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I am taking a brief break from the daily blog. In the meantime we are reprinting the top twenty most read articles from the past two years. Number six in the countdown is this piece about victimhood.

While out walking one day a local pastor noticed a young boy trying unsuccessfully to reach the doorbell of a house. The pastor decided to be a Good Samaritan so he walked up behind the boy, put his hand on his shoulder, leaned over and firmly pushed the door bell. Crouching down to the boy’s level the pastor smiles warmly and asks, “Now what, young man?” The boy looked at him and said, “Now we run!” That is how I feel about today’s topic. I am going to post and then run.

In recent weeks I have written about the Biblical requirement for forgiveness and I have found out that not everyone agrees with my views. Some didn’t forgive me for saying you have to forgive! I am going to violate the principle espoused by humorist Will Rogers who said that “when you are in a hole, quit digging.” Today I am going to suggest that we all need to examine ourselves to see if we are getting trapped in victimhood. Some of the following thoughts were also explored in my book Bring’em Back Alive (look for it in fine bargain book bins everywhere).

Some of you were abused by pastors who should have restored but chose to condemn you (or worse). Some of you have been neglected by churchgoers who should have cared enough to seek you and return you to the flock. But we must also acknowledge (time to duck and cover) the real possibility that sometimes we choose to remain victims. I am not going to deny that we are often victims of sinful, selfish and hurtful acts from those in and around the church. One of my prayers and goals for this daily blog is that we honestly search our hearts and prayerfully evaluate if we have, in fact, made a decision to embrace woundedness. 

It is an incredible waste of our spiritual potential to fixate on how things could or should have been different. It took me about forty-five years to figure out the following information that I am going to pass along to you (at no additional cost) for simply reading this post. Are you ready?

Things are not different.

We can usually make a case that would persuade any jury that our treatment by other Christians should have been different. We can obviously make a solid case from the wisdom and conviction of scripture that things would have been different if Christians applied His words consistently. And yet there remains the unflinching fact that things are not different. No amount of time spent dwelling on how another churchgoer hurt me or should have done something different changes my situation. But the most natural thing to do is to focus on those unexpected wounds.

Imagine if you were shot and rushed to the emergency room. Would you spend all of your time worrying about who shot you? Or do you think your first concern might be to survive? I am pretty sure my priority would be to seek help and healing. Who shot me would be the least of my worries at that point. After healing I can concern myself with the shooter and whether justice is done.

Still, when we are victims of a shot from other Christians (or people in the church) we do seem to dwell on the shooter, not the healer. This is another strategy of the enemy who knows that healing is available. The last place Satan wants us to visit is the emergency room of God’s grace.  In the case of Christians the act of healing allows us to leave justice in the hands of God and takes us out of the process. That is exactly where I need to be.

All of us can acknowledge intellectually that the offending pastors or churchgoers will be held accountable for their actions before a Holy and righteous judge. But that is a difficult concept to embrace when you are hurting. And there is that other factor that we cannot forget. C.S. Lewis wrote that we tend to treat Satan one of two ways…we either take him too seriously or we ignore his influence altogether. In this case I am going to suggest that we need to be aware of one of Satan’s great strategies. And that tactic is to keep you and me firmly in the grip of victimhood. Eugene O’Neill wrote that “Man is born broke. He lives by mending. The grace of God is glue.” Satan would have us forget that being broken is an integral part of God’s process and that God does, in fact, “mend us with His grace”. The Apostle Paul who begged for the removal of his affliction or thorn in the flesh came to an important realization.

“and then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness.  2 Cor. 12:9 (MsgB) 

Paul’s insight is critical when he writes, “I quit focusing on the handicap.” Sadly, we often choose to stop at the point of being broken. And the point of resignation is often heartbreakingly just short of healing. Emotional and spiritual hurts seem to engender a response unlike any other wound. With physical hurts we immediately seek help to heal. With emotional and spiritual wounds it seems difficult to move past focusing on the injury.

My prayer is that each of us will make the choice to focus on the Healer and not the shooter. It is a choice I am having to make in my life right now. But the truth is that God’s grace is enough. His grace is all we need. Would you make a commitment to focus today on His amazing grace?

