WHITE CHRISTMAS!!

Some people know that I recently moved to Lubbock. I am finally settled in for the most part. I have a few more things to do, but I am enjoying it. All that is to say that I woke up this Christmas morning to the following:

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas!

SEASON OF GIVING AND BELCHER SITUATION

This is a season of giving. We hear that a lot, but how often do we allow it to affect our lives. Certainly the kings who gave special gifts to Jesus at his birth knew what it means to give from the very core of who they were. I hope and pray that we all do that this season. It is the right thing to do. Whether we can give a lot or only a little, giving is the example we should take and follow this Advent and Christmas season.

On another note, this is also a season for music. Music is appropriate in most circumstances, but especially during the Advent season. I, for one, am thankful for music. As a musician, I know from experience that music moves the soul and is life-changing at times. I encourage you to allow music to move you and change you this season.

Continuing on with what has been going on in the world recently, I saw something that deeply disturbed me recently, namely Bob Costas calling for more gun control in response to the KC Chiefs’ Jovan Belcher incident. Bob Costas presented his thesis that guns are the cause of many violent problems we have in the United States. While I tend to agree with him in that respect, it was indecent of him to use the tragic situation of Belcher’s death to advocate for gun control, a very political issue. There are some that may not view this as political, but it absolutely is by its very nature. Some time should have passed before even mentioning gun control in response to this situation. I personally believe guns are not a good thing, but possession of firearms is a constitutional right. I even believe that owning firearms is limited enough as it is. If we are going to protect the Constitution, we must allow gun possession. Without it, what we have is a select few owning guns, namely law enforcement, which gives us a police state. That, in and of itself, is the wrong approach. Therefore, we should not create laws based on the mere chance of danger but only on certain danger. While guns may not be a good thing for society, we should protect people’s right to own them. Bob Costas, however, used this tragic situation as an opportunity for politics, and in my opinion, he should have waited to bring up the issue. Allow the families involved to grieve without worrying about the political issues.

PERSONAL CHRISTMAS CARD

PIPER CHRISTIAN HEDONISM MESSAGE

I read and heard a sermon gy my favorite preacher of all time, Dr. John Piper, today. I thought it would be worth posting. However, be warned that if you read this, you will be tempted to research the subject further and possibly, as I did, become addicted to Piper readings and messages in our research. Here is his message though. The thesis is our satisfaction in God is right and biblical.

Philippians 1:12–26,

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, ¹³ so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. ¹⁴ And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. ¹⁵ Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. ¹⁶ The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. ¹⁷ The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. ¹⁸ What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
Yes, and I will rejoice, ¹⁹ for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, ²⁰ as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ²² If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. ²³ I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. ²⁴ But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. ²⁵ Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, ²⁶ so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

In our series on the 30-year theological trademarks of Bethlehem we focus on Christian Hedonism. And let’s be clear from the outset that Bethlehem has not been built around a slogan or a label. The term “Christian Hedonism” is not in any of this church’s official documents. It’s not in our constitution, or our church covenant, or our Elder Affirmation of Faith, or Values booklet, or our Ten Dimensions of Church Life. It’s catchy, it’s controversial, it’s not in the Bible, and you don’t need to like it just because I do. So the point of this message is not at all to push a label or a slogan. The point is to talk about the massive and pervasive biblical truth that some of us love to call Christian Hedonism.
So this sermon is packed with some of the juiciest, most wonderful things that I love to know and experience. We need to get to work. Here’s the outline:

• First, there’s a problem that needs be solved because of my second message in this series.
• Second, Christian Hedonism is the biblical solution to that problem.
• C. S. Lewis, and St. Paul give the basis for that solution.
• Fourth, this solution — Christian Hedonism — changes everything in your life. (Eleven examples!)

That’s a tall order for one sermon. So here we go.

1. What I said in the second message created a problem.

I asked, Why did God create the world? And I answered: God created this world for the praise of the glory of his grace displayed supremely in the death of Jesus. The problem is that, at the heart of that answer is God’s self-promotion. God created the world for his own praise. For his own glory.
Oprah Winfrey, Brad Pitt, the early C. S. Lewis, Eric Reece, Michael Prowse all walk away from such a God. They stumble over God’s self-promotion.

