Month: August 2008

Recently I opted to watch the in-flight movie to help pass the time. The movie being offered was called The Bucket List and it featured two of my favorite actors, Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. The storyline is that two men of very different financial stratas are both dying within months. The create a “bucket list” of things that they decide to cross off as a team.  Things they wanted to accomplish before they “kick the bucket”. One of those things was to visit the Pyramids and that scene was of particular interest. Morgan Freeman’s character Carter tells Jack Nicholson’s character Edward about a belief of the Egyptian people.

“You know, the ancient Egyptians had a beautiful belief about death.  When their souls got to the entrance to heaven, the guards asked two questions.  Their answers determined whether they were able to enter or not.  ‘Have you found joy in your life?’  ‘Has your life brought joy to others?’”

I don’t know enough about the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians to verify the truth of that dialogue. But I thought the questions were fascinating. It also amused me that perhaps the ancient Egyptians had their own version of “a guy dies and he meets Saint Peter at the pearly gates” jokes. For example…

Recently a teacher, a garbage collector, and a lawyer wound up together at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter informed them that in order to get into Heaven, they would each have to answer one question.

St. Peter addressed the teacher and asked, “What was the name of the ship that crashed into the iceberg?
They just made a movie about it.”
The teacher answered quickly, “That would be the Titanic.”
St. Peter let him through the gate.

St. Peter turned to the garbage man and, figuring Heaven didn’t *really* need
all the odors that this guy would bring with him, decided to make the question
a little harder: “How many people died on the ship?”

Fortunately for him, the trash man had just seen the movie.
“1,228,” he answered.
“That’s right! You may enter.”

St. Peter turned to the lawyer. “Name them.”

I thought about what the real question is to be admitted into heaven. For me it is pretty simple. Oddly the real question is the one that Saint Peter himself had to answer to reach those “pearly gates”. The questioner was Jesus and the answer was the truth.

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 
“Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. (Matthew 16, NLT)

That is the real question. Who do I say that Jesus is? I have confessed that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. The Gospel is the good news that, in and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God has redeemed me.

So that is the real question. Who do you say Jesus is?

The answer to that question has framed my answer to the two questions posed in the movie.

Have I found joy in my life? Yeah buddy. I have found joy because of Jesus. I have found joy because of my beloved wife Joni. I have found joy because of three wonderful sons, Matt, Scott and Brett and two awesome family additions in daughter-in-law Holly and Caroline. I have found joy in my extended family and my bride’s family. I have found joy in great friends. I have found joy in His creation and in simply enjoying the journey.

The second question is a little tougher. Has my life brought joy to others? I think so. But here is one thing I am sure of as I ponder that question. If I have brought joy to others a very large part of what I have contributed is because of the big question. Who do I say Jesus is? Because of Him I am learning to live out of His grace and share that with you. And I pray that brings you joy.

I have have been blessed to hear that occasionally the humble ramblings help one of my readers as they journey with Jesus. My mission for this blog is clear.

Helping tens of readers feel superior in their Christian walk for over forty months.

It is a burden that I am willing to carry. But I recognize that you are always looking for authentic Christian writers who get it. May I suggest that you check out a weekly offering from my friend Ed Underwood. I wrote an earlier article about Ed, his journey through the trial of cancer and his ministry to Joni as she faced cancer.  His weekly musings are called the Tipping Point. Here is an excerpt from Ed’s most recent offering.

Why is it that we’re so careful when we read the Bible’s instruction on marriage, family, morality, culture, creation, and church but so sloppy when we interpret Jesus’ lessons on money. We explain away His hard sayings with complicated interpretations and excuse our disobedience with absurd reasoning. But I think Jesus would have some tough questions for us if we were offering these explanations and excuses to Him.

Ed is the real deal. I know him and I trust him to write with authenticity and grace. You can receive his thoughts in your cybermailbox by clicking here and subscribing. If you are not completely satisfied I will refund your money. It is an offer I am always willing to make for things that are free. The other benefit is that Ed is not nearly as verbose as me. Great content in less time. Check him out. And tell him a “Bad Christian” sent you.

