I recently heard someone contrast the Roman way of faith with the Celtic way of faith. The Roman way, said my friend, follows this progression: behave > believe > belong. People coming into the community of faith first have to clean up their act. They need to follow the rules and not offend the faithful. Then they can then listen to the gospel message about Jesus, and place their trust in him. Once they have accepted the tenets of the faith, they can finally belong.
The Celtic model, according to my friend, follows this progression: belong > believe > behave. With this understanding, people are welcomed into the community of faith, even before they believe. We model the acceptance of Jesus and let them experience God’s love. After all, God demonstrated his own love for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). Having friendships helps people open up to hear the truth about Jesus. They can learn about his love in the Bible and see his love in practice among his people. The love opens people’s hearts so that they can trust and believe. Once they have placed their trust in Jesus, he helps them know how to behave. The Spirit living within helps every believer live rightly.
The truth is that we can have good outward behavior – at least for a while – without being changed on the inside. I think that such people are among the most miserable in the world. Eventually this façade of goodness cracks, and the resentment of forced conformity comes pouring out.
Jesus welcomed people before they behaved. When they saw that he really cared about them, they listened to him. Once they came to believe in Jesus, they wanted to do what was right.
Jesus changes us from the inside out. That’s the good news!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Parental Rights and Wrongs
Authorities in Texas raided a religious compound recently and took into custody 416 children. They were responding to a call for help, allegedly from a 16-year-old girl in the compound who claimed that she was mistreated by her husband. There were other reports of abuse in the community.
The compound residents are part of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which broke away from the Mormon Church some time ago. They apparently split from the Mormon Church over the issue of polygamy. The leader of the sect was convicted in Utah last year as an accomplice to rape, for ordering the “marriage” of teenage girls to older men.
But to hear some of the wives from the Texas compound describe it, they lived in an idyllic environment. The children were all being raised to live moral, upstanding lives, they say.
At this point, it seems hard to know what was going on in there. No one denies that they practice polygamy, which I thought was illegal anyway. The children were housed in large dormitories, like barracks. It seems likely that the kids were not in a very good environment, but again, it depends on whose story you believe. At the very least, the religious teaching was not based on accurate interpretation of the Bible.
One question here is how far religious freedoms go. Should these men be allowed to take multiple wives? Should they be allowed to raise these hundreds of children as they please? Beyond physical harm, what constitutes child abuse?
Then I wonder, when is the state justified in stepping in? They have taken all these children away from their home, such as it was. It seems that their custody situations are unsettled at the moment.
It is scary to think that some social services case workers and bureaucrats can decide when parents are not doing a good enough job – if indeed the decision was made at that level. Authorities can then forcibly remove children from the custody of their parents.
Clearly there are many, many cases when such intervention is needed. I get sick every time I hear of a case of child abuse or neglect.
But good parenting doesn’t blow with the winds of political correctness. If current trends continue, parents could lose their rights to raise their children as they see fit.
Just last month a court in California ruled that parents could not homeschool their children in the high school years. Since no parent could be certified to teach every high school class, no parent is suited to teach his or her high school children at home, they said. Parents, then, would face criminal prosecution, unless they turn their children over to the state for education.
We need to keep a wary eye on those who think that raising children is the role of the state, not the parent. The Bible clearly teaches that raising and teaching children is the job of the parent.
The compound residents are part of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which broke away from the Mormon Church some time ago. They apparently split from the Mormon Church over the issue of polygamy. The leader of the sect was convicted in Utah last year as an accomplice to rape, for ordering the “marriage” of teenage girls to older men.
But to hear some of the wives from the Texas compound describe it, they lived in an idyllic environment. The children were all being raised to live moral, upstanding lives, they say.
At this point, it seems hard to know what was going on in there. No one denies that they practice polygamy, which I thought was illegal anyway. The children were housed in large dormitories, like barracks. It seems likely that the kids were not in a very good environment, but again, it depends on whose story you believe. At the very least, the religious teaching was not based on accurate interpretation of the Bible.