• Oprah walked away from orthodox Christianity when she was about 27 because of the biblical teaching that God is Jealous — he demands that he and no one else get our highest allegiance and affection. It didn’t sound loving to her.
• Brad Pitt turned away from his boyhood faith, he says, because God says, “You have to say that I'm the best. . . . It seemed to be about ego.”
• C. S. Lewis, before he became a Christian, complained that God’s demand to be praised sounded like “a vain woman who wants compliments.”
• Erik Reece, the writer of An American Gospel, rejected the Jesus of the Gospels because only an egomaniac would demand that we love him for than we love our parents and children.
• And Michael Prowse, the columnist for the London Financial times, turned away because only “tyrants, puffed up with pride, crave adulation.”

So people see this as a problem — that God created the world for his own praise. They think such self-exaltation would be immoral and loveless. That may be how you feel.

2. Christian Hedonism is the biblical solution to this problem.

Christian Hedonism says, God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in him. That’s the shortest summary of the what we mean by Christian Hedonism. If that is true, then there is no conflict between your greatest exhilaration and God’s greatest glorification.
In fact, not only is there no conflict between your happiness and God’s glory, but his glory shines in your happiness, when your happiness is in him. And since God is the source of greatest happiness, and since he is the greatest treasure in the world, and since his glory is the most satisfying gift he could possibly give us, therefore it is the kindest, most loving thing he could possibly do — to reveal himself, and magnify himself and vindicate himself for our everlasting enjoyment. “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).
God is the one being for whom self-exaltation is the most loving act, because he is exalting for us what alone can satisfy us fully and forever. If we exalt ourselves, we are not loving, because we distract people from the one Person who can make them happy forever, God. But if God exalts himself, he draws attention to the one Person who can make us happy forever, himself. He is not an egomaniac. He is an infinitely glorious, all-satisfying God, offering us everlasting and supreme joy in himself.
That’s the solution to our problem.

• No Oprah, if God were not jealous for all your affections, he would be indifferent to your final misery.
• No Brad Pitt, if God didn’t demand that you see him as the best, he wouldn’t care about your supreme happiness.
• No Mr. Lewis, God is not vain in demanding your praise. This is his highest virtue, and your highest joy.
• No, Erik Reece, if Jesus didn’t lay claim on greater love than your children do, he be selling your heart to what cannot satisfy forever.
• No, Michael Prowse, God does not crave your adulation, he offers it as your greatest pleasure.

God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in him. God’s design to pursue his own glory turns out to be love. And our duty to pursue God’s glory turns out to be a quest for joy. That's the solution to the problem of God's self-exaltation.

3. Third, C. S. Lewis, and St. Paul give the basis for that solution — the basis for Christian Hedonism.

Lewis saw the basis in human experience. St. Paul shows it the letter to the Philippians. Here is the great discovery as I first found it in Lewis’s book, Reflections on the Psalms. He is discovering why God’s demand for our praise is not vain.

The most obvious fact about praise — whether of God or any thing — strangely escaped me. I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honor. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise unless . . . shyness or the fear of boring others is deliberately brought in to check it. The world rings with praise — lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favorite game — praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles, even sometimes politicians or scholars. I had not noticed how the humblest, and at the same time most balanced and capacious, minds, praised most, while the cranks, misfits and malcontents praised least.…
I had not noticed either that just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: “Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t it glorious? Don’t you think that magnificent?” The Psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about. My whole, more general, difficulty about the praise of God depended on my absurdly denying to us, as regards the supremely Valuable, what we delight to do, what indeed we can’t help doing, about everything else we value.
I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is it’s appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.

There it was. God’s relentless command that we see him as glorious and praise him is a command that we settle for nothing less than the completion of our joy in him. Praise is not just the expression, but the consummation, of our joy what is supremely enjoyable, namely, God. In his presence is fullness of joy; at his right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). In demanding our praise, he is demanding the completion of our pleasure. God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

That Christ Be Seen As Great

And that is what we find in Philippians 1:20–21.