 

 

A Peanuts comic strip features Charlie Brown’s sister Sally struggling to spread frozen butter on her toast. Finally she exclaims, “Nobody told me life was going to be this hard!”

I can understand Sally’s frustration. Life is hard. Sometimes even more difficult than frozen butter. Things happen that were not in the brochure. Or at least that is what I once believed. In fact that very information is in the brochure. The Bible is very clear that life will be a journey of struggling to spread frozen butter and worse (that is a paraphrase). Much worse. The “frozen butter times” are part of the journey. God has given us a wonderful gift that we too often leave unwrapped. Even if we have unwrapped this gift we too often leave it unused. The gift is laughter. The following excerpt is from my sporadically selling book “Bring’em Back Alive – A Healing Plan for those Wounded by the Church.” 

I believe a sense of humor is one of God’s gifts to help get us to the finish line. One of the things I learned from writing When Bad Christians Happen to Good People is well stated by humorist Dave Barry. “No matter what happens,” Barry writes, “somebody will find a way to take it too seriously.” AMEN, Brother Barry! Some people take and took some of my observations way too seriously. One of my core principles is summarized by Mary Hirsch’s observation that, “Humor is a rubber sword – it allows you to make a point without drawing blood.”

An examination of the life of Jesus would indicate that He possessed a sense of humor. The writers of Scripture did not set out to author a joke book so you won’t find the phrase “a Sadducee, a Pharisee and a Roman walk into a bar.” Still, you find glimpses of humor and sarcasm in the words of Jesus. For example, I can see the humor in this exchange when the disciples came running up and asked Jesus the following question.

“Did you know how upset the Pharisees were when they heard what you said?” Matthew 15:12 (MsgB) 

I can see them looking at Jesus and waiting to hear Him say something like, “Really? I had better go get that straightened out. The Pharisees are some important guys.” I expect the Lord’s answer first stunned and then amused them.

“Forget them. They are blind men leading blind men. When a blind man leads a blind man, they both end up in the ditch.” Matthew 15:14 (MsgB) 

You will also note that Jesus was an oft invited guest at weddings and banquets to the point where those appearances drew the ire of the Pharisees. Think about it. If Jesus was a holier than thou, uptight religious, suck the air out of the room sourpuss would you want Him at your wedding party? A deadly serious, stuffy theologian type would likely not be an “A” list party invitee either. Jesus must have been able to laugh and enjoy the common fellowship of others and he was obviously welcome and desired at the festivities. Let’s join Luke at Levi’s dinner party that included some unsavory people and see what happens.

Levi gave a large dinner at his home for Jesus. Everybody was there, tax men and other disreputable characters as guests at the dinner. The Pharisees and their religion scholars came to his disciples greatly offended. “What is he doing eating and drinking with crooks and ‘sinners’?” Jesus heard about it and spoke up, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I’m here inviting outsiders, not insiders-an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out.” They asked him, “John’s disciples are well-known for keeping fasts and saying prayers. Also the Pharisees. But you seem to spend most of your time at parties. Why?” Jesus said,
“When you’re celebrating a wedding, you don’t skimp on the cake and wine. You feast. Later you may need to pull in your belt, but this isn’t the time. As long as the bride and groom are with you, you have a good time. Luke 5:29-34 (MsgB)  
  
I am not trying to be flippant (this time) but clearly Jesus knew how to party in the good sense of the word. He knew how to interact warmly with others and connect with those around Him. And He knew where to find those who needed the touch of forgiveness the most.
  