One question here is how far religious freedoms go. Should these men be allowed to take multiple wives? Should they be allowed to raise these hundreds of children as they please? Beyond physical harm, what constitutes child abuse?
Then I wonder, when is the state justified in stepping in? They have taken all these children away from their home, such as it was. It seems that their custody situations are unsettled at the moment.
It is scary to think that some social services case workers and bureaucrats can decide when parents are not doing a good enough job – if indeed the decision was made at that level. Authorities can then forcibly remove children from the custody of their parents.
Clearly there are many, many cases when such intervention is needed. I get sick every time I hear of a case of child abuse or neglect.
But good parenting doesn’t blow with the winds of political correctness. If current trends continue, parents could lose their rights to raise their children as they see fit.
Just last month a court in California ruled that parents could not homeschool their children in the high school years. Since no parent could be certified to teach every high school class, no parent is suited to teach his or her high school children at home, they said. Parents, then, would face criminal prosecution, unless they turn their children over to the state for education.
We need to keep a wary eye on those who think that raising children is the role of the state, not the parent. The Bible clearly teaches that raising and teaching children is the job of the parent.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
What's in Store
On Friday, my family had a real treat. We went shopping in Stokesdale’s very own Dollar General Store. Having lived in cities, I know what it is to take shopping for granted. But since 1988, I have lived off the beaten path.
So, stepping into the new Dollar General Store, a mere three miles from my house, seemed like a dream come true. No longer would we have to drive to Greensboro or Madison to find household items. Storage tubs, greeting cards, box fans, coolers, toiletries, socks, jeans, food: it’s all there.
My 14-year-old said that it was like stepping into Greensboro. My children have never lived in a city. We went from aisle to aisle, begging each other to come see what treasure we had found.
We also had a fun mission. A young man in our church just moved out on his own and needs the usual housekeeping items. Our church conspired to buy him lots of supplies and surprise him at our worship time on Sunday. So, in preparation for the great surprise, we browsed the isles at Dollar General saying, “Oh, let’s get him this. Oh, let’s get him that!” It was the most fun we’ve ever had buying brooms and flashlights.
I was glad to see such a heart for giving in my children.
Then on Sunday we surprised this young man with loads of towels, trash cans, utensils, food, etc., etc. It is hard to find this fellow speechless, but when he saw what we had done, he was. It was a blessing to me to see how the people of Crossroads got so fired up about helping this man. God has done a work in him, and we have seen it unfold over the years.
I believe this is Jesus wants his followers to do.
So, stepping into the new Dollar General Store, a mere three miles from my house, seemed like a dream come true. No longer would we have to drive to Greensboro or Madison to find household items. Storage tubs, greeting cards, box fans, coolers, toiletries, socks, jeans, food: it’s all there.
My 14-year-old said that it was like stepping into Greensboro. My children have never lived in a city. We went from aisle to aisle, begging each other to come see what treasure we had found.
We also had a fun mission. A young man in our church just moved out on his own and needs the usual housekeeping items. Our church conspired to buy him lots of supplies and surprise him at our worship time on Sunday. So, in preparation for the great surprise, we browsed the isles at Dollar General saying, “Oh, let’s get him this. Oh, let’s get him that!” It was the most fun we’ve ever had buying brooms and flashlights.
I was glad to see such a heart for giving in my children.
Then on Sunday we surprised this young man with loads of towels, trash cans, utensils, food, etc., etc. It is hard to find this fellow speechless, but when he saw what we had done, he was. It was a blessing to me to see how the people of Crossroads got so fired up about helping this man. God has done a work in him, and we have seen it unfold over the years.
I believe this is Jesus wants his followers to do.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Taxes
It’s that time of year again. I’m about to finish our taxes for this year.
How did I ever do this without TurboTax? I remember the primitive way. Two copies of all the forms. Oops, I still need the xyz-1876 form. Better go to the public library to get one – no two or three. Pencils with fat erasers all around my desk. A red pen to circle important information in the directions. They call those directions? Come on! Just say what you mean!
Change one figure on one form, and then half the lines on half the other forms are all incorrect. But which half? And is this my final copy or my draft?
