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One of the most predictable events of being a Christian in Texas happens every summer when we hit a sweltering heat wave. The temperature climbed above one-hundred degrees last week and, sure enough, there it was. A local church had put this cheery message on the sign out front.

 
(Note: Not the real sign. This was re-created at www.churchsigngenerator.com. You can have some fun at that site.)

Apparently God got out of the book business and moved into signboards.

I am sure that at least a few readers of these humble ramblings remember a song by Five Man Electrical Band. The song was called “Signs” and it told about some warnings that dared to tell us what to do.

Sign Sign everywhere a sign
Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind
Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign

I remember the opening part of the song quite well.

And the sign said long haired freaky people need not apply
So I tucked my hair up under my hat and I went in to ask him why
He said you look like a fine upstanding young man, I think you’ll do
So I took off my hat I said imagine that, huh, me working for you

woah!

What struck me most is that the official Five Man Electrical Band website actually has that last word spelled “woah”.  Hearing that song recently on an oldies station made me think about the mixed blessing of church signs. Some are clever and thought provoking. Most, sadly, are embarrassing or even harmful. I really dislike some of the signs that I have seen on display.

Will your eternal reservations be smoking or non-smoking?  Threats of damnation seem to be a church sign favorite like this cheery little thought…

Life is all fun and games until you die and go to hell!  Really makes you want to join that happy little group, doesn’t it?  All I can say is…woah!

The next sign is a good message for the faithful.

Tithe if you love Jesus! Anyone can honk.  

I have seen some signs that were a bit more graceful and thoughtful. I have to admit that I kind of liked these.

It you want the rainbow you’ve gotta put up with the rain. 

Opportunity knocks only once but temptation leans on the doorbell.

Children learn more from models than from critics. 

God so loved the world that He did not send a committee.

The final church sign might be a bit too obtuse for the casual passerby but it does contain the message of grace.

God grades on the Cross, not the curve.

Paul said it like this to the Ephesians. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,  that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)

Jesus was not talking about church signs when He said “you know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times”. The signs of the times indicate to me that I need to get serious about following Jesus and finishing strong. To paraphrase the sign above…

Live it if you love Jesus. Anyone can honk!

 

A preacher was walking down a dirt road one day and came upon a man with a mule pulling a wagon load of two-by-fours.  The mule had stopped and refused to move.  The man was yelling and pulling on the mules’ reigns trying to get him to move.  The man was angry and was using foul language.  The preacher came up to the man and said, “If you want one of God’s creatures to do what you want him to do, you must treat him with love and kindness”. 

The man then told the preacher, “If you can do any better, than you are welcome to try”.

With this the preacher went to the rear of the wagon, pulled off a two-by-four board and walked to the front of the mule and looked the mule in the eye. The preacher took a mighty swing with the two-by-four,  hitting the mule up the side of the head.

The man in shock said, “I thought you must treat him with love and kindness”?

The preacher then said, “You are.  But first you must get his attention”.

That is how I feel this week. God has stopped just short of a two-by-four to get my attention. Perhaps He has not ruled that out if I continue to refuse to move like the mule above.

One of the big advantages of journaling or blogging (a.k.a. “ego journaling”) is you can see how God is moving over a period of time in your life. What He is teaching you. Patterns of experiences or behaviors. I am picking up a disturbing trend in recent weeks. God appears to be challenging me to climb out of my comfort bunker.

Here is the recent string of posts that is showing some consistent messages.

Roller Coaster Faith Rocks! – An article about how the roller coaster is more fun because you give up control. Hmmmm.

Changing Patterns – How weather and spiritual patterns can both become stagnant.

Tripping Over Ministry – The inspirational story of a man who took a big chance for God and saw ministry all around him.

My Personal Reaction to Michael Vick – How God’s Word turned my disgust with Michael Vick around and revealed my own desperate need. I quoted a passage in that blog from 1 John 3 that was really convicting.

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.

That was disturbing enough. Then today I innocently reviewed a tune I had downloaded weeks ago. I have become an occasional fan of bluegrass music thanks to Alison Krause and Ricky Skaggs. Someone suggested that I might like Rhonda Vincent so I legally downloaded a few of her tunes. Here are the lyrics of one of the songs I finally got around to playing.

