The Divine Perspective

My daughter, Jessica, is pursuing a Ph.D. in bio-chemistry at Auburn University in Alabama. I am very proud of who she is, the work she is doing, and how she reflects the love of Jesus in what she does. But sometimes when she begins to talk about her work, I am reminded she was blessed with her mother’s portion of brain power.

While on the phone with her the other day, I asked what she had done that week. She said, “Well, I conducted large scale expressions on bacteria to extract KatG protein, otherwise known as catalase-peroxidase protein, using sonification to lyse the cells to extract the proteins that were overexpressed. This was done with multiple varieties of chromatography protocols. Then I tested these proteins using UV-visible spectroscopy and an oxygen sensitive electrode.”

I said, “ummm…OK.” Then in an effort to sound intelligent, I asked, “Why did you do that? What did you hope to accomplish?”

She said, “I did that to determine the activity of a protein that enables tuberculosis to withstand attacks from its host.”

To that, I articulately said, “ummm….OK.” I gave up and simply told her, “It sounds like you had a great week!”

Since I had no idea what she just said, and in attempt to maintain my pride, I said, “Let’s pretend that I had absolutely no idea what you just said. Tell me what you just said in plain ol’ English.”

So, she told me she was analyzing some proteins to understand why tuberculosis sometimes sticks around when it should have been eradicated.

I said, “Oh! That sounds important and worthwhile. Why didn’t you just say that?”

The thing is, I know what she is doing is more complex and profound than what she told me. She just knows that if she gave me more, my mind would literally explode, so she gave me what she knew I could handle for now.

This was not the first time I had been in a conversation where the discussion had been way over my head. Actually, it seems like I am in many of those types of conversations. When I get in those situations, I know what the person is saying is important and I know it is worthwhile, but I also realize they are communicating on such a different level than me, I just have to try to keep up.

It is this way with God sometimes. Many times the core of our problems is our inability to know and understand God’s ways. The Lord said in Isaiah 55:9, “For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (HCSB)

Because God works from the divine perspective, there are times we must simply trust His goodness and faithfulness and realize He will show us only what we can handle at the moment.

We make our plans and they go awry, and then we get frustrated and angry because things did not go as we planned. Perhaps, that was because God was working something different than we had imagined. We wonder if God is listening to our prayers because we have been asking repeatedly for Him to reveal His plan for us. When we encounter silence in our prayers, we may be tempted to think God does not care. It might just be that it is not time for Him to reveal His plan to us because it would be incomprehensible at that point in time.

God’s ways are not only higher they are bigger than our thoughts. His thoughts, His ways, and His plans are on another level than our thought process. Therefore, when He shows us a little bit of His plan which He thinks we can handle, it might surprise us. However, we must understand that if God is asking us to do something surprising, something difficult, something different, He is performing a work in our lives we might not even be able to imagine.

Read More

I am Not in Control

I received an iMessage the other day that may be common in the world we live in but one that no father wants to get from his daughter. “My school’s on lockdown. A convict is on the loose and has been seen on our campus.” My daughter goes to school over 500 miles away in that vast wilderness called “Texas.” Of course, there was nothing I could do to protect her, so I began to pray, but I was still trying to figure out what I could do. Maybe I could…no, that wouldn’t work…Maybe I should…no, that is impractical…Maybe I will…seriously, get ahold of yourself – if you are dad, you know how your emotions can spiral a bit out of control when it comes to protecting your children.

That is when God calmed my heart and reminded me of something He has been trying to teach me lately: I am not in control. This reminded me a passage of Scripture.

"Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. [12] "Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. [13] "Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name. (1 Chronicles 29:11-13, NASB)

Yes, I am not in control. Why is this idea such an astonishing concept for me to grasp? I am not in control – never have been; never will be. I cannot control whether my daughter will be harmed when she is 500 miles away from me and I cannot control if she will be harmed if she is living in the same town I live in. I am not in control.

In that moment of praying, God gently reminded me of all the things in which I am not in control. I have been at my current church for just over five months and have been to five funerals, three of which I have presided over. I have no control who dies and when. My wife had to have another back surgery this month. While I wish I could take the pain from her and heal her, I have no control over her pain or her healing. For me, the realization that I am not in control is not exactly what I wanted to hear but I am not even in control of what God wants to teach me! (Can you imagine!?)