Okay…here we go.
Hit the post key.
Run.

Coming in at number 7 on the most read article list is a tongue-in-cheek look at how man’s best friend could be role models for ministry. So enroll now for the fall quarter of the Canine School of Evangelism.

I was brought up to “dog” people about their faith. But maybe a ministry with actual mutts would be more effective to reach others with the message of the gospel. So I am thinking about starting a new seminary with man’s best friends as the instructors and role models for the students. My inspiration for this “hounds-on” approach to ministry training came from an article in American Way Magazine. The story was about dog training programs that have been implemented into prisons across America. The concept is simple yet brilliant. These programs take dogs from overcrowded shelters and place them with prison inmates for training. The animals live with the inmates 24/7 and are trained by them to become adoptable pets or even companion animals. One of the difficulties in training guide and companion dogs is finding dedicated trainers who have enough time to interact with the animals. The prisoner trainers have nothin’ but time. The American Correctional Institute says that idleness is a major cause of violence among inmates. Martha Armstrong of the American Humane Society noted that a “lack of training is a major reason pets are brought to shelters.” This is your basic win-win situation. Pooches in need of training and prisoners with plenty of time to do exactly that.

Professional trainers provide inmates with the tips they need to rehabilitate their canine charges. Expenses for the programs are generally provided through non-profit organizations with clever names like New Leash on Life Prison Dog Training, Puppies Behind Bars, PAWS (Pawsitive Education Training Solution), and Project Pooch. The stories from these programs are heartwarming and amazing. Annie Tellion was quoted in Urban Dog Magazine (I will give you the quote in case your current issue hasn’t arrived), “A lot of them (inmates) have taken a life, so to be trusted with a life has an added meaning,” she says. “They’re able to grow self-esteem through this work. This is the best thing they have going on in prison and they don’t want to mess it up. For them it’s a way to show the outside world that they can succeed at something.” (Urbandog Magazine)

Smithsonian Magazine wrote about the growing phenomenon. Like prison inmates everywhere, most of the puppy raisers at Fishkill (Fishkill Correctional Facility, Beacon, New York) had perfected the intimidating look that says, “Don’t mess with me.” That facade does not work with puppies. “Your macho persona is a goner with these dogs,” says Ronald Jones, 33, who has served 12 years of a 15-years-to-life sentence for murder. He is raising his second dog, an impish 8-month-old black Lab named Cooper. “I’ve seen 6-foot-2, 250-pound guys rolling around on the floor kissing and talking in a high voice to their dogs. We all do it, even in the yard with 200 other inmates and guards walking by. We don’t care what anybody thinks. It’s all about what’s good for the dogs. We owe them. They did what nothing or nobody could—they took away our selfishness.” The raisers fill their cells with squeak toys and chew bones as well as photographs of their pups past and present. Paintings of puppies and stenciled paw prints also adorn the concrete walls of the dank basement room that serves as Fishkill’s training center. Veteran raiser Thomas Lonetto, 33, convicted a decade ago for robbery and attempted murder, says he learned more from giving up his first dog than taking care of it. “I felt what my mother must have felt on the day I was sentenced, when she stood next to the 24-year-old son she loved, who was going away for a very long time,” he says. “It’s called empathy. I didn’t know it existed in me until that moment.” (Smithsonian magazine)

Lisa Sonne wrote in the American Way article (Love at First Bite) about an inmate in Ohio. Joe was in prison for murder and came into the program not saying a word. The director of the Ohio Tender Loving Care program, Roma Paulsen, had these profound words to say. “The dog didn’t judge him. He learned to care for the dog and found his voice. Now he is a good citizen in prison.”

Those illustrations were the inspiration for the Canine School of Evangelism idea. Think about it. If Christians could learn from dogs how to express our Christian grace we could probably ignite a revival. The CSE (Canine School of Evangelism) curriculum would include a catalog of courses like these. I have included a sample quote and verse from the syllabus.

1) Introduction to Unconditional Love – A core course designed to teach Christians how to emulate the unconditional love of a faithful dog. What a great feeling to come in from a lousy day to the quivering adulation of our adopted Labrador/God only knows what else dog named Hannah.

