DISASTER IN HAITI

I have been watching with great interest the events that have been unfolding in Haiti. This is truly a tragedy of epic proportions. It is impossible to imagine what it is like to have 200,000 lives vanish in an instant. The loss of life and the loss of an entire way of living is just staggering. While things might one day be rebuilt even better than before (or so I hope), I think it is safe to say that things will never be the same.
One of the most difficult parts of this event has been the fact that we all feel helpless. If we could jump on a plane and go there many of us would. If we could bring people here to help them we would but we can’t. Every tear we see on TV and every person walking dazed through the street we would comfort if we only could. Yet there must be something we can do and of course there is.
1. We can pray. We are told, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Mt.21:22). When an event of this scope takes place we are reminded of just how small and fragile we are. It was a normal shifting movement of the earth yet with such devastating results. We can however see that God is big and that He is able to grasp the scope of this and he can bring hope and benefit from the tragedy and loss. Pray that God will be with the survivors of the earthquake, that He will heal the injured and meet the needs of the homeless poor there. Pray that he will be with those in authority to get aid to the needy and to begin to position themselves for meaningful recovery. Pray that God will work through the Christian missionaries and doctors and nurses that the light of Jesus will be seen in then.
2. We can contribute. Hopefully you have already considered what you can do to help the people there begin to turn their lives around. It is going to take a tremendous amount of money and resources to rebuild Port-au-Prince and it seems like our gift will make little difference but that is not true. Not only will our contributions make a difference but when channeled through organizations such as Hope for Haiti’s Children, Churches of Christ Disaster Response Team, Matthew 25 Ministries and other Christian organizations, the people there will see God reaching to them through the church. The potential for good there is literally impossible to calculate.
Ultimately I believe that the losses will be mourned, buildings will be rebuilt and scarred lives will move forward. We have the opportunity to help people remember that amidst the chaos, they saw Jesus in his church.

GOOD NEWS!

I know it has been a while since I have written in my blog. I intend to do better in the future. I wanted to share an article I wrote for our church bulletin this week. I hope you enjoy it.

GOOD NEWS!

If I had to choose one Christmas Carol as a favorite, I think I would choose “Silent Night” by Joseph Mohr. Mohr was a Roman Catholic priest and served a parish high in the Alps near Salzburg, Germany in the late 1800’s. He felt that there needed to be more hymns to celebrate the Christmas season. He wrote this and taught it to a friend and they taught it to the congregation in their little village. They never intended the song to be known outside of the little mountain village. However, an organ repairman came through to do some maintenance on the church organ and heard the song being sung. Intrigued he copied the words and music and shared it with others in the places he worked. The popularity of the song spread quickly and has now been translated from its original German into every major language in the world.
I especially like the second verse of the song which reads:

Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing alleluia;
Christ the Savior is born!
Christ the Savior is born!

Luke tells us (Luke 2:10) that the angel who appeared to the shepherds said, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” The word translated ‘good news’ in the passage is the Greek word ‘evangelidzo’ from which we take our word evangelism. They had no idea how good was this good news. The prophet Isaiah said of this child born in the City of David that “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
That continues to be good news. This is the time of year Christians of all denominations and genres remember the incredible mission of that little one lying in a manger. Our hearts are touched by the suffering he must endure. Our lives are changed by the fact that he did.
Too often we see evangelism as convincing people of the accuracy our belief system when really like the angels, all Christians have ever been asked to do is shine God’s glory to earth and point to what He has done.
Let the miracle of His birth, the fact of His sacrifice and the completeness of His grace and love do the work of changing hearts and lives. That was then, is now and forever will be the good news.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY LENORE!

Dating was never my strong suit. Lets just say, "I was no heart throb.” What can I say? I was raised in a family of boys… with the exception of my poor mother who continually apologizes to my wife and my sisters in law saying, “I really tried hard to civilize them but it didn’t work.” When I was in my late teens I still would rather have baled hay than “sit and talk” even with a young lady I found to be attractive. I hated it when girls called just to talk and would find excuses to hang up as soon as possible. I had a handful of guy friends with whom I made it a point to plan fishing trips during school dances.