God did not leave me there, though. In addition to reminding me that I am not in control, He reminded me that HE is – And He always has been! God being in control means that my daughter was not left in the hands of an escaped convict; she was in the hands of the Perfect Father, our Abba – and she always has been! God controlling all things means that my wife is not in left the hands of a fallible surgeon; She is in the hands of the Great Physician who never makes a mistake and uses our weakness for his strength (2 Cor. 12:10) – and she always has been! God being in control means that He will use what He wants to teach me what He wants at the exact time He wants to teach it to me. Frankly, it is humbling, but I could use some humbling on a regular basis to remind me I serve a Sovereign Father who loves me deeply by reminding me I am not in control.

My daughter was on lockdown for about five hours and then, when it was safe, all the students were released. So she and eleven of her friends went to get pizza – college students…always eating. She was safe and I praised God, not just because my daughter was safe, although that was a major praise, but I praised God because of who God is. The Sovereignty of our God means that He can do what He wants, teach me what He wants, use what He wants, to accomplish what He wants. Like 1 Chronicles 29:13 says, “Therefore”, because You are in COMPLETE control of ALL things, “we thank You and praise Your glorious name.” Thank You, Lord, that I am not in control.

Read More

Removing the Dead Wood from Our Lives

We are messy when we start.

I have been removing dead trees from our land for about a month or so and it strikes me this job is similar to the work Christians must tackle in their own lives.

We had some dead, rotting trees standing, and in some cases, laying on or beside healthy, green, growing trees. When the two exist together it is messy, ugly, and, frankly, a bit dangerous. Rodents or snakes could live in the mess laying on the ground. Winds can cause trees to fall over and harm others. It is eyesore for the neighbors. In short the dead must be removed for the healthy to continue to grow and to improve the aesthetics.

Similarly, when we come to Christ, we have sin littering our lives which must be aggressively removed if we are to grow and become healthy Christians. Paul makes this point in Colossians 3. In this part of his epistle to the church in Colossia, Paul first instructs his readers to "set your mind on the things above" (3:2). He then charges believers to put to death our worldly nature (3:5). He lists a sampling of what the worldly nature looks like (I will link to the Greek word used): immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed - greed is like idolatry. These are what the old, worldly nature produces and they should be like dead trees in our lives. They need to be removed.



Making progress

Paul goes on to say that we are to throw away the old self (3:9). He characterized the old man with this list: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech. He also includes a ban on lying to one another. These all, and anything else produced from the old nature must be removed because through Christ, we have put on the new man. When we do not remove the old and dead from our lives, our lives become messy, ugly, and frankly, a bit dangerous.

This is not work we must do ourselves. In fact, it is impossible for us to do this work ourselves. It begins when we have made alive through Christ (3:1) and the work continues as we are renewed the more and more we know Christ (3:10). In short, it is the work of Christ on the cross that allows us to be able to remove the old nature from our lives.

Like removing the trees, removing sin from our lives is hard work. It may take some time to get the job done in the manner it needs done. It may be costly but it is worth the cost. You may need the help of a friend to get to the job done. The point is that we must remove the sin from our lives no matter what. The ugly death in our lives must be removed so we can walk as Christ intended us to walk.

Matthew Henry challenged his readers to remove sins from lives. He said,

Mortify them, kill them, suppress them, as weeds or vermin which spread and destroy all about them ... It is necessary to mortify sins, because if we do not kill them, they will kill us.

Finished for now

These were the thought running through my head as I was cleaning out these old trees. More specifically, I began to wonder what were the dead trees in my life that are not only cluttering up my life, but are allowing death to remain in the new life Christ has given me. I would ask you the same question. What dead trees from your old worldly nature is still hanging around in your life making your life messy, ugly, and dangerous? Are you willing to allow Christ to work in you and are you willing to do the hard work to remove these sins from your life?

If you are struggling in an area and would like some help, please comment below or email and I will be willing to pray with you and help you with your questions.

Read More

Gathering Illustrations

In a previous post, I wrote about sermon preparation and the importance of the sermon illustration in that process. Sermon illustrations are pretty easy to come by if one is paying attention. The problem for me has been how to keep track of the illustrations I have found along the way but have not been able to use yet. How can I file those illustrations to be used in the future? What system is the best way to access my sermon illustrations?