I also think about the eclectic group of followers that Jesus assembled. They were a fascinating blend of common laborers and professional types. Imagine today if Christ went to the local pier to recruit some fishermen, dropped by the IRS to pick up a follower, then over to the medical clinic and so on. This would be (at least initially) a fairly coarse group. I don’t suspect that the earthy sense of humor possessed by such men was immediately dispatched when they dropped their nets to follow Jesus. Part of any healthy and dynamic group relationship is having fun together. I believe that there were times when Jesus and the twelve told jokes, fish stories and made fun of the Pharisees. I think that Jesus understood that the language and topics of those outside the faith may be a bit uncomfortable. John Wesley once walked through the London market with a young man who desired to join the ministry. The coarse language offended the young man and he clearly wanted to leave. But Wesley told him to, “Stay, and learn to preach.”

So let’s all join in that familiar Sunday School song with a slight lyrical modification…

If you’re happy and you know it,
Tell your face,
If you’re happy and you know it,
Tell your face.
If you’re happy and you know it,
Then it seems your face should show it.
If you’re happy and you know it,
Tell your face.

A lack of humor in the church apparently this has been a problem for a while now. Teresa of Avila prayed this simple prayer in 1582, “From somber, serious, sullen saints, save us Oh Lord.”  Amen…and Amen. Laughter is a gift from God. Don’t be afraid to enjoy it.

I remember hearing the late entertainer Merv Griffin joke that he was going to put these words on his tombstone.

“I will not be right back after this message”

I happened upon a story recently about humorous tombstone messages and I found out that Merv kept his word.

There have been some brave souls over the years when it came to tombstone epitaphs. Like this apparently long suffering husband who paid less than his respects to his departed bride.

John Dryden (1631-1700):

Here lies my wife: here let her lie!
Now she’s at rest, and so am I.

On Margaret Daniels’ grave at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia: She always said her feet were killing her but nobody believed her.

On the grave of Ezekial Aikle in East Dalhousie Cemetery, Nova Scotia:

Here lies
Ezekial Aikle
Age 102
The Good
Die Young

And he had so much to live for!

From a cemetery in Ruidoso, New Mexico:

Here lies
Johnny Yeast
Pardon me
For not rising.

I started wondering what I would like to put on a grave stone as my final message. Should I be funny?

Hope he was just kidding about the Bad Christian stuff.

But after a little serious thought I think this would be my final words.

Here lies Dave Burchett.

He was so amazed by the grace of God that he couldn’t stay quiet about it.

Warning: The following post may contain humor. This blog was produced in a program where irony and satire are processed. May contain sarcasm fragments. If you have negative reactions to sarcasm or satire please avoid this product. Thank you.

 

If you read When Bad Christians Happen to Good People  you know that I am not a fan of “Jesus Junk”. That is a term for the often tacky, sometimes offensive and generally puzzling ways that we try to merge Christianity and our culture. The products range from the Jesus bobble head dolls to Christian breath mints. I had never considered bad breath to be a spiritual battle but I am still learning in my journey.

 

People now send me links to this stuff just to annoy me. I found out about a new Talking Jesus action figure. Herobuilders.com of Connecticut, USA, added a new hero to their ranks of action dolls – “the ONLY real hero,” in fact. Standing fully 12″ tall, the Jesus Christ Action Figure comes with an optional microchip.  When Jesus speaks he sounds like the late John Facinda of NFL Films narrating the 10 Commandments. You almost expect  Jesus to follow “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house” with some stirring music and “across the frozen tundra the mighty warriors rumbled.”  

 

Apparently the talking Jesus doll ministry is exploding. Amazon features a whole range of talking Jesus figures. If you hate your Jesus doll quoting the wrong Bible you can order the Timecapsule Toys version that goes old school with King James only. The product features are a bit confusing at the Amazon.com site.

 

    * Talking Action Figure has a 4 min. audio chip allowing it to speak 25 different phrases in the First Ladies own Voice!  (Uhhhhhh….maybe we should proofread after the cutting and pasting for each action figure)

    * Figures are limited in production and include an individually numbered certificate of authenticity. (How reassuring to know that your Jesus is authentic)

    * Figures also include a biographical pamphlet that includes a comprehensive timeline specific to each figure. (Also known by such names as the Gospels and New Testament)

    * Figures come dressed in period correct clothing that is period correct and been hand tailored to suit the figure. (I would not want period correct clothing that was not period correct or redundancies that weren’t redundant)

    * 8 and up. (Apparently that is the age of accountability to own this doll)

The reader’s reviews offered this gem.