At church camp there was always pressure to impress the girls so that you didn’t look like a chump at the end of the week by going to the banquet alone. My style of impressing the girls was to throw dead snakes into their cabin and laugh hysterically when the predictable screaming commenced. I gave my friends wedgies when they were “putting the moves” on prospective banquet dates and teased them for talking to girls when they should be playing tackle football. One unfortunate girl who went to the banquet with me left in tears when I sang to her. My singing was fine it was just that I sang Lionel Richie’s “You’re Once, Twice, Three Times a Lady” while expanding my hands out from my waist. She wasn’t fat but she didn’t understand that I was joking. I didn’t get it then and had to roast a wiener by the bonfire alone. I think I understand now.

I improved marginally in college. Instead of snakes, I threw water balloons into dorm rooms. I was the cafeteria champ for wadding up napkins and throwing them at an unsuspecting female from whom I was hoping to garner some attention. I got really good and could hit a girl clear across the room. I don’t guess it ever dawned on me that a paper napkin careening off of your forehead and into your mashed potatoes might not be a turn on. Then again, I’m not sure I cared. If she didn’t go out with me it just freed up a Friday night for fishing. There were a few girls that tried to put up with me but after a few dates of wading in the creek and going to the library to read hunting magazines, they invariably lost interest.

But as for most of us guys there was one girl who was different. I prefer to believe that she saw a diamond in the rough (and there was a lot of rough) and persevered to find it. She put up with the water balloons, snowballs and wadded up napkins. She rolled her eyes at the impressive burps and sat by me on the shore while fishing. She even gave hunting and golf a try; both of which produced stories that are funny but I won’t go into here. She laughed at most of my jokes and cried when I tricked her into touching a vending machine that had a short in it so that when touched produced a mild but painful electric shock. I still feel bad about that one.

Saturday, July 25th will mark 22 years of her patience. The city girl having to refine the country boy a bit but every day being worth it. Thank you Lenore for hanging in there. I love you.

THE MAN IN THE MIRROR

The media coverage for the Michael Jackson funeral has been nothing short of intense. It is impossible to watch or listen to a news broadcast in recent days without hearing someone comment on some area of minutia revolving around his life or his death or the battle for his children and his sizeable estate. I am confident that it will go on for some time. Soon there will be Michael Jackson sightings, conspiracy theories, and of course the army of impersonators who will dishonor his memory with poor singing and dancing.
While I would never call myself a Michael Jackson fan I couldn’t help but be impressed by his talent. There was no one who could bring a song to life and infuse the level of energy into it like he could. When the “Thriller” video came out I was not a video watcher but I couldn’t help but watch the amazing precision and energy in that work. It must still rank among the greatest music videos ever made.
There were several of his songs that were memorable but there is one I noticed on the list of his greatest hits that I believed had spiritual applications. The song, “Man in the Mirror,” was written to highlight the plight of the homeless. In it Jackson underscores a key to change that has Biblical roots and impressive insight. The song speaks of ‘making the world a better place by looking at yourself and making a change.’
Remember these lyrics?
As I turned up the collar on
A favorite winter coat
This wind is blowin' my mind
I see the kids in the street
With not enough to eat
Who am I to be blind
Pretending not to see their needs

A summer's disregard
A broken bottle top
And a one man's soul
They follow each other
On the wind ya' know
'Cause they got nowhere to go
That's why I want you to know

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change, yey
(Album – Bad, 1987; Songwriters: Ballard, Glen; Garrett, Siedah)
Whether we want to change the world, the church or our families, the place to start is now and has always been with the ‘man in the mirror.

Happy Mother's Day!

I have recently been reminded of my fascination with Mary, the mother of Jesus. She was just a teenager when she was told that she would soon be expecting. Even though that news came from an angel, it must have been troubling.

“How can this be since I am a virgin?” Mary asks.

She’s not asking for just the biological mechanics of how she is to become pregnant. She is also thinking of the social stigma that came with ‘out of wedlock’ pregnancy. It was socially unacceptable to say the least. She was thinking of the looks she would receive from the other women in town and the words she would hear from the priests at the temple and the disappointment from her parents not to mention Joseph…what would Joseph think?