There are many people
who will say they’re Christians
and they live like Christians on the Sabbath day

But come Monday morning, til the coming Sunday
They will fight their neighbor all along the way

{chorus}
Oh you don’t love God, if you don’t love your neighbor
if you gossip about him, if you never have mercy
if he gets into trouble, and you don’t try to help him
then you don’t love your neighbor, and you don’t love God

Two-by-four warning!!! Incoming! I could not believe that a random bluegrass singer was pickin’ and singin’ the Biblical truth that I was wrestling with yesterday and today. A catchy beat did not lessen the impact of God’s truth.

If you say you love Him while you hate your neighbor
then you don’t have religion, you just told a lie

I am all about grace. But running parallel to the grace track is the accountability track. I don’t want others to view my walk as a lie. So I have decided to follow the example of recent blog subject Smoky John Gaines. 

“I just get up every morning and say, ‘Lord, what do you want me to do today? I’m reporting for duty.’ “

Deep breath. Okay. I am reluctantly reporting for duty and believing that God will equip me now that He has my attention.

No one is (or has been) better at avoiding onrushing tacklers than NFL quarterback Michael Vick. But he is now facing a foe that even the uber-gifted Vick can’t evade. Yesterday’s announcement that Vick will admit his full guilt in a plea bargain agreement was a sad day for those who idolized the mercurial athlete.

Former NFL great Deion Sanders is a brother in Christ. Sanders understands the curse of celebrity and how it can ruin your life for a season or forever. Deion was one of the few to defend Vick prior to the announcement. I have to respectfully disagree with Sander’s attempt to help us understand Vick’s mindset.

This is all the result of perspective. What a dog means to Vick might be a lot different than what he means to you or I. Hold on, don’t start shaking your head just yet. Listen to me. Some people kiss their dogs on the mouth. Some people let their dogs eat from their plate. Some people dress their dogs in suits more expensive than mine, if you can believe that.

And some people enjoy proving they have the biggest, toughest dog on the street. You’re probably not going to believe this, but I bet Vick loves the dogs that were the biggest and the baddest. Maybe, he identified with them in some way.

I understand that dog fighting has some cultural context. But the practice is simply wrong. Abuse of God’s creatures is sin. Period. I hope that Deion Sanders will use his influence to communicate that message to anyone who will listen.

Personally, I have alternated between repulsion and an odd sympathy for Michael Vick. I cannot imagine how a heart could become so hardened and so dark that inflicting pain and death on a helpless creature is acceptable. I pray that Vick will open his heart to the Lord and repent. His reputation will take years to rebuild. The amazing grace of redemption is that he could become a new man in Christ in a moment.

It was the repulsion and anger that I felt so easily that bothered me so much. Regular readers of the humble ramblings know how much I love dogs. I have written a number of blogs about man’s best friend. So it was somewhat predictable that I immediately flew into a rage toward Michael Vick and his cruel cronies when the details came out. But a long walk with Jesus (and my Labrador Hannah) caused some uncomfortable truths to rattle around in my mind.

My rage against the cruelty toward these helpless dogs was understandable. But where is my rage and passion for others who God describes as “the least of these?” Jesus describes how the righteous will be separated from the unrighteous on the day of judgment. The unrighteous were condemned not for a huge laundry list of sins that American Christians deem disgusting. They were condemned for not caring.

For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

I am quick to condemn Michael Vick and the culture that allows dogfighting. But where is my outrage for “the least of these?” Where is my caring heart?

When I walk by the homeless in major cities across America…do I care?
Where is my outrage for girls and boys trapped in sexual bondage and prostitution living here in my own city of Dallas, Texas? Do I care?
Where is my outrage that creatures more helpless than these dogs are torn apart in clinics with partial birth abortion?
Where is my outrage and caring heart for the victims of genocide in Darfur?
Why is my heart broken by dogs that are drowned and not broken by babies dying of Aids in Africa?

This was not a guilt trip that God’s Holy Spirit took me on as I walked this morning. It was simply revealing that my heart is far from pristine and I need to humble myself daily before the throne of grace. I am quick to rank Michael Vick’s sin as being far worse than mine. But to a Holy God all sin is the same. I needed a Redeemer. So does Michael Vick.