In my thinking and experimenting to find the best system, I also found myself in an interesting situation. A fellow minister and friend of mine passed away not long ago. His family very generously and very kindly gave his collection of sermon illustrations to me (this collection is seen in the image above). I was very honored to receive this collection of illustrations that represent hundreds of hours of collecting, filing, and then using the illustration in various sermons. This was a very personal, very important, and very valuable gift. I was quite moved by this family's kindness in their time of grieving.


Evernote

Recently, I have come across an application named Evernote. My finding Evernote is not an epic discovery, as many have already found an use Evernote regularly. But for me, it was a great way to easily collect, store, and retrieve sermon illustrations. If you are looking for a way to make a personalized sermon illustration storage system, this is a very easy process.

After I looked at some videos about the basics of Evernote, I began the process of collecting my illustrations. To begin with, I created a "notebook" entitled "Sermon Illustrations." Second, I create a new note in that notebook. Then, I use the very cool function in Evernote in which one can take a picture with the "document camera," which takes a picture of the text and then makes that text searchable. I add a title to this picture, and at the bottom of the note, I make a quick notation regarding the source. Finally, and I think this may be the most important, I create some "tags," which are essentially subject labels, for this note.

Once entered like this, you can search the "tags" for a topic search, as in "I would like to see all the illustrations about forgiveness" or you can search through the notes for a keyword, as in "I would like to see all the illustrations that have the word "love" in them.

All my illustrations are stored on the Evernote cloud, which has 60 MB per month free. This means that I can access my notes from my iPad, my PC laptop (there is an Evernote for the PC), or even any computer that has web access, because there is a web-based client as well.

I would recommend Evernote for this type of work. I can also see the benefits of this application in collection of receipts for ministry and a vast array of information gathering. For now, Evernote will be serving as my main storage space for my sermon illustrations.

Finally, I will have an image below of what my Evernote on my PC looks like (it is a large picture so you may need to scroll around to see it all). I hope this information has helped. Please leave some feedback to let me know!

Screen Shot of Evernote - Click to Enlarge

Read More

Sixth: Illustrations

In continuing my series on sermon preparation, we turn to the topic of sermon illustrations. Illustrations are an integral part of the sermon. To begin with, sermons are well communicated when each main point has explanation, illustration, and application. That is, you state the main point and then explain what the author is saying about that principle. After that, a good illustration will help hammer home the point you are attempting to make. Finally, application MUST be made. Howard Hendricks says,

Observation plus interpretation minus application equals abortion. In other words, every time you observe and interpret but fail to apply, you perform an abortion on the Scriptures in terms of their purpose.

But, this is a coming post.
Back to the point at hand, illustrations help the preacher communicate his point clearly and help the audience remember the point.

Here is how illustrations made their way into our sermon on 1 Timothy 1:3-11. (Click here for our outline as it currently stands). As I was refining the outline (see previous post) I was also thinking of illustrations. For example, the first main point is:

I. We must have ministries marked by sound doctrine
          A. Watch for counterfeits
          B. Watch for divisions
          C. Watch for the goal - LOVE

This got me thinking about identifying counterfeits. The "standard" illustration is the "you must know the real dollar bill to identify the counterfeit - and the better you know the real dollar the easier it is to identify the counterfeit" but I figured many had already heard that illustration in a sermon about combating false doctrine. Therefore, I wanted to find something new or original to make my point of identifying counterfeits.

Next, the second point says:

II. We must avoid ministries marked by false doctrine.
          A. Their direction is off.
          B. Their discussions are empty
          C. Their desire is wrong.

This made me think of an illustration about false signals leads the follower astray. I wanted to find an illustration about that.

I could not think of anything for the last point while refining the outline so I needed to continue to think about that. I also wanted a illustration to kick everything off that captured the idea of the entire sermon. I was thinking something about the impact of counterfeiting on the economy and comparing that to the spiritual life.

Now that I had a good idea of what I was looking for I began to search for some good illustrations. What makes a good illustration? There are many things. Mostly, for me, I want to find personal illustrations first. I had a story about me, a compass working wrong, and me being lost in Fort Worth, TX. It is a somewhat amusing story but it communicate the point of following a false signal: "The compass may say west but you are going east. That is the way it is counterfeit teachers proclaiming a counterfeit gospel. They lead people astray" and so forth.