My 10 year old asked for this for Christmas. He listens to the scriptures often. He loves it!!!!! The voice of Jesus is a little too loud.

Verily. Especially when the Jesus doll doth saith things like this.

 

And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. (Matthew 19, KJV)

How many times have we wished Jesus would lower the volume on some of those hard things He asks us to do? Good observation from that reviewer.

Having the neighbors over for breakfast and don’t know how to witness? How about ordering the Jesus Pan and put the imprint of the Lord right on their pancakes.

That’s right. Heavenly hotcakes to jump start your evangelism! The ad proclaims that the Jesus Pan was featured on The Tonight Show! I have a sneaking suspicion that Mr.Leno was making a few jokes about imprinting Jesus on your grilled cheese sandwich instead of marveling at the eternal impact. By the way, you get two pans when you order now! If your friends refuse to listen you can use the second Jesus Pan to whop’em up the side of the head. Imagine when they go to the emergency room with the image of Jesus on their forehead. That will get the ER buzzing and you can keep the ministry going.                                                

The list of Jesus Junk is astounding and embarrassing. You can buy Jesus Adhesive Bandages (sticking closer than a brother) and Jesus pencil toppers.(He erases your sins).

While this whole thing is embarrassing to me as a follower of Christ there is also a strange comfort in all of this. Perhaps one of our strongest apologetic arguments is that Christianity is flourishing around the world despite Christians. Clearly there is something far more powerful than our often sorry attempts to represent Jesus to the world. I wrote a chapter called “Godly or Gaudy?” in When Bad Christians Happen to Good People. Here is an excerpt from that chapter. 

 

Last night I had a dream.  I went shopping with Jesus.  We were browsing through a Christian book superstore.  He stopped at the What Would Jesus Do? bracelet display.  I found out what He would do.  He moved on.  Jesus picked up the Testamints breath mints and examined them.  Next He saw the Jesus and His dog statue portraying a young Jesus with a German shepherd.  Did I see Him chuckle?  The Jesus Saves air freshener for cars caught His attention.  He looked around at the rows of products and aisles of books, row after row of books about Jesus and how to know Him and be like Him and so on and so on.  “Why do you make faith so complicated?”  He asked quietly.  “I didn’t say figure Me out.  I said follow Me.”  That woke me up.

The opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics were truly spectacular. The creative genius of the program and disciplined performers left me awestruck. But a news story the next day left me a little angry. The beautiful little girl singing during the telecast was actually lip syncing. Was it because she was too nervous or too young to perform live in such a pressure packed environment? Nope. It was because the actual voice belonged to a singer dubbed not “cute” enough to represent the country. The Los Angeles Times reported the story.

The child in question was 9-year-old Lin Miaoke, who was seen belting out “Ode to the Motherland” as the Chinese flag entered the National Stadium. She became an instant celebrity and was quickly christened a “smiling angel.” The image of her in a pretty red dress appeared around the world. But it wasn’t Miaoke who was singing. Chen Qigang, the ceremony’s music director, told state broadcaster Beijing Radio that the voice heard around the world belonged to 7-year-old Yang Peiyi.

Peiyi had the voice and was supposed to perform, but was yanked at the last minute because her looks were deemed not suitable by a senior Communist Party official, Chen said. “It was for the national interest,” Chen told Beijing Radio. “The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feelings and expression.”

That just makes me ill. Especially when you see the face of the little girl who was rejected.

 Yang Peiyi (Courtesy of Los Angeles Times)

She is beautiful. But because she has buck teeth and a chubby face they brought in another little girl to lip sync the song. What a horrible message this action sends to young girls and boys around the world. But as followers of Jesus we must be so careful to not send a similar message.