Family interruptions become such a delight in the midst of these musings. What?! No, I’m not hungry! At least the interruption provides a great opportunity to blame someone. Where did you hide my box of receipts? Did you shuffle my papers while I wasn’t looking? Why are you making all that noise? Stop having fun while I’m working! Words spoken in love – love displayed by my commitment to slave away at this revenue matrix.
And of course there is a rule about working on taxes. You always start at 9 p.m. or later. That way you can stay up until 1 or 2 in the morning, working until you discover which essential slip of paper you misfiled. I know it came in the mail. I know I filed it here. How could it be gone? Then, with such sweet thoughts, you can lie in bed for another hour until you drift into fitful tossing and turning.
So now I can sing the praise of TurboTax. It speaks English, not the language of the IRS, whatever that is. It asks me for numbers and words, most of which I can find. It graciously changes all the figures on all the forms instantly whenever I make a change. It tells me how much I owe, with a running total.
But even with the super-slick software, I can still lose my receipts and yell at my family. I can still start at 9 o’clock. I can even lose sleep, worrying. But so far, I think I have missed out on most of that. At least my family is not avoiding me….Hey, I’m hungry!
How did I ever do this without TurboTax? I remember the primitive way. Two copies of all the forms. Oops, I still need the xyz-1876 form. Better go to the public library to get one – no two or three. Pencils with fat erasers all around my desk. A red pen to circle important information in the directions. They call those directions? Come on! Just say what you mean!
Change one figure on one form, and then half the lines on half the other forms are all incorrect. But which half? And is this my final copy or my draft?
Family interruptions become such a delight in the midst of these musings. What?! No, I’m not hungry! At least the interruption provides a great opportunity to blame someone. Where did you hide my box of receipts? Did you shuffle my papers while I wasn’t looking? Why are you making all that noise? Stop having fun while I’m working! Words spoken in love – love displayed by my commitment to slave away at this revenue matrix.
And of course there is a rule about working on taxes. You always start at 9 p.m. or later. That way you can stay up until 1 or 2 in the morning, working until you discover which essential slip of paper you misfiled. I know it came in the mail. I know I filed it here. How could it be gone? Then, with such sweet thoughts, you can lie in bed for another hour until you drift into fitful tossing and turning.
So now I can sing the praise of TurboTax. It speaks English, not the language of the IRS, whatever that is. It asks me for numbers and words, most of which I can find. It graciously changes all the figures on all the forms instantly whenever I make a change. It tells me how much I owe, with a running total.
But even with the super-slick software, I can still lose my receipts and yell at my family. I can still start at 9 o’clock. I can even lose sleep, worrying. But so far, I think I have missed out on most of that. At least my family is not avoiding me….Hey, I’m hungry!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Everyday Prayers
I continue to be challenged by the book, With Christ in the School of Prayer, by Andrew Murray. He has obviously thought much more deeply about prayer than I ever have. He has also studied the life and teaching of Jesus about prayer.
I have come to the point that I no longer jump right in to pray for a given situation. I don’t know what to pray. I have to come before God and ask him about the need, the situation. “What do you want to happen, Lord?” Sometimes I still don’t know. Sometimes he leads me to a new understanding, and from that perspective, I can pray effectively.
But one of the most challenging statements from Murray is that we should be seeing answers to prayer every day. He doesn’t mean praying for general good health or for the sun to rise. He means specific answers to specific prayers every day.
It often strains my thinking to remember the last time I had a specific prayer answered. Yes, God provides for my family, he helps people mature in their faith. He helps our children mature and learn.
Then, too, Jesus has worked significant work in the lives of friends. Several people have been healed of cancer, one healed of kidney stones. God used our prayers to help two little children from Uganda come home to live with their adoptive parents in Winston-Salem, NC. God has always provided meeting space for our church, and we have regularly prayed about that.
But I can’t say that I see God answering specific prayers every day. I’m not there yet. That could be because I’m not praying about enough things. No doubt. It is also because I don’t yet know the mind of Christ well enough to know what to pray. As he shapes my thinking and understanding, my prayers are bound to become more effective.