Next, I try to find illustrations I have not used before and have not been used so much they are almost expected from the audience. This is the same as them not listening. There are several places I look for illustrations.

Online
www.sermonillustrations.com
www.sermoncentral.com

Books
I have several books of sermon illustrations. They are categorized by topic. I usually try to pick up these books when I see them on sale or in the discount bin. The trouble with these type of books is that, first, they are not that personal, and second, others have used them. However, you may not be able to get around that. When there is a good illustration, use it make the most of your point.

In the case of our 1 Timothy 1:3-11 sermon, I found most of the remaining illustrations on www.sermonillustrations.com. At least, I found the idea for the illustration on that site. Finally, I searched online for information about counterfeiting and was directed to the Secret Service's website. This provided me some great information for the beginning of my sermon.

Here is a list of the illustrations that I decided to use in the sermon (they are all listed except the illustration of my personal illustration). This search online really helped me because I found a great illustration for the final point of the sermon regarding the purpose of the law. When I read the illustration you see on the above link, I thought immediately of an object lesson of the level. I could bring a level in and show them the illustration.

Here are some things to note about illustrations:

1. The sermon is about teaching God's Word and illustrations help bring out the meaning of the text in a way that is memorable. The illustration is not about being "funny" or even "clever" it is about making the greatest impact with God's Word. It is a tool to help communicate God's Word.

2. The Emergent Church folks say the way we should be preaching is telling stories with God's Word to illustrate the story (I have sat in meetings with other pastors who seriously were talking about this as if it was a great idea). This is plain and simply wrong. There is no story anyone needs to hear and no story that will change anyone's life other than the Gospel story. I firmly believe that the Word of God must be plainly taught and illustration help make the point the author is attempting to communicate. You can take or leave illustrations but you cannot minimize God's Word to an illustration.

3. This is the not the part of the sermon that should take the longest time in preparation. That is, if you exegesis is weak because you have not taken the time you needed with it, an illustration will not help you have a biblical sermon. It may be entertaining but not biblical. Sometimes you may not find the illustration you are looking for and you have run out of time. Preach the Word. It is the Word that God promises to not return void, not our illustrations.

Our sermon is really ready to get into shape to preach. That will be the focus of the next post.

Diagram -> Outlining -> Excursus -> Word Studies -> Commentaries -> Excursus -> Refining -> Illustrations -> Practice -> Preaching

Read More

Top Ten Reasons Books are Better than Bible Software

Sell your shirt and buy books.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon to ministry students in his school.

I think Spurgeon had it right. However, I really do not want to see a bunch of seminary students running around without their shirts (that is going to give me nightmars just penning that last sentence). However, I think it still applies today. That is, I think books are to the minister what tools are to the mechanic. I have mentioned this before in a previous post, but I feel I should repeat it. In an age where free resources on the Internet are readily available and where Bible programs are plenty, some may wonder why books should be bothered with. Here are my top ten reasons why books are better than Bible software.

10. You do not need to download an upgrade to a classic, well-written book - ever.

9. Paper cuts build character and you cannot get a paper cut from the Internet.

8. Sneaking a laptop into one's daughter's band concert is harder to pull off and generally frowned upon.

7. CD's will not be usuable in 20 years (or more likely, 3 years - Seriously, how many 100 year old CD's do you really expect to see? I have maybe a dozen books over 100 years old.)

6. Leaving a book on the dash of your car in the summer does not ruin it.

5. Inscribing the inside of a CD makes in unusable.

4. Highlighting on the Internet ruins your screen.

3. Lending a book to your friend does not break several federal laws.

2. Reading a book in the bathtub is not risking electrocution.

1. Books smell better than CD's.

I know these are silly but there is a some truth behind each one (except maybe the paper cut one). For a more serious top ten list, look at this article entitled 10 Reasons Why the Internet Is No Substitute for a Library. This article does a good job with showing why schools still need libraries and people still need to pick up a book.

One last thing about books: As I think about my daughter getting older and probably marrying someone (here is where I break down and cry uncontrollably), I think maybe at some time I will need to give some of my library to her and her husband, if they happen to be involved in ministry. If that is the case, then I am not building just a library right now, I am building an inheritance or a legacy. If my resources now help a young pastor 40 years from now not only intellectually but financially (because books cost money) then it is worth having them.