 

                                                                   

If we could even approach that level of unconditional love as followers of Christ we couldn’t find enough seats in our sanctuaries for the crowds. Syllabus quote: “No matter what you have done a friendly dog will approach you with joy and trust. A dog does not keep score of good deeds versus bad. We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It’s the best deal man has ever made.” (M. Acklam)

Course verse: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  I Cor 13, NIV

2) Grace 101 – Our canines will teach how to love others wherever they are in their journey and without judgment. How many people would be restored if they had experienced such grace? Dogs don’t care what you did ten years ago, ten days ago, or ten minutes ago. They just know that you are here with them right now. Syllabus quote: He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader.  He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion. (Author Unknown) 

Course verses: “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand…Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5, NIV

3) Unselfishness Lab with a Real Lab –  Is there any more unselfish creature on the planet than a dog? Our dog Hannah can be denied time after time to play or take a walk. No grudges. No change in how she feels about me. And when you finally get around to her she looks at me like I am the coolest guy on the planet. Syllabus quote: “A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.” (Josh Billings)

Course Verse: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.  I Cor 10, NIV

4) Integrity in Comptemporary Culture –  Do you really think a dog would betray you? Syllabus quote: The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue (Author Unknown)

Course Verses: gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.  Prov 11:13, NIV

5) Practical Advanced Gratitude –  I think any creature that is grateful for the same dog food every single night is qualified to teach us (What? Same old manna?) about having a grateful attitude. Syllabus quote: If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man. (Mark Twain)

Course verse: Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  Col 3, NIV

6) Beginning Empathy – Our dog Hannah has an amazing calming effect on me. I call her “furry Prozac” for her ability to soothe my frayed nerves. Syllabus quote:One reason a dog can be such a comfort when you’re feeling blue is that he doesn’t try to find out why.  (Author Unknown) 

Course Verse:  LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. Psalm 145:8  NIV

7) Essential Joy for Living – Our dog is the canine version of Will Rogers. She has never met a man (or woman or child) she didn’t like. Wouldn’t it be nice if the body of Christ at least took a shot at that? Syllabus quote: Dogs laugh, but they laugh with their tails.  (Max Eastman)

Course verse: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 13, NIV

There you have the basic curriculum for my new Canine School of Evangelism. As I go for my Dog-torate of Ministry degree I can tell you that I have one goal before I graduate. And that is to be as good of a person as my dog already thinks I am.

 

The eighth most read article was written about the effects of the controversy surrounding the movie End of the Spear. Are we fighting the right battles? This situation was a classic debate on that important question.

The box office run of End of the Spear  has drawn to a close. The backlash from a number of Christian blogs, publications, and from many  pulpits accomplished its goal. Estimates are that the controversy cut the box office return by one-half to two-thirds. I wish congratulations were in order. But I am simply burdened and discouraged by our choice of battles in the evangelical community.

I should never be allowed near a keyboard when I am frustrated. But I hope that all who advocated a boycott are happy with the results. Your efforts kept a lot of people away from a movie that has a powerful message. I have not talked to a single person who saw the movie (and that would be dozens) who was not moved by the portrayal of forgiveness and redemption. No one that I know cared who played the role of Nate Saint. Typical response. “Oh, he was gay? (pause) He did a good job.” Just for the record…I go to a conservative church.

What is wrong with having a movie that you can take a unchurched friend to and then discuss the supernatural response from the people that this story portrays? Evangelism is planting a seed and then watering that seed. There is plenty in this movie to accomplish that task. A heavy handed gospel message would have made it much more difficult to get unchurched friends to the movie. If you can’t find enough in End of the Spear to generate a wonderful discussion of the power of the Holy Spirit and the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross then you are just not trying.

For example, how about this scene where Mincayani takes Steve Saint to the scene of the killing and he is overcome by his role in the death of Steve’s father. Because he still lives by the rules of the Waodoni he wants the younger Saint to take his life. But the young man says, “No one took my father’s life. He gave it.” This affects the Mincayani profoundly. It’s an effective and powerful scene. Are you telling me you can’t parlay that drama into a discussion of Jesus giving His life on the Cross? How about discussing the story of Waengongi  (God) who once had a Son who was speared but did not spear back? Can’t find the gospel message in there anywhere?