It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored [magnified — to cause to be seen as great] in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Paul says that his great passion in life — I hope it’s your great passion in life — is that in this life Christ be seen as great — supremely great. That is why God created us and saved us — to make Christ look like what he really is — supremely great.
Now the relationship between verse 20 and 21 is the key to seeing how Paul thinks that happens. It’s going to happen, Paul says — Christ is going to be magnified in my body by life or death — “because to me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (verse 21). Notice that “life” in verse 20 corresponds to “live” in verse 21 and “death” in verse 20 corresponds to “die” in verse 21. So Paul is explaining in both cases — life and death — how Christ is going to look great.
He will look great in my life because “for me to live is Christ.” He explains in Philippians 3:8, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” So Christ is more precious, more valuable, more satisfying than all that life on this earth can give. “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”
This is what he means when he says in Philippians 1:21, “To me to live is Christ.” And that he says in how his life magnifies Christ — makes him look great. Christ is most magnified in Paul’s life when Paul, in his life, is most satisfied in Christ. That’s the plain teaching of these two texts.

Death As Gain?

And it gets even plainer when you consider the death half of Philippians 1:20–21. Christ will be magnified in my body by death, “because to me to die is gain” (verse 21). Why would death be gain? The answer is in verse 23b: “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” Death is gain because it means a greater closeness of being with Christ. Death is “to depart and be with Christ.”
This is why Paul says in verse 21 that to die is gain. You add up all the losses that death will cost you (your family, your job, your dream retirement, the friends you leave behind, your favorite bodily pleasures) — you add up all these losses, and then you replace them only with death and Christ — if when you do that you joyfully say, gain!, then Christ is magnified in your dying. Christ is most magnified in your death, when you are so satisfied in Christ, that losing everything and getting only Christ is called gain.
Or to sum up both halves of the verse: Christ is glorified in you when he is more precious to you than all that life can give or death can take.

The Centrality of the Cross

That’s the biblical basis for Christian Hedonism: God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.
And this really was already implicit in the second message in this series. God created the world for the praise of the glory of his grace displayed supremely in the death of Jesus. Which means that the pursuit of his own praise reaches its climax at the place where it does us the most good, the cross. At the cross God upholds his glory and provides our forgiveness. At the cross God vindicates his own honor and secures our happiness. At the cross God magnifies his own worth and satisfies our soul.
In the greatest act of history, Christ made it come true for undeserving sinners that God could be most glorified in us by our being most satisfied in him.

4. Christian Hedonism changes everything: 11 illustrations

Death
1. We’ve just seen how it changes death. If you want to make Christ look great in your dying, there is no big performance or achievement or heroic sacrifice. There is simply a child-like laying yourself into the arms of the one who makes the loss of everything gain.
Conversion
2. Christian Hedonism changes how we think about conversion. Matthew 13:44, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Becoming a Christian not only means believing truth. It means finding a treasure. So evangelism becomes not only persuasion about truth but pointing people to a Treasure—that is more valuable than everything they have.
The Fight of Faith
3. Christian Hedonism changes “the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). John says in John 1:12, “To all who received Jesus, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). Believing Jesus is receiving him. As what? As the infinitely valuable Treasure that he is. Faith is seeing and savoring this Treasure. And so the fight of faith is a fight for joy in Jesus. A fight to see and savor Jesus is more precious than anything in the world. Because this savoring shows him to be supremely valuable.
Combating Evil
4. Christian Hedonism changes how we combat evil in our lives. Jeremiah 2:13 gives the Christian Hedonist definition of evil: “My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” Evil is the suicidal preference for the empty wells of the world over the living waters of God’s fellowship. We fight evil by the pursuit of the fullest satisfaction in the river of God’s delights (Psalm 36:8).
What Hell Is
5. Christian Hedonism changes how we think of hell. Since the way to be saved and go to heaven is to embrace Jesus as your source of greatest joy, hell is a place of suffering, a place of eternal unhappiness, prepared for people who refuse to be happy in the triune God.
Self-Denial
6. Christian Hedonism changes the way we think about self-denial. Oh, it is really there in the teachings of Jesus, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). But now the meaning becomes,

• Deny yourself the wealth of the world so you can have the wealth of being with Christ.
• Deny yourself the fame of the world to have the joy of God’s approval.
• Deny yourself the security and safety of the world to have the solid, secure fellowship of Jesus.
• Deny yourself the short, unsatisfying pleasures of the world so that you can have fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore at God’s right hand.