Do not get me wrong. I have my share of Bible Software and I use StudyLight.org nearly daily. And I think they are great. I just enjoy being able take a book with me wherever I go and know that if it is a book whose content is worthwhile, my grandkids will be reading the same books.

Read More

Orthopraxy Requires Orthodoxy

It is worse than useless for Christians to talk about the importance of Christian morality, unless they are prepared to take their stand upon the fundamentals of Christian theology. It is a lie to say that dogma does not matter; it matters enormously. It is fatal to let people suppose that Christianity is only a mode of feeling; it is vitally necessary to insist that is first and foremost a rational explanation of the universe. It is hopeless to offer Christianity as a vaguely idealistic aspiration of a simple and consoling kind; it is, on the contrary, a hard, tough, exacting, and complex doctrine, steeped in a drastic and uncompromising realism. And it is fatal to imagine that everybody knows quite well what Christianity is and needs only a little encouragement to practice it. The brutal fact is that...not one person in a hundred has the faintest notion what the Church teaches about God or man or society or the person of Jesus Christ.

Dorothy Sayers, Creed or Chaos?

Read More

Incarcerated Freedom

This last weekend my pastor, Ron, and I drove to Sayer, Oklahoma, to make a ministry visit to a guy in prison. It was a medium security prison and was quite an adventure. We walked up to the door in which we were to enter the prison and pressed the intercom button.

"IDENTIFY" the voice said.

"Ron Watkins and Rolland Kenneson to see Jason" and we gave the last name (I will leave the last name out but just know we had to tell them who we were visiting).

Bzzzz. The door began to open and we walked into a cage. The door shut and we were now in the prison system. The cage first had a mesh fence which had signs on it warning that it was an electric fence. This mesh was attached to a chain-linked fence. Outside of that was razor wire.

We walked to the other side of the cage and pressed the next intercom button.

"IDENTIFY" the voice said.

"Visitors for Jason."

Bzzz. We walked into a nice courtyard and into a building. After emptying our pockets, walking shuffling through a metal detector, and being padded down, we were able to go to the next door and intercom button.

"IDENTIFY" the voice said.

"Visitors" was what we were told to say for this door. We walked through this door and then waited at yet another door for the prison guard to open the door from the inside. This time she buzzed.

"IDENTIFY" the voice said.

The guard gave her name and we were suddenly in the visitation room waiting for Jason to be brought out to us. When he came, we spent around 4 hours talking with him. At one point, we begin to turn the conversation to spiritual issues. Jason has been taking bible classes while in prison and sounds as if he is truly being changed.

He said, "You know, if you think about it, I have been in prison since I was thirteen, when I began to drink and get into drugs and stuff. It was not until I was sitting with my lawyer as he gave me the plea bargain of my sentence that I realized I needed to change. Now I see that I needed something to wake me up. Prison did it."

I asked him, "So your incarceration set you free?"

"Yeah. I guess so."

This brought to mind two things. First, it reminds me of Romans 6:19-22, especially verse 22:

But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.

We all were enslaved or inprisoned from birth, not just since we were thirteen. But,

He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

.
The second thing I think of is Steven Curtis Chapman's song, Free:

The sun was beating down inside the walls of stone and razor wire
As we made our way across the prison yard
I felt my heart begin to race as we drew nearer to the place
Where they say that death is waiting in the dark
The slamming doors of iron echoed through the halls
Where despair holds life within its cruel claws
But then I met a man who's face seemed so strangely out of place
A blinding light of hope was shining in his eyes
And with repentance in his voice he told me of his tragic choice
That led him to this place where he must pay the price
But then his voice grew strong as he began to tell
About the One he said had rescued him from hell, he said...

I'm free, yeah, oh, I have been forgiven
God's love has taken off my chains and given me these wings
And I'm free, yeah, yeah, and the freedom I've been given
Is something that not even death can take away from me
Because I'm free
Jesus set me free

We said a prayed and said goodbye and tears began to fill my eyes
As I stepped back out into the blinding sun
And even as I drove away I found that I could not escape
The way he spoke of what the grace of God had done
I thought about how sin had sentenced us to die
And how God gave His only Son so you and I could say...