Murray makes the point that most Christians believe that the fellowship found in prayer makes the effort worthwhile. But Jesus teaches that prayer is more than a sweet time of intimacy with God – as important as that is. But prayer is a means for accomplishing the work of God. The answers do matter.
Last night I prayed with my daughter that she would be relieved of her cold symptoms. This morning she is feeling good. Thank you, Lord. I’m willing to start small, so that God can build my faith. Maybe some day I will see daily answers to prayer. When we are so in touch with God and his work, he can use us to change the world.
I have come to the point that I no longer jump right in to pray for a given situation. I don’t know what to pray. I have to come before God and ask him about the need, the situation. “What do you want to happen, Lord?” Sometimes I still don’t know. Sometimes he leads me to a new understanding, and from that perspective, I can pray effectively.
But one of the most challenging statements from Murray is that we should be seeing answers to prayer every day. He doesn’t mean praying for general good health or for the sun to rise. He means specific answers to specific prayers every day.
It often strains my thinking to remember the last time I had a specific prayer answered. Yes, God provides for my family, he helps people mature in their faith. He helps our children mature and learn.
Then, too, Jesus has worked significant work in the lives of friends. Several people have been healed of cancer, one healed of kidney stones. God used our prayers to help two little children from Uganda come home to live with their adoptive parents in Winston-Salem, NC. God has always provided meeting space for our church, and we have regularly prayed about that.
But I can’t say that I see God answering specific prayers every day. I’m not there yet. That could be because I’m not praying about enough things. No doubt. It is also because I don’t yet know the mind of Christ well enough to know what to pray. As he shapes my thinking and understanding, my prayers are bound to become more effective.
Murray makes the point that most Christians believe that the fellowship found in prayer makes the effort worthwhile. But Jesus teaches that prayer is more than a sweet time of intimacy with God – as important as that is. But prayer is a means for accomplishing the work of God. The answers do matter.
Last night I prayed with my daughter that she would be relieved of her cold symptoms. This morning she is feeling good. Thank you, Lord. I’m willing to start small, so that God can build my faith. Maybe some day I will see daily answers to prayer. When we are so in touch with God and his work, he can use us to change the world.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Advice of Friends
I read that that the governor of New York has admitted soliciting the services of a call girl. That’s not good news. Apparently he has always given the impression that he lives morally.
His wife sounds like a wonderful woman. She is very intelligent, well educated and a devoted wife and mother. Her husband should be ashamed of himself, and he apparently is.
That is all tragic enough. But the press is also reporting that the wife’s friends are urging her to take her three children and leave the governor. Several things about this seem strange to me. First, what business do these friends have telling the press how they advise their friend? That should be a private matter between friends, not a headline on a news Web site.
Second, shouldn’t these friends encourage the wife to stay with her husband? If there had been a pattern of abusive, irresponsible behavior, that would be another matter. From the little I have read, this act of unfaithfulness doesn’t appear to be a pattern.
Third, shouldn’t the friends let the betrayed wife work through her own emotions, rather than dumping on her suggestions that she may not want to consider? A friend is someone who encourages you to do the right thing. A friend is someone who offers emotional support, helping you work through your own decisions.
Obviously I don’t know enough about the whole situation to condemn anything but the governor’s adulterous actions. It just surprised me to see how quickly the friends responded to the press to offer their opinions. And of course the press is eating it up. And, yes, I read the article…
His wife sounds like a wonderful woman. She is very intelligent, well educated and a devoted wife and mother. Her husband should be ashamed of himself, and he apparently is.
That is all tragic enough. But the press is also reporting that the wife’s friends are urging her to take her three children and leave the governor. Several things about this seem strange to me. First, what business do these friends have telling the press how they advise their friend? That should be a private matter between friends, not a headline on a news Web site.
Second, shouldn’t these friends encourage the wife to stay with her husband? If there had been a pattern of abusive, irresponsible behavior, that would be another matter. From the little I have read, this act of unfaithfulness doesn’t appear to be a pattern.