The world is fascinated by the question of life after death. This movie clearly communicates that the warrior Mincayani believes he saw a heavenly host coming to escort Nate Saint and the other missionaries to their reward, or in the terms of the tribe, “jumping the Great Boa.” No way you can dig up a little salt to sprinkle from that scene?

I visited dozens of websites that were apoplectic that gay actor Chad Allen had been picked to play the role of Nate and Steve Saint. Most of these bloggers seemed like the Stanley Johnson character from the Lending Tree television commercial. Nice guys. Wonderful families. Lovely home in the suburbs. But on this issue they just seemed to go a little too far.

Kevin T. Bauder, president of Central Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote this is a column posted at Sharperiron.org.
 
“It is disappointing enough when unsaved, worldly culture-mongers cannot see clearly on basic moral issues. It is even more distressing when professing Christians betray complete moral confusion. That is the case with the new movie from Every Tribe Entertainment, End of the Spear. ETE is supposed to be a Christian maker of Christian films. End of the Spear is supposed to be the film biography of Nate Saint, the missionary pilot and martyr who gave his life to get the message of the gospel to the Auca Indians of Ecuador.”

Comments. First of all, it is not surprising nor disappointing when unsaved, worldly culture-mongers cannot see clearly. That is called sin and that is what sinners do. That is why we are having this discussion to see how we can communicate the gospel to a world that cannot see clearly. I was frustrated by his comment that ETE is “supposed” to be a Christian maker of Christian films. That is just flat wrong. ETE is a group of Christian men and women who are committed to making good stories with a message that can be used to communicate Christian values. They are hoping that people who willing to change out of their judges robes into their “civies” will use these stories to generate salt and light dialogue.

Here is an example of how I think we are fighting the wrong battles. This was a letter that was sent to radio talk show host Janet Parshall.

Mrs. Parshall,

Thanks so much for representing the Gospel and Biblical positions on Larry King Live last night. I was encouraged to hear the truth communicated in your reasonable and articulate fashion.

However, I was discouraged to hear you indiscriminately endorse the film your co-panelist on the program Mr. Allen stars in. By allowing Mr. Allen to play an active role in creating this film, End of the Spear has, I believe, given a platform for the exclusivity of the gospel to be undermined. His activist agenda has been given a wider audience because of his connection to this story. Furthermore, the public response and perception of Every Tribe Entertainment and Steve Saint has been to defend their choice and express support for Mr. Allen, further adding to the public perception of the legitimacy of a pluralistic gospel. I plead with you to reconsider your endorsement of this film. I ask you to call for ETE and Mr. Saint to take decisive and public action acknowledging the grievous error in casting a gay activist in their film. Encourage them to take a public and prominent stand for the exclusive Gospel- to state clearly and unequivocally that Jesus is the only way, and that the only hope for anyone trapped in the bondage of homosexuality or any other sin is to repent and turn to Jesus Christ for deliverance.

In Christ,  A Pastor.

His name is not important and I do wish to throw him under the bus for sincere objections. My point is to look at the opening sentence and then what follows. Janet Parshall represented the gospel well and communicated the truth of the gospel on the Larry King show! What an incredible opportunity and she did a great job. But then comes the dreaded however. If Janet did a great job of communicating the truth of the gospel how about taking the wild tact of praying that her words would fall on fertile ground and the Holy Spirit will work in the hearts of those who heard.

I have had the privilege of sitting with some of the leaders of ETE in recent weeks. These are good, Godly men trying to fulfill what they believe is a calling of the Holy Spirit. Can we allow that perhaps God has called them to something different from your vision and can we allow that the vision may ultimately have a great impact? Can we have enough grace to offer the possibility that maybe they just made an honest mistake in casting Chad Allen? Is it possible to offer grace if you feel that it was a mistake? Can we consider that we should be praying and supporting the mission they feel called to do instead of trying to hurt them financially just because we don’t like how they made this movie? Perhaps their next project will meet your criteria. Is it possible that a Sovereign God ordained Chad to play this role because that influence will change his life and that he will have a great ministry someday? Or do you, like Job’s friends, already know what God is doing? Perhaps we are just too busy icing down our elbows from the stone throwing session to seek the Holy Spirit and pray for these men and women who are actually trying to do something unique in the arena of popular culture.