And if the Son has set you free,
Oh, if the Son has set you free
Then you are free indeed,
Oh, You are really free
If the Son has set you free,
Oh, if the Son has set you free
Then you are free, really, really free

Oh, we're free, yearh, oh, we have been forgiven
God's grace has broken every chain and given us these wings
And we're free, yeah, yeah, and the freedom we've been given
Is something that not even death can take from you and me
Because we're free, yeah, the freedom we've been given
Is something that not even death can take from you and me
Becayse we're free, oh, we're free
We are free, we are free
The Son has set us free

If the Son has set you free
You are free indeed

My visit was not near as dramatic as the lyrics of this song. However, the thoughts in my mind were similar. Walking out of that prison with my freedom while others trodded back to their cells to wait another 5, 10, 40 years is a sobering thought. To get out, we faced the same voice through the buzzers and were only let out because our name was on the list of those who could leave.

This is what has happened spiritually. We were in prison and God sent his Son to rescue us. In fact, the early church fathers believed Matt. 12:29 to be in reference to salvation. Jesus came into the house and bound the strongman and then led the captives free, but only those who have trusted in Him. Those who are identified as His.

How about you? Are you inprisoned and wanting freedom? Press the button and answer the question:

"IDENTIFY"

Read More

Staying in Tune

The other day our daughter had a band concert. Every year Colorado Springs Christian School's High School Concert Band goes to specific high school in the area and they have a concert together. It was a really nice concert and they sounded great.

Usually, our school (CSCS) has concerts in their gymnasium, which as everyone knows are the worst kind of room for acoustics. Additionally, the band teacher forces every parent to sit through fifth grade band, sixth grade band, seventh and eighth grade band, high school band, and jazz band. The concerts are usually around 2 hours long and everyone is sitting on bleachers or plastic folding chairs. I love hearing my daughter preform but becoming crippled in the process is not the best time I have ever had. I will not even talk about when they combine all the above with the corresponding choirs (Can I get an "Amen", Mark?).

However, the venue for this concert was an old school theater. It had the nice padded seats and it was built for acoustics. The CSCS band sounded great! The other band was good but something about their performance was not as impressive, and not just because my daughter is the CSCS band. I was considering this for a while. The second band had some fantastic individual players. They had a huge number of students in the band. Their director was obviously accomplished. What was it that made the difference?

Then I remembered something that happened before each band played. When the second band got up to play, one individual played a single note and then the rest of the band played the same note. They held it for a while and then they were done. This was presumably the tuning. This is somewhat an imprecise way of tuning an entire band. First of all, it assumes the lone-note player was in tune to begin with. If this person is out of tune, and the entire band tunes themselves to this player, then the entire band will be off.

Second, it assumes that everyone else playing the note is playing to make sure they are in tune and not just playing the note because that is just what they do. I am sure someone on that stage knows that before the conductor comes out someone will play a note and I will play a note and then we will get started. I am sure the concept of tuning has been lost to this individual.

Finally, it assumes that each person has the ear to hear if their instrument is out of tune. It is hard to tune an instrument with just the ear if you are not regularly practicing how to do that and listening for the harmonics. I am not sure every one of these high schoolers had that ability.

In contrast to this, the CSCS band directors had tuners and went to each individual in the band and tuned them to the tuner. It took much longer but each player's instrument was tuned to the correct pitch. They did not have to check their tuning with the person sitting beside them because they all were tuned to the same thing. Once the individual tuning was accomplish, the director ran them through a scale. No tunings, no problem. Their scale was fantastic. Their music was the best I had ever heard them play. It was truly a beautiful concert.

This reminds me of the church. Too many times in the church we have one person blaring some discordant note and then others in the body begin to "tune" their thoughts and beliefs to this out-of-tune teaching. The leader of the church proclaims something they believe is truth but is in actuality "out of tune." Then, the entire congregation is tempted to hold to the same untruth. Then when the body stands together and "performs" for their community, it is less than satisfying.

Either that, or like the band, people just uncritically repeat what they heard. They are not worried about "tuning" but instead just make the noise when they are supposed to. They are told to play and they play without concern for the proper tone. Or, there are people in these churches who want to be in tune but need to develop the skill to do so. However, if they are never taught how, they unfortunatly never learn how to distinguish the right tone from the tone which is off just a tad.

The trend now-a-days is jettison the concept of truth out the newarest window and teach that everyone should feel free to interpret Scripture in their own context and hold to what they feel is right. This produces a noisy, off-pitch church.