Third, shouldn’t the friends let the betrayed wife work through her own emotions, rather than dumping on her suggestions that she may not want to consider? A friend is someone who encourages you to do the right thing. A friend is someone who offers emotional support, helping you work through your own decisions.
Obviously I don’t know enough about the whole situation to condemn anything but the governor’s adulterous actions. It just surprised me to see how quickly the friends responded to the press to offer their opinions. And of course the press is eating it up. And, yes, I read the article…
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Parents' Night Out
Talk about win-win. Last Saturday night, our youth group hosted a “parents’ night out” at the Long House. From 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. our youth group provided a fun place for kids to play, so that their parents could have a free evening. It was done as a fundraiser for the youth mission trip this summer, but it was a big time for all.
Most of the adults went out to eat together at a Brazilian steakhouse. This was a blast. We had about 28 adults in the party, so the restaurant gave us their special cellar room. Most of the people were not attenders at Crossroads, and only a few people knew everyone there. We just had a fun time laughing and dining together. I met several new people.
The restaurant has a great salad bar, from which one could easily make a meal. But the star attraction is the selection of meats. “Gauchos,” roam through the dining room with huge skewers bearing chunks of roast meat. They had various cuts of beef, plus pork, lamb, etc. They had about 16 different types of meat. The gauchos walk from person to person, offering to carve you off a slab of meat. It is an Atkins diet frenzy. All the protein you can consume.
This was especially fun for me because I had been to a similar restaurant in 1982 when I went on a mission trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There, of course, the gauchos did not speak English, so we Americans had to guess what kind of meat was being served. The meal was a highlight of the trip. I did not even know until last week that we had a Brazilian steakhouse in Greensboro. We’ll certainly be going back.
When we picked up our children from the parents’ night out, they were all excited. Our teenager loves to play with kids, and so this was heaven to her. Our younger daughter also had a blast, probably doing more giving than receiving of babysitting services. “When are we going to do this again?” they wondered.
The evening was also a win for the youth group mission trip. They watched about 3 dozen kids and received $530 in donations for their trip to Indianapolis this summer.
I hope we do this again, not as a fundraiser, but simply as a ministry. Someone mentioned today that there is obviously a pent-up need for the service. This is a great way to share the love of Jesus with whole families. The kids have a blast and the parents get a break.
When God builds his kingdom, everybody wins. Only he can do that.
Most of the adults went out to eat together at a Brazilian steakhouse. This was a blast. We had about 28 adults in the party, so the restaurant gave us their special cellar room. Most of the people were not attenders at Crossroads, and only a few people knew everyone there. We just had a fun time laughing and dining together. I met several new people.
The restaurant has a great salad bar, from which one could easily make a meal. But the star attraction is the selection of meats. “Gauchos,” roam through the dining room with huge skewers bearing chunks of roast meat. They had various cuts of beef, plus pork, lamb, etc. They had about 16 different types of meat. The gauchos walk from person to person, offering to carve you off a slab of meat. It is an Atkins diet frenzy. All the protein you can consume.
This was especially fun for me because I had been to a similar restaurant in 1982 when I went on a mission trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There, of course, the gauchos did not speak English, so we Americans had to guess what kind of meat was being served. The meal was a highlight of the trip. I did not even know until last week that we had a Brazilian steakhouse in Greensboro. We’ll certainly be going back.
When we picked up our children from the parents’ night out, they were all excited. Our teenager loves to play with kids, and so this was heaven to her. Our younger daughter also had a blast, probably doing more giving than receiving of babysitting services. “When are we going to do this again?” they wondered.
The evening was also a win for the youth group mission trip. They watched about 3 dozen kids and received $530 in donations for their trip to Indianapolis this summer.
I hope we do this again, not as a fundraiser, but simply as a ministry. Someone mentioned today that there is obviously a pent-up need for the service. This is a great way to share the love of Jesus with whole families. The kids have a blast and the parents get a break.
When God builds his kingdom, everybody wins. Only he can do that.
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