Which means there is no such thing as ultimate self-denial, because to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Money
7. Christian Hedonism changes the way we think about handling our money and the act of giving. Acts 20:35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” The motive to be a generous person, is that it expresses and expands our joy in God. And the pursuit of deepest joy is the pursuit of giving not getting.
Corporate Worship
8. Christian Hedonism changes the way we do corporate worship. Corporate worship is the collective act of glorifying God. But God is glorified in that service when the people are satisfied in him. Therefore, the worship leaders — musicians and preachers — see their task primarily as breaking open a fountain of living water and spreading a feast of rich food. The task of the worshippers is to drink and eat and say a satisfied "Ahhh." Because God is most glorified in those worshippers when they are most satisfied in him.
Disability and Weakness
9. Christian Hedonism changes the way we experience disability and weakness. Stunningly, paradoxically, Jesus says to the weak and thorn-pierced Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” To which Paul responds, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly [yes this is the voice of the thorn-pierced Christian Hedonist] of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Love
10. Christian Hedonism changes the meaning of love. Paul describes the love of the Macedonians like this: “In a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part” (2 Corinthians 8:2). In verse 8, Paul calls this "love." "Abundant joy" in “severe affliction” and “extreme poverty” overflowed in loving generosity. Still poor. Still afflicted. But so full of joy it overflowed in love. So Christian Hedonism defines love as the overflow (or the expansion) of joy in God that meets the needs of others.
Ministry
11. Christian Hedonism changes the meaning of ministry. What is the ministry aim of the great apostle Paul? 2 Corinthians 1:24, “Not that we lord it over your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.” All ministry should be one way or the other a working with others for their joy.
That’s why God created you. That’s why Christ died for you. That’s why we serve you as your pastors. And that is why I have preached this message. We are workers with you for your joy in God. Because God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in him.

OBAMA APOLOGIZES FOR A VIDEO? DO WHAT?!

I am amazed that our current US executive administration has put the blame for the recent attacks on our embassy on a video that was made by one of our citizens. The video, as irresponsible as it was, was not the cause of the attacks. How dare President Obama not realize that this had a direct link to the anniversary of September 11^th and had been in the works for many months?! The video made by the man (who shall remain nameless for his own protection) was irrelevant. And to make matters worse, our current administration finally admits that it was a terror attack but yet spends almost $100,000 to make an apology video for the Middle East. Although the government was not involved in the making of the anti-Islamic video, there is no reason to apologize since the attacks (again) had nothing to do with it! I am ok with letting the Middle East no that our government had nothing to do with it, but to apologize for it is also irresponsible. Besides that, if you’re going to make a statement of separation from the maker of the anti-Islamic video, shouldn’t you also make it very clear that in our country, we believe in freedom of speech? Whether we agree with what someone says or not, each individual has the right to express his or her beliefs in whatever way they would like. For all of this, I say that this has been yet another failure of the Obama administration. Before you begin thinking I’m a far right Republican, Mitt Romney is not much better. Our choice in November is crucial though, and I believe that Romney is the best candidate we have since the establishment was moronic enough not to pick someone like Ron Paul, an excellent libertarian. At least Romney does not apologize for being the USA’s constitutional stances on issues like freedom of speech, and he does not try to appease terrorists. Epic fail, Obama!

PICTURE OF ME AND MY BROTHER WITH MY NIECE

THOUGHTS ON THE IMMORALITY OF PORNOGRAPHY AND SEXUAL SIN

Many of my closest friends know of my struggle with pornography. Sexual sin has been my biggest struggle in my life. Some struggle with alcohol; some struggle with other drugs; some struggle with gossip; still others struggle with sexual sin. Pornography is included in sexual sin, and speaking from experience, a struggle with pornography, if not cut, can lead to bigger sexual issues. In fact, some are so opposed to pornography in any form that they support the illegalization of it. Should pornography be illegal? In my opinion, as with many other things, which are illegal, no. Should it be seen as morally wrong though? Yes. Pornography does many things to someone and causes problems in many respects. Besides the immorality of it, here are some reasons not to have anything to do with pornography.

1.       Pornography presents an unreal picture of sex. Most of the actors and actresses seen in pornography videos and models seen in photos are digitally enhanced in some way, or they have something surgically enhanced. This created an unrealistic view of sex.

2.       Pornography removes the intimacy from sex. It becomes so routine and common when addicted that sex begins to mean less and less to us. That is not how it is designed to be.