Yeah, I know. I need to get out the paper sack and breathe into it for a few seconds. But I am angry at many of my evangelical family. I am an evangelical but I am not a particularly proud one over this debate. You see, I live in the secular world and I know how all too well how evangelicals are perceived. And we just added plenty of fuel to that perception fire with this ridiculous overreaction to who played Nate Saint. Have you thrown away your VHS or DVD of Chariots of Fire yet? Two key roles in that powerful movie (including the part of Christian runner Eric Liddel) were played by gay actors. Tossed your Lord of the Rings trilogy in the trash? Gandalf was played by an actor who has been a gay activist. The only difference with those movies was that we did not know or, at least, it did not create controversy in the blogosphere.

I read outraged comments from bloggers and readers who seemed to feel they owned the story of the slain missionaries because their parents had read it to them when they were kids. This is not your story! This is not my story. This is God’s story. If this particular story does belong to anyone on this planet that person is Steve Saint. If Steve Saint is okay with the person who played his Dad then I am quite prepared to quietly drop my stones and slink slowly away.

Others were criticizing making this story as a for profit movie. They did not take the time to research that half of the profits were going to tribal missions. So what is the sum total of our high minded cyber flogging of End of the Spear and Every Tribe Entertainment? Thousands and thousands of people did not see a story that could have helped them see how forgiveness looks. Maybe thousands more lost a chance to be moved by the power of redemption. The financial contribution to the tribes will be reduced and that will impact the outreach. The people who worked so hard to make this movie have been wounded by the attacks (and some of the commentary was far less than graceful) of their brothers and sisters in Christ. But I know they will press on. Because I have looked in their eyes and I have seen the conviction of their calling. I know that many will disagree with me on this issue. But I am going to suggest one thing before we react to the next “crisis” in the Kingdom. Can we stop down, pray, and see how the Holy Spirit would have us communicate. Jesus communicated the truth in love. We must seek  His Spirit to do the same.

So we have won another battle. The evangelical community has won many battles in recent years. But my fear is that we continue to lose the war for the eternal souls around us.

This is an amazing coincidence. The ninth most popular article in the Top 20 Countdown is a story I wrote about how amazing my wife has been through cancer treatments and how much I respect her. It is amazing because this happens to fall on the same day that I married this woman thirty-one years ago. There was a time back before she was mine when I thought I was tough. 

I am not a crier. So it was a bit out of character when the tears started flowing yesterday as I drove through the canyon in downtown Dallas. I blame Lindsay for this event. Lindsay is my bride’s cousin who moved to Texas recently. She already loved country music so that saved us some time to indoctrinate her. We love having her in Big D but she is going to have to stop introducing me to songs that make driving dangerous.

Lindsay told us about a song that we just had to hear. So I downloaded it to the trusty iPod and fired it up as I drove to work yesterday. The song is called Tough and it is performed by Craig Morgan. If you know much about our past year you will quickly see why this song had the Old Yeller/Field of Dreams effect on the eyeballs. The lyrics start innocently enough…

She’s in the kitchen at the crack of dawn
Bacon’s on, coffee’s strong
Kids running wild, taking off their clothes
If she’s a nervous wreck, well it never shows
Takes one to football and one to dance
Hits the Y for aerobics class
Drops by the bank, stops at the store
Has on a smile when I walk through the door
The last to go to bed, she’ll be the first one up
And I thought I was tough

Chorus:

She’s strong, pushes on, can’t slow her down
She can take anything life dishes out
There was a time
Back before she was mine
When I thought I was tough

That made me smile as I remembered the days when Joni juggled three active boys through school, baseball, basketball, and forced Cotillion dance lessons. I was a little too absent as I carved out my career. I finally realized how tough she really was to raise three wonderful sons while her husband traveled around the country and world. I appreciated how tough she was while sacrificing weekends with our friends because sports teams insist on playing on the weekends and sports television was my job. So a mixture of fond memories and some regrets filled my mind when I got ambushed by the next verse.