The resulting gratitude I feel for being redeemed should manifest itself in caring about the “least of these”. John kicked my butt this morning with these words written a couple of thousand years ago.

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.

And that is why so many people don’t do Bible study. It is hard to be self-righteous when you read passages like that. At least it is for me. God took my prideful feelings of superiority toward Michael Vick (I could NEVER do THAT!) and revealed my ongoing and desperate need for Him. I started the morning wanting to throw Vick and all associated with him under my judgment bus and then back up. I finished the day praying for Michael Vick and asking how Jesus can use me to minister to the hungry, to strangers, to the naked, the sick and those in prison. If I feel no compassion – how can God’s love be in me? That question will ruin a good walk.

 

 

 

Several years ago I got serious about this whole following Jesus thing. And I began to ask the Lord for a ministry. I beseeched Him for something that would make a difference for eternity. I bemoaned my job in sports television as being “insignificant”. Finally the obvious hit me right between my stubborn eyes. My ministry was all around me. People I had built relationships with over the past twenty years had real needs and big questions. When I simply asked God to use me my prayer for ministry was answered virtually overnight. Right where I was. I didn’t get called to the mission field. My books didn’t become best-sellers so I could go on a powerhouse speaking tour. God called me to be faithful to the ones He had placed in my life. That pesky “be faithful with the little things” scripture came to mind.

I guess my spiritual dimness is the reason an article in the Dallas Morning News resonated deeply with me this weekend. One of the many excellent barbecue restaurants in Dallas has an interesting sideline activity. Every Tuesday Smoky John’s Barbecue has what the Dallas Morning News dubs a “beefed-up Bible study.” It is known as “Smoky John’s Fellowship.” How cool is that? Every week anywhere from thirty to double that number crowd into a small room to talk about life, about God and how those two intersect. It is a haven for both the believer and the broken, for people living on the street and those with upscale addresses in Preston Hollow and the Park Cities.

Smoky John Reaves is the man who found a ministry all around him. “Rich folks, poor folks, black, white, brown, Asian – they all come to this meeting,” Smokey said. “This is what heaven looks like. And I want to get a glimpse of heaven here on earth so when I get there I don’t have culture shock.”

Amen! And to quote Larry the Cable Guy: “That’s just funny, I don’t care who you are.”

Smoky John hit squarely on a pet peeve of mine. Studying God’s Word without seeking application. Every Bible should have a shampoo-like label attached.

Read.
Apply.
Repeat.

Reaves had grown frustrated with the sterile approach to Bible study as well. The story in The Dallas Morning News continues:

“That’s the thing that got me about all the other Bible studies I attended. Everyone was so involved in the questions that were being discussed, they weren’t concerned about relationships with the people around them. I was sitting in a Bible study once, and I turned to the guy next to me and I said, ‘Man, what’s going on in your life?’ “And he said, ‘My wife has filed for divorce and I’m contemplating committing suicide.’ And no one knew.”

Smoky John set out to create a Bible study where that wouldn’t happen.

“I was going to every Bible study I could find,” he said, “and I left each one thinking that I was the only messed-up guy in the city of Dallas. Everyone else seemed so together, so polished. But then I realized everyone else was as messed up as I was.”

Probably more. But isn’t that a key step to really growing in Christ? Realizing that you cannot do this on your own. That our righteousness apart from Christ is like filthy rags in God’s sight. Smoky John Reaves continues to see ministry all around him. The Morning News picks up the story:

Smokey’s life is all about ministry today. Along with his lunchtime Bible study on Tuesdays, he holds another at a Dallas home on Wednesdays. And on Thursdays, as many as 100 recent parolees come to Smokey John’s for a free meal and help getting their lives together.

Is that not awesome? I’m pretty sure that would be on the list of what Jesus would do.

He and some core members of the fellowship are working now to take over an abandoned strip club next to Smokey John’s. The extra room could be used for all sorts of ministries and community outreach, and it would make Tuesdays a lot more comfortable. Whether it succeeds or not, Smokey said, is up to God.

“I won’t lose a night’s sleep worrying about what to do here,” he said. “Jesus didn’t call us to do something. He calls us to be available to do his will. I just get up every morning and say, ‘Lord, what do you want me to do today? I’m reporting for duty.’ “

God has enough soldiers to make a difference in this culture. Instead of fighting the media, whining about “persecution” from foes of faith, and griping about our culture perhaps we should simply report for duty. See what God can do with people who are looking for whatever ministry is right at our feet. It is worth noting that the “big, bad media” reported this story and without pulling any punches. Maybe not all of the media is out to get Christians. Maybe we just need to be Christian and see what happens.