I know pastors who will not allow overweight or unattractive people to be a part of the praise team or to serve as greeters. Here is what I want to see when I watch a praise team. Faces reflecting worship of Jesus. If I want to see pretty faces I will go to an up-scale boutique. When I am greeted at the door I want to sense the warmth of fellowship and love of Christ. I don’t care how straight their teeth are or how perfect the attire. James wrote about this dangerous path that Christians can go down.

My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?

For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives? Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?

Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law. For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.  (James 2, NLT)

Seriously James…can you tell us how you feel? I have to be so careful about being drawn only to those like me (scary thought) instead of embracing whoever Gods places on my path. Some of the most beautiful believers I know have the spiritual parallel to buck teeth and chubby faces. They are beautiful because of Christ and who they are becoming in Him. 

I reread the quote from the official above with sadness.

“The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feelings and expression.”

We live in a world full of people who know they are not flawless in image, internal feelings and expression. They know just the opposite. They are deeply flawed in image, internal feelings and expression. That is the beauty of the Gospel of Jesus. Whether you can sing or not sing. Whether you have perfect teeth or buck teeth. Whether you have lived a pretty good life or horrible life. Jesus is ready to forgive your past and rewrite your very nature. By simply putting your trust in Christ you can become a new person. Flawless in the eyes of God. No need to fake it or wonder if you are good enough or pretty enough. The message you will hear from God is amazing. You are enough because of my Son. You are a saint and you are precious to Me.

That is the message I live to communicate. The grace of the precious Gospel of Jesus is for everyone. And that is truly spectacular.

 

Today I took a walk through Boston. The Boston Common is a beautiful and peaceful oasis to walk and pray. On my way back to the hotel I noticed a man on a motorized scooter. He was severely physically challenged. It appeared he was dealing with advanced Cerebral Palsy. The man was unable to communicate beyond noises and grunts. I have learned a lot about dealing with physically challenged people from my wife’s years of serving special needs kids. She has taught me to just treat them like anyone else. No need to look with pity or speak louder.

The man was selling water and soft drinks from his scooter. He had a little cooler and a money box with a slot. There was a sign that listed the prices. Another sign noted a box to make change because he was unable to execute even that simple task. So I went up to the man, smiled at him, told him I wanted a water and put money in the box. He grunted a response as I took my water and walked away.

I have to tell you that I walked away inspired and uplifted. Inspired by a man who refuses to let major challenges keep him from doing something for himself. I thought about how this man was demonstrating total trust every time he ventures out. He must trust those who do business with him to leave the correct amount and to make change. He has no choice but to trust others. I would struggle with having to trust others and not being able to control the situation at all. But he has made a choice to take a chance to trust others with himself.

That is what God asks me to do. He wants me to completely trust Him with all of me. A sincere comment from one of the recent blogs came to mind. The writer said that “the primary focus of our Christianity is pleasing God”. That seems to make sense and that is what I lived for years. But I am learning through my study from the book TrueFaced that my primary focus should be trusting God, not pleasing Him. I encourage you to watch a bit of that message. What can I do to please God? Scripture tells me that faith pleases God. In Hebrews we read that without faith it is impossible to please God. But I would rather do stuff to try and earn His favor. If I take that path I can maintain a little control. When I choose to simply trust God I get scared. I want to hold back a little (or a large) percentage. We have been taught a theology that God rewards us based on our deeds. Read carefully. I am not saying that we should do nothing. I am saying that my deeds flow out of trusting God, allowing Him to love me even in my “as is” condition. My deeds flow out of worshiping Jesus for paying the price to make me righteous before a Holy God. My deeds flow out of peace as the Holy Spirit fills my heart with comfort. I spent three decades trying to do good deeds to access what I already had the first day I trusted Christ. I spent years trying to earn gifts that were already given and simply need to be unwrapped.

Was this man an angel in disguise today? I was blessed by his courage and trust. I want to continue to learn to put my ego, my need to hang on to control and my pride on the altar and leave it there. I want to trust Him completely. That will please Him more than anything.