deepest pits of Hell to get him to turn to God; then maybe it was worth it.

Mike Vick has been given a second chance and he's done far more with it than most of us ever could have. Stop your skepticism about whether he is truly repentant! Stop acting like the petulant older brother in the story of the "Prodigal Son," standing outside the party refusing to come in. Rather, like the Father, "celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'" (Luke 15:32 HCSB)

So how are Mike Vick and I a lot alike? We've both been forgiven.

Halloween: A Christian Debate

Many Christians express concern, year after year, about the dangers of Halloween and its history to Christian values. Now, I am very much aware of the cultic implications of Halloween and have struggled with whether or not Christians should celebrate Halloween. More specifically, I've been conflicted as to whether Christian groups should plan Halloween-themed activities within the Church. I've prayed about this and read scripture and I have come to the conclusion that Halloween can be used as a tool to reach people for Christ. I know that many Christians disagree with me on this and I certainly don't want to offend anyone's convictions, but I do believe that Halloween provides an opportunity to spread the gospel.

Halloween is such a strong part of our culture that disassociation from it may lead to the perception that we are culturally irrelevant but even more so, it can lead to a missed opportunity. Most people in this country celebrate Halloween including most Christians. Therefore Oct. 31, provides an opportunity for us to bring people into the church and engage them in spiritual conversations at a time where they are not only open to the subject, but often expect it.

Let me be clear; we should never embrace the demonic side of Halloween. We should certainly use discretion when picking costumes for our children and ourselves. Nevertheless, we can celebrate Halloween in a way that does not compromise our beliefs and still allows us to engage our neighbors in spiritual conversations that expose them to the Gospel.

In Acts 17, Paul engaged the people of Athens by taking something from their own culture (the altar to an Unknown God) and using it to get them to consider the true God of the universe. I don't think Paul was truly saying that these people were worshiping Yahweh through this arbitrary temple (that would be blasphemous). It was simply an opening for Paul to present the true God. For me Halloween is an opening to present people with the truth about spiritual things. Halloween already makes people think more about the spiritual world so let's use Halloween as an opening to point them to Spiritual Truth.

Martin Luther stated that “the best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn.” If Halloween be a demonic holiday in celebration of demonic values, what better way to mock Satan than to use Oct. 31 to further God's kingdom through Jesus Christ.

The Apocalypse Has Been Postponed (For the Time Being)!

There has been so much buzz in recent years concerning what many believe will be with the ending of the Mayan calendar on December 21, 2012. As people gear up to face the apocalypse, there have been at least 2 reactions: fear and/or determination.

Fear: Faced with their impending death, many begin to fear what's beyond the grave. There's the burning question: is this all there is or what should I expect when I die? People are naturally fearful of the unknown and even more so when that unknown is death.

Determination: Faced with their impending death, many realize that there is so much they hoped to do and accomplish before they died. They wanted to skydive, get married, move out of their parents' basement or just make something of themselves. Some people just naturally work better with a deadline (no pun intended). December 21, 2012 provided that deadline.

As for me, I liked the idea of people thinking that the world was going to end in 2012 (even if I don't believe). For one, fearful people were turning to Jesus for answers concerning life after death. When people seriously question the supernatural, Jesus and the Bible begin to make sense. The frailty of humanity becomes apparent and people begin to see their need for a savior. Jesus is the only third party savior in any religion; everyone else is left to save themselves. Secondly, thinking that the time was running short, Christians were more determined to share their faith with a friend or neighbor. You can't believe the Bible and also believe that everyone will end up in heaven; the Bible talks way too much about "H" "E" double hockey sticks. Christians can't help but recognize that all those who die apart from Christ have no pearly gates of which to look forward. And, naturally, it should be hard for Christians to so willingly allow their loved ones to perish without hearing the gospel. 2012 provided us with this extra motivation.

But now things have been messed up. A recent book "Calendars and Years II: Astronomy and Time in the Ancient and Medieval World" (Oxbow Books, 2010) argues that early conversions of the Mayan calendar (which have been accepted without question for so long) may actually be as many as 50 to 100 years off in either direction. Sadly, the Mayan apocalypse may have already happened with the entire world being, "Left Behind." In actuality, we're back to square one not knowing at all when the end will come. But wait...didn't Jesus say that would be the case anyway? Jesus told His disciples, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority" (Act 1:7 NASB). Then He went into a rant about the disciples receiving power and being witnesses around the world. Interesting...

Ok....fear and determination are good, but the fact that we don't know should make us even more fearful and determined. If I know I'm going to die tomorrow, yes, it will motivate me a little, but if I don't know I'm going to die tomorrow that should make me even more motivated by the very fact that it may happen or it may not. It's that fear of the unknown kicking in. Honestly, each of us should live every day as though it's December 20, 2012. Fear of death should point us toward Jesus and knowing the end could come at any moment should make us all the more determined that none should go down without hearing the gospel.

I like a good deadline because it allows me to pace myself or even procrastinate until the last minute and then work overtime to get it done. But Jesus doesn't want us to wait until the last minute. He wants us to face each day with a faithful attitude that today may be our last and we'll give an account for how we lived each day. There will be no excuses accepted containing the words, "I didn't know!" or "I thought I had more time!" You were warned. So live each day with fear and determination. You never know when tomorrow won't come.

17 Things I Learned from My First Year in Ministry

1. One year isn’t long enough to do/change much.
2. Most people are appreciative of anything that you do to help them and they will notice when you help others too.
3. You can never please everyone. Be careful not to try.
4. Writing skills are very important and very much appreciated.
5. No matter how careful you are in your communication, someone will either misunderstand or be out of the loop…and it’s still your fault.
6. You will never have every position filled with the right person.
7. A lot of people know more than I do and are much more mature in their faith. Learn from them.
8. It’s a difficult thing to be someone’s confidante and it’s even more difficult to find someone to be yours.
9. People really want to see you succeed. We’re all in this together.
10. The children’s ministry is the youth ministry’s minor league. Small investments of time there can and will pay future dividends.
11. It’s hard not to second guess the decisions that you make, even when they go well. Remember the past, but don’t live there.
12. Be prepared for anything and be flexible.
13. Sometimes, the easiest solution is the best one, but don’t be afraid to take risks.
14. At the end of the day, there is still another 10 hours of work to do…you can never get it all done.
15. Put your wife first and make sure she knows it.
16. Make the most of every opportunity; you never know when a door might close.
17. Showing appreciation for what people do goes a long way.