 

 

This is an updated version of a gently read prior post.

This is a dangerous post. I must begin with a disclaimer that I have now lived in Texas for 27 years. I love Texas and the people of the Lone Star state. Please remember that disclaimer as I confess that I can sympathize with General  Philip Henry Sheridan’s comments about Texas after the Civil War. Sheridan remarked that “if I owned Hell and Texas I would rent out Texas and live in Hell”. Because he criticized Texas and was also a Yankee (the Texas version of a Samaritan) I am pretty sure that most Texans are sure he is now residing in Hell. But let us extend a moment of grace and consider that perhaps Sheridan offered his comments during the month of August. I suspect that in pre-air conditioning days I might have pondered the same thoughts.  August is almost always miserable in North Texas. August in Texas is our payback for mocking our Northern friends during February.

The usual suspect for miserable summer weather is a high pressure dome that camps over the state. I am not a meteorologist, I don’t play one on TV, and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night but here is what I understand about this phenomenon. This high pressure dome just sits there defiantly (okay…it may not have personality but it sure seems vengeful) and whenever a cooling front or storm approaches those cooling temps bounce off and are sent to a less deserving state. Every night I watch the weather with naive hope. I observe these fronts floating toward Texas from Canada, bringing the hope of tantalizingly cooler air, only to see this high pressure dome reject that relief. And we stay miserable. Texans (and adopted Texans) know that eventually this dome will be broken up and cooler weather will arrive. Often that requires a tropical disturbance to break-up the high pressure dome.

So what in the wide, wide world of meteorology does that have to do with my faith? One of things that God is teaching me is that I sometimes allow spiritual “high pressure domes” to settle over areas of my life. The “high pressure dome” of pride forces a gentle front of humility and reconciliation to bounce tragically away. The net result is the same. I stay miserable. It takes courage, maybe a little Holy Spirit disturbance, or perhaps a life storm to break up the high pressure dome that blocks the arrival of spiritual change. I find it fascinating that I desperately hope the weather high pressure dome will go away so I will not be physically miserable yet I ignore the stubborn spiritual patterns that make me even more miserable. I am indeed a fallen creature. I pray that I will stop allowing domes of sin to settle over my spiritual life patterns. I pray that I will be willing to break up any hindrance that blocks the refreshing winds of the Holy Spirit.

And just to make sure my fellow Texans are clear…I would rent out Hell and live in Texas. Even in August.

 

I opened up the electronic mailbox today and found out that I nearly missed a holiday. You too? Apparently today (August 16^th) is True Love Forever Day as opposed to True Love Till I Lose Interest Day. This is a wonderful opportunity to tell that special someone that you love them and it is an even more wonderful opportunity for greeting card companies to sell products for a phony baloney holiday.

Nearly missing this holiday made me fearful that I might overlook other important and meaningful days. So I did a little research and found out that August is chockful of stupid and meaningless celebrations. I have to confess that I have already missed a couple of vital August events. Last Friday was National Lazy Day. I went back and checked my calendar for that day and I am pretty sure that I celebrated appropriately. Two days later I somehow overlooked Middle Child’s Day. So to beloved middle son Scott, forgive me. But I guess the middle child is used to disappointments like that. August 13th was Blame Somebody Else Day. Not sure what the card and gift potential for that day might be. A touching little ode to incompetence might be appreciated.

Roses are red
Violets are blue
The project would have worked
If not for you!

The verse above could also be used on Bad Poetry Day (August 18^th). Other events to look forward to include National Sponge Cake Day (August 23^rd) and National Toasted Marshmallow Day (August 30th). I am not making this up. If you read this too late to buy a lovely gift for True Love Forever Day you have an upcoming chance to recover on Kiss and Make-Up Day on August 25^th.

I am anxious for September and the dawning of Be Kind to Writers and Editors Month.

I am not sure how you can create or nominate a recognized day, week or month. But I do have some ideas for followers of Jesus. You may add these to your calendar free of charge.