Yet after all is explained and the weight of it is on her shoulders, her words reveal the depth of her faith and trust in God as she says, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” (Luke 1:38)

The years after that are filled with adventure as she gives birth to the Son of God (try to put yourself in her sandals and wrap your brain around that) in a barn.

Think of the terror of losing him after a family trip to Jerusalem. (Luke 2:42-49)

Think of how cool it was to ask him for a miracle at a friend’s wedding knowing (how did she know??) he would come through. (John 2:1-10)

See her concern as she races to him when she hears a rumor that he has lost his mind. (Mark 3:31-34)

Imagine her pride swelling, as do the numbers of the crowds that gather as they witness the jaws drop at his teaching and his miracles.

Feel her rage at those who falsely accuse him.

Sense her disgust at those who cry, “Crucify him”

Imagine her utter brokenness when they do.

There can be no doubt that the broken figure standing beneath the cross with John has been and will always be his number one fan on earth.

Moms have a way of lifting us up even in our darkest days. My mom has always been my biggest fan. She was always there: at my concerts, my graduations, expressing pride at my accomplishments and sharing sorrow at my setbacks. No matter how dark the road ahead, my mom is always at my side, proud to be there just because it is me.

Moms are that way. Be sure to take some time this weekend to express your appreciation to your biggest fan.

A Foundation for Strong Christian Families

I Corinthians 3:11

“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

Any builder knows that the key to building a dependable structure is a solid foundation. Months of planning go into effect for just that part of the building. Earth moving, soil sampling and precise digging take place well before the first cement truck arrives. As the foundation goes, so goes the building.
I submit to you that a solid foundation is the key to a great Christian family as well. Here are three components of a solid foundation for every family.

Component #1 – A Firm Grounding in Faith – Any Christian family must be solidly committed to their faith in Jesus Christ. Parents must have a faith that shows itself in obvious fruits of the Spirit. Parents should strive to be together in their faith and discuss and work out areas where they may see things differently. Unity in the home around issues of faith is crucial.

Component #2 – A Strong Parental Marriage – The strength of the parents’ marriage is a reliable indicator for the adaptability of a child for adulthood. Kids who come from homes with strong marriages are well positioned to navigate their way in the world. Children from homes with good marriages are also far more likely to adhere to parents’ values and faith.

Component #3 – A Collaborative Parenting Style – Parents who agree on basic values and who work together to set rules and boundaries give their children a predictable world and an environment where they can feel loved, accepted and valued despite the conflicting messages they receive from the world.

To some these components come easily. Usually those to whom they come easily are those who come from families that exhibited those characteristics. Conversely, those who struggle with one or all of them probably came from a home where one or more of these characteristics are not present. None of us had all of these perfectly and to whatever degree we were blessed with them, we owe it to our children to put forth the effort to improve. There are many opportunities here at Northeast and beyond for even healthy families to improve. Bible classes, marriage and parenting seminars, marriage mentoring and counseling opportunities are just some of the tools before us to give the gift of a strong faith family to our children and then ask them to pass the gift down to the generations after them.
Upon which component can you improve? Look today for opportunities to make that happen. Your families will thank you for building a strong family of faith.

Note to Self: Don't Mess with a Chimp

I have been following the news story about the chimpanzee that attacked a woman and nearly killed her the other day. They had an animal expert on GMA this morning who said that he would rather tangle with a lion or gator than he would a chimp. I just never thought of them that way. This thing evidently disfigured this woman's face to the point that she will never look the same again. He also mangled her hands so bad that one or both may need to be amputated. I would have never thought a monkey could do such damage. I will certainly be more respectful of monkeys in the future.

I wonder how the evolutionists would explain this? Is that monkey evolving? Into what? Perhaps our violent tendencies come from those ancestors? Or maybe God made them to act like wild animals. Some might say, " Well, humans act like that too." Fair enough but the animal expert today said this behavior is normal for a chimp. Hmmm?