3.       Pornography wastes time and money. When I consider the amount of time and money I have spent in sexual sin, it amazes me what I could have accomplished if I was focused on my work and not on something immoral.

4.       Pornography disrespects yourself and your sexual partner. It causes people to become objects, especially your sexual partner, your spouse.

These are merely a few of the reasons pornography is wrong. While it should not be illegal, it should be seen by moral people as immoral. Many struggle with it, and it is by helping each other and holding each other accountable that we can make it.

WOULD AN APOCALYPSE BE A GOOD THING?

With all of the political rhetoric hitting the stage in recent days, I now wonder if there is anyone left in leadership who is decent. I like the Romney/Ryan ticket, but I even wonder if those two are corrupt as are many leaders in our country. The fact of the matter is that we live in a corrupt society. A new series is coming on NBC this fall called Revolution. It looks very good. The idea behind the show is a world after the power supply has gone out. It has made me wish that would happen in real life. The female star of the show said in the previews, “When the world’s power went out, I found mine.” I wonder how many people would fine their power and be better off if something apocalyptic happened. I certainly would. Could it be that what we need is a cleaning house? We live in such a corrupt society and country now that something like that might very well be beneficial to us. Until then, however, we must live as people trying to make the world a better place in hopes that one day it genuinely will be.

CHICK-FIL-A SITUATION

With the Chick-Fil-A controversy (that should not be a controversy might I add), I am yet again reminded of the fact that tolerance cannot simply be one-sided. Dan Cathy obviously has every right to say what he wants and publicly state his opinions on what he believes. He may not one day with the direction our country is going, but for now, he does. The protestors of Chick-Fil-A also have every right to act however or say whatever they want in response to his statement. What is distorted here is that Cathy, in no way, said anything against homosexuals. In fact, Chick-Fil-A often employs homosexuals. His statement was simply that he and Chick-Fil-A support heterosexual marriage because they believe that is biblical. This was not hateful or bigoted in any way. The problem here lies in that people want tolerance unless they have to be tolerant. To me, it seems as though the tolerant person here is Dan Cathy, not the protestors. People are allowed to have varying views. I personally, however, believe it to be wrong for someone to have a double-standard.

Another issues with Chick-Fil-A right now is the fact that three mayors (San Francisco, Boston, and Chicago) have all said that Chick-Fil-A is not welcome in their city. First of all, this is unconstitutional. One cannot stop commerce. This is where, just like the federal government, any government involvement in personal life, business, or education at all is bad.

I, for one, have beliefs and views that are vastly different from what a typical Christian believes. That is because I do not, at all, believe in creating laws based on morality. What you get is a theocracy if that happens. There are things that are illegal that I believe should be legal. However, simply because I support something legally (such as gay marriage) does not mean I believe it is morally ok. In the same way, those who are protesting Chick-Fil-A because of a moral stance on an issue should reexamine their own lives to see who the tolerant one in the situation is because it is definitely not them.

NEW LYRICS: THE QUEST

I wrote some lyrics today that could be the beginnings of a song. My lyrics have become deeper and more personally meaningful. However, to anyone else, they’re usually an enigma. Here are the new lyrics:

The battle’s finally settled and the black has turned to grey
Everyone has seen the captured tears and turned away
Do I In murky waters lurks below the one who traps the mind
And all the thoughts now passing through are running out of time Am I
The quest is all I see
No compromise in free
You cannot lie
Can I
You cannot die
Will I
The hands are turning over on a body made of sand
And all rights have been neglected and been taken from the land
Have mine
The sacred has forsaken us with a broken alibi
And all that was once standing has now fallen from the sky
Have I

PENN STATE PUNISHMENT

As I awoke this morning, I heard on the radio that Penn State has been handed down punishments for the child abuse scandal that shocked the nation last year. The punishments included 4 years of bowl game ineligibility, a $60,000,000 fine, and reversing wins coached under Joe Paterno after 1998 to losses, which now means that he is no longer the winningest college football coach. I strongly disagree with this decision for multiple reasons.

1.       This punishment should come against the school and its officials, not the students, and clearly this decision goes against the students. What the hell did they do to deserve this? Nothing!

2.       Joe Paterno followed university protocol when this incident took place. Again if the NCAA decides to punish the university, then do so, but it is solely the fault of the university for having questionable protocol.