What the church must do is have every individual tune their beliefs, thoughts, wills to the one true tone: the Word of God, the Truth. We are not to align our lives to match those around us but to the one true example of Jesus revealed to us in Scripture. Then when church attempts to reach out to those who are lost, they hear the beautiful melodies, the rich bass lines, and the intriguing harmonies.

Just as the note middle A is 440 hertz and not up to every musician to decide what it sounds like, truth is NOT decided on by what feels right or sounds good. Truth is what lines up with Scripture. When each believer stays in tune, that is, looks to the truth and aligns their life to its teachings, then the resultant church will be an enjoyable thing to behold.

I hope the point is not lost and the illustration clear enough. In short, I guess I can just say, there is something about the desire to stay in tune.

Read More

There Is A Good Illustration In There Somewhere

Today, while I was in a waiting room, I picked up a USA Today Sports Weekly newspaper. In it was some interesting statistics on Brett Farve, quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. Now, I am not a Cheesehead but I do like to watch a good quarterback play. I am also not the most avid sports fan (that is Mark's and/or Tony's area). However, I do recognize the makings of a good sermon illustration when I see one. Here is what I am talking about (These stats are old already but they still paint the picture at which I am getting):

The article told how Brett Farve has just tied Dan Marino for career passing touchdowns. They both have 420. In fact, here is the top ten list:

T1. Dan Marino ------420
T1. Brett Farve-------420
3. Fran Tarkenton ----342
4. John Elway---------300
5. Warren Moon------291
6. Johnny Unitas------290
7. Peyton Manning----280
8. Joe Montana-------273
9. Vinny Testaverde--270
10. Dave Krieg--------261
( USA Today Sports Weekly, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2007)

The fact that Farve tied Marino is probably pretty well known as it was publicized when it happened. However, there were a few more statistics that I found interesting and fodder for sermon illustrations.

First, there is another record on which Farve is fast encroaching. He is three interceptions away from having the all time record for career interceptions. Here is the top three list:

1. Geroge Blanda----277
2. Brett Farve-------275
3. John Hadl--------268
( USA Today Sports Weekly, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2007)

It seems to me that these records should be seen side-by-side. For almost every two touchdowns Farve threw, he also threw an interception. If someone only heard that Farve is only two interceptions away to tying the record and three away from stealing this inauspicious title, they may be tempted to think Farve a failure as a quarterback. His failures should be interpreted through his successes. Sure, those interceptions were mistakes, and they made him mad (I'm sure), and it probably hurt the team. But his interceptions did not stop him from trying. He kept throwing and throwing and now he is tied for the all-time record for passing touchdowns.

Another statistic impressed me that I think must be interpreted with the passing touchdown record. Brett Farve has had more consecutive starts by a quarterback in regular season than any other quarterback. Here are the top seven:

Brett Farve, Packers (92-07)----240
Peyton Manning, Colts (98-07)--147
Ron Jaworski, Eagles (77-84)----116
Joe Ferguson, Bills (77-84)------107
Tom Brady, Patriots (01-07)----97
Dan Marino, Dolphins (87-93)---95
Roman Gabriel, Rams (65-72)---89
( USA Today Sports Weekly, Sept. 26-Oct. 2, 2007)

It is interesting to note how work ethic and longevity has helped Farve capture the record for passing touchdowns. One wonders if he would have anywhere close to 420 passing touchdowns if he had not started 240 games.

Related to this, the article in USA Today Sports Weekly showed the number of quarterbacks other teams have had since the beginning point of Farve's consecutive starts (beginning in 1992). While I will not tell all of them, Chicago had 20 quarterbacks, Raiders have had 15, Denver has had 13, Indianapolis has had 9. Green Bay has has one. Surely, the cohesiveness of team can be contributed to Farve's longevity and the strength of the team leadership is the reason Farve threw for 420 touchdowns so far in his career.

I am not sure what Scripture passage this could illustrate - Surely verses on a good work ethic and leadership. But I am thinking more about those verses which speak directly to the leaders of the church. Do we stop throwing because we accidentally threw an interception? Or do we keep throwing for the end zone? How can pastors effectively lead the body if they have no longevity? It is these questions that run through my mind when I see these stats.

I am sure there is a good sermon illustration in there somewhere.

Read More