Extending Grace Week – Christians would actually extend grace during this week instead of just talking about it.

Sacrifice Ridiculous Excesses Month – Sending the money we would spend that month on venti mocha no foam lattes to missions.

Actually Take Jesus to Work Day – Spend one day behaving and responding as if Jesus was really there. Oh wait, He is. Well act like it.

Pray During Rush Hour Day – Using the time caught on the freeways to talk to God instead of cursing the poor guy who stalled or had an accident and inconvencied you.

Represent Christ Not Just By My T-Shirt Slogans Day – Remember that every word, action and reaction reflect on the Lord that the shirt proclaims has changed my life.

Don’t Forget God’s True Love is Forever Day – What do you get the Lord of the Universe on this special day? I suspect He would be delighted with a little of my time.

Showing We Are Christians By Our Love Week – I thought about making it a month. Baby steps. Meditate on these words to get you started.

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. (1 John 3, NLT)

Ouch. Allow me to proclaim this as Read God’s Word and Be Convicted of My Own Selfishness Day. You are welcome to join me.

 

 

 

 

I realized today how much the culture has passed me by. I was reading a story about a massive toy recall and I scanned the list of items. Pictured right there on the front page of my hometown newspaper was a picture of recalled Barbie and her dog, recalled Tanner. The caption read (and I could not make this up): The recall includes 683,000 sets that contain a magnetic pooper scooper.

So it has come to this? Our children are playing with magnetic pooper scoopers? This is an actual review from the Amazon.com link above.

“Initially we really liked this set but the dog’s “pooping” function broke rather quickly.”

We all know how painful that can be. So exactly how does a magnetic pooper scooper work? In real life Tanner would have to have a very high iron diet to make that work. It just made me happy that my toy buying days are on hold pending grandchildren.

That story gave me tired head so I took real dog Hannah for a walk and her functions were working very well. I thought about parenthood and how tough it can be. I remembered a movie by the same name that starred Steve Martin in role of an angst ridden dad. The movie Parenthood contains one of my all-time favorite scenes. Gil, the character played by Martin, is bemoaning his complicated and unfulfilling life when Grandma wanders through and offers this observation.

Grandma: You know, when I was nineteen, Grandpa took me on a roller coaster.
Gil: Oh?
Grandma: Up, down, up, down. Oh, what a ride!
Gil: What a great story.
Grandma: I always wanted to go again. You know, it was just so interesting to me that a ride could make me so frightened, so scared, so sick, so excited, and so thrilled all together! Some didn’t like it. They went on the merry-go-round. That just goes around. Nothing. I like the roller coaster. You get more out of it.

I loved the look on Gil’s face as Grandma goes out to the car. Then he responds with the kind of sarcasm that I am quite capable of producing.

“A minute ago l was confused about life. Then Grandma came in with her wonderful and effecting roller coaster story. Now everything is great again.”

But his wife gets it. She understands the wisdom of the analogy. I put that in the context of not only life but also my relationship with Jesus. It is so much easier to just get on the spiritual merry-go-round. It is safe. Predictable. I don’t need any assistance or encouragement for that ride. I can do merry-go-round Christianity in my own strength and with little effort. There is no risk.

Roller-coaster Christianity is a lot scarier. You have to trust the One in charge. Once you strap-in and leave the station you have surrendered control. That is the hard part. Grandma was right. You get a lot more out of that kind of Christianity. I want more of the supernatural as I follow Jesus and less of what I can do in my own strength.

Roller-coaster Christianity may be scary and unpredictable. But I don’t recall ever seeing people throw-up their arms in triumph at the end of a merry-go-round ride. They just walk away. Go to the end of the roller-coaster ride and you will see arms in the air, big smiles and animated chatter. That is what I want from my walk with Jesus. Taking chances and trusting God. The merry-go-round may be safe but that is not where I want to be. I like the roller-coaster. Paul chose the early church version of the roller-coaster ride. He certainly did not play it safe and he never regretted the ups and downs in his ride. He had some words to Timothy that warned him that many would choose the safe ride.

You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They’ll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you—keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant. You take over. I’m about to die, my life an offering on God’s altar. This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting—God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming. (2 Timothy 4 – The Message)

Paul finished his ride with arms held high in triumph. That is exactly how I want to finish.