3.       Penn State won those games whether the NCAA takes the wins away or not. I always question decisions to take wins away. It would be as if a third party decided to take the win away from Texas, revoked their independence, and made Mexico the ruler again. Penn State won.

If the NCAA wants to punish people in a fair way, it is the individuals involved that should be punished. This needs to take place on an individual level, not at an entire institution level. I believe this was an attempt to “look” tough on child abuse and to come out looking like a hero. Shame, NCAA! Shame!

APPROPRIATE REACTION TO THE COLORADO SHOOTINGS

With the Colorado shootings in recent days, one might wonder what the correct response is. What do we say? What is appropriate, and what is not? These are relevant and indeed frustrating questions. In the overabundance of news media on the issue, I have come to realize that many people have verbally offered up prayers for the victims and their families. This is definitely appropriate. However, I have two issues with this. First of all, I wonder how many people who verbally say they will be praying for the victims and their families actually do what they said. I would imagine that the number is very few. Secondly, as much as people may hate to admit it, the shooter, while troubled as he may be, certainly needs prayer as well. I would even argue that perhaps he needs more prayer than the victims and their families. Compassion and mercy tend to flow from my life so while justice must be accomplished in this situation, we must remind ourselves that the shooter is also someone’s friend, someone’s son, someone’s students, and indeed someone who has been loved by others at some point. Let us obviously remember the victims and their families during this difficult time, but let us not forget the one who was so troubled, so hurt, so confused, and so depressed even that he made the choice to kill people. Let us also remember this man in our prayers.

CONSTITUTIONAL OR MORAL?

I read an article today that angered me. Michael Salman, a pastor and Bible study leader in Phoenix, AZ was arrested a couple of years ago for holding a Bible study in his house. The city says that it was because his house was not zoned as a church so what he did was illegal. I was astonished at how they did it too. It took over a dozen police officers and city officials to bust in his house and arrest him. The story goes on though. He just begun serving a 60 day jail sentence for the “crime;” he will serve 3 years on probation afterwards; and he was given a fine over $12,000. Let’s face it though; this is religious persecution, which will merely increase in the good ‘ol US of A in the future. We all know it whether we admit it or not. We no longer live in the freest country in the world. Not only is what they did unconstitutional (as are so many things that happen in our country…even things that we take for granted every day), but it is also morally wrong. I am typically good about separating morals from the Constitution. I don’t believe you can look at them as one and the same. When you do, you begin to create laws based on religious morality, which soon becomes a theocracy. That is wrong, in and of itself, because Christianity is proposed, not imposed. Jesus set this example. This is why we see no example of him protesting things that were legal despite the fact that they were immoral. As Christians, we should stand for what is right, but we should never impose our morals on anyone else. This is why I have no problem with saying that something that is sin should not necessarily be illegal. I am a constitutionalist, and when we create laws based on religious convictions rather than the Constitution, we become a theocracy faster than we might think. Our country has become unrecognizable in many ways. We don’t know what we are anymore. Stick to the Constitution, and we won’t have that problem. Our freedoms are vanishing little by little, but one day, if we are not careful, they will all be gone; and it will be no one’s fault but our own.

NEW P.O.D SONG, "I AM"

Evidently P.O.D. is back and going strong. I read the lyrics to one of their songs today. I did notice the word, f**k, but it did not bother me. My opinion is that it actually added to the effect of the lyrics and represented the true thoughts and feelings about Christ that many hurting people have. I am glad to see artists being real with their lyrics and unashamed to approach their music in a way that represents the culture. The things they talk about in this particular song are real. The lyrics gripped me, and to answer the question they ask, yes, Jesus Christ died for all of these types of people. Read these lyrics carefully, and think of each of these types of people crying out for a real love, the love of Christ. Many of us are represented in this song, and even if you’re not, you know someone who is.

I Am The Murdered, The Pervert , Sick To The Core
I Am The Unclean, Dope Fiend, I Am The Whore)
I Am The Beat Down, Mistreated, Sexually Abused
I Have Violated, Fornicated and sexually Used
I Am The Con Artist, Cold Hearted, Smooth Preacher
Cash Stealer, Emotion Bleeder, The Soul Lecher
I Feed Off The Poor But I'm A Slave To The Rich
I'm In Depression So, This Reflection is Making Me Sick
Are You The One That's Come To Set Me Free ?
Cause If You Knew Who I Am, Would You Really Want To Die For Me ?
They Say You Are The Cursed Man, The One Who Hangs From This Tree
I Know This Is The One and only son of GOD But Tell Who the fuck is he!
So tell me!
I Am Fake, A fraud, A Phony, I'm Known Liar
Anorexic, Rejected Object of your desire
Suicidal Thoughts, Keep one in the chamber
I'm A turned out streetwalking Heroin Banger
I Am a secret cutter, Porn lover, The Town, Drunkard
Next Door, Neighborhood slut, I am Somebody's mother
Out casted arrogant bastard son
I am the talk of the town but this story's just begun
I am what you reaped, I am what you sewed
I am that guy talking to himself, I am alone
I'm the forgotten child ravaged and raped through sex traffic
And Since I'm a little strange, My daddy called me a faggot
I am insecure, Immature, Even I Discuss Me
In denial, Pill Pop'n, Prescription junkie
I see demons, Eyes Bleeding, My Soul Impure
Already know that I'm the disease, But tell me what's the cure?
This is me, We are him and i am you
Old things have passed away and all things become new!

LUBBOCK VISIT

I spent some time in Lubbock last weekend. It was a short but good visit. I took some time to look at the Texas Tech campus and check out the sports facilities. I Jones AT&T Stadium (football) and the baseball stadium. I am fascinated by stadiums. I spend time looking at pictures of stadiums online, as strange as that may be. Here is a picture of me at the football stadium.

NECHES BLUFF OVERLOOK AND 4C TRAIL

I had a great time today hiking the 4C Trail in Crockett. It begins at Ratcliff Lake and goes 19 miles to the Neches Bluff Overlook. I didn't hike the entire trail. In fact, I began at the Overlook (a beautiful site to see) and hiked only 5 miles. It was a pleasant hike though. Here are some pics from the trail and the overlook.

FUNNY BIBLE VERSES WE NORMALLY JUST BREEZE OVER

[27] But the Rabshakeh said to them, “Has my master sent me to speak these words to your master and to you, and not to the men sitting on the wall, who are doomed with you to eat their own dung and to drink their own urine?” (2 Kings 18:27)
[51] And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, [52] but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked. (Mark 4:51-52)
[19] But he himself turned back at the idols near Gilgal and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And he commanded, “Silence.” And all his attendants went out from his presence. [20] And Ehud came to him as he was sitting alone in his cool roof chamber. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And he arose from his seat. [21] And Ehud reached with his left hand, took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. [22] And the hilt also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and the dung came out. [23] Then Ehud went out into the porch and closed the doors of the roof chamber behind him and locked them. [24] When he had gone, the servants came, and when they saw that the doors of the roof chamber were locked, they thought, “Surely he is relieving himself in the closet of the cool chamber.” (Judges 3:19-24)
[1] No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 23:1)

LOVE AND MERCY: DO WE REALLY MEAN IT

We often say that we are not judgmental, that we love everyone, but when that is put to the test, it quickly becomes clear it is not the case at all. I, for one, have experienced judgment and have judged so I know what it is like to be on both sides of the coin. Most people will never go through 10% of what I have gone through in my life, and I do not wish that anyone ever does. However, I believe there is purpose in the difficulties I have had in my life (some of them my fault and some not). We all make mistakes, and perhaps the big reason for my difficulties, particularly in the past 3 years, is that I am now more merciful and compassionate than I ever have been and more so than most people are. I have apparent problems with society, American culture, government, and the church, but nevertheless, although I will never understand the fullness of God’s mercy, I understand it better than most people ever will because I have received it so much more than most. For that, I am thankful. Some people are meant to share their full story, and some aren’t. I don’t know that I’ll ever have the freedom to share my full story, but I believe I will. God is constantly working on me so if I screw up, just know that I make mistakes just like you. We are all one choice away from running our lives. I’ve learned that the more we screw up, the more we are merciful and loving to others, especially those who are outcasts. Perhaps what all of us need is to make drastic mistakes in order to know what love and mercy is. I know that is not what we all need, but I also know from experience that the effect of mistakes is mercy. On this road toward perfection (which we will not achieve), let us all take time to love everyone including those who most think do not deserve it.