We sat there five years ago
The doctors let us know the tests showed
She’d have to fight to live, I broke down and cried
She held me and said it’s gonna be alright
She wore that wig to church
Pink ribbon pinned there on her shirt
No room for fear, full of faith
Hands held high, singing Amazing Grace
Never once complained, refusing to give up
And I thought I was tough

I am not ashamed to admit that those words turned on the waterworks. That is my bride and that has been her journey. She has been full of faith from diagnosis day till this moment. No room for fear because she believes that faith in God casts out fear as you rest in His Sovereign hand. I have probably complained more about my knees aching than she has about cancer. And she has refused to give up because she wants to live and serve the Lord. If I thought I was tough that misguided notion fell by the wayside as I watched Joni battle cancer with the courage that a young shepherd boy challenged a Philistine giant. Now we have passed the one year mark, the scans have been clear and the treatments are nearly done.

How can I thank all of you who have prayed so faithfully over the past year? Many of you have prayed so diligently and I don’t even know you. We may never meet this side of eternity. Yet you have cared enough to pray for us throughout this long journey. Amazing. Joni has retired the wig now and is wearing her very own hair to church. Here is a picture from Easter weekend.

                                                                

Joni’s strength and dignity have humbled me. There was a time before she was mine when I thought I was tough. No more. But there is one other thing I have learned during this difficult year.

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. 

Yet it was good of you to share in my (our) troubles.  Phil 4

Thank you. It really was good of you to share in our troubles. And we are so grateful and humbled.

The Update:

On Mother’s Day Joni was asked to throw out the first pitch at the Texas Ranger’s Major League Baseball game.

 
Joni with the Ranger’s Mascot and dear friend and Six Time Gold Glove winning catcher Jim Sundberg (Jim is the one with the smaller nose)

That day is designated as Breast Cancer Awareness Day by MLB. Joni threw out the first pitch as a survivor! What an amazing moment for us and especially for her. She has been a warrior and I am so proud of her. Fifty family and friends showed up to cheer her on. She made it to the plate on one bounce.

Joni displays fine form for her first pitch

Notice that her uniform number is 1 N 8. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. Joni’s message to any woman reading this is to get regular testing and to be persistant if you believe something is wrong. With early detection the five year survival rate is 96%! Please, please, please get your mammograms and yearly exams. But you should also know a wonderful promise if your diagnosis happens to not be positive. Many people have said that they could not have done what Joni and I have done in the past 15 months. We would have said the same thing before our cancer journey began. Here is what we know for sure. God meets you at the moment of need and provides the grace and strength you need for each moment. You can’t bank it in advance. It is moment by moment as you depend on Him. You can do it. We did.

The countdown reaches the Top 10 with today’s article. Adopted alma-mater Baylor University was the subject of this piece. Number 10: Supporting Baylor’s “Cover-up”. 

This past weekend I downed some coffee and perused the Dallas Morning News before heading to Waco for Homecoming football action at Baylor University. A headline in the Metro Section caught my eye.

SMU, Baylor bare souls over ‘Playboy’  
 
Dallas school won’t fight photo shoot; Bears clothes-minded

The headline writers obviously had some fun with their jobs but the story was serious. Here is an excerpt from the piece written by DMN writer Michael E.Young.

Separated by 100 miles of interstate, the Southern Baptists’ Baylor University and the United Methodists’ SMU seem even farther apart when it comes to students posing in states of undress in a men’s magazine. Southern Methodist University’s approach is decidedly hands-off. When Playboy magazine photographers set up temporary shop next week near SMU for a “Girls of Conference USA” pictorial, they’ll do so without university opposition.  
“SMU is not a participant in or a proponent of this project, which is sponsored by an off-campus publication,” said Kent Best, director of media and communications, in a prepared statement. “Any student’s decision to participate is strictly between that student individually and the publication.”  
Playboy “will not be on campus,” Mr. Best added. “It’s an individual student’s decision” whether to pose.  
Not so at Baylor.  
When Playboy ran a photo of four bikini-clad coeds and much of the membership of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity four years ago for a “Girls of the Big 12” spread, Baylor’s administration quickly responded. School officials suspended the fraternity for a year and required the 50 or so students to perform community service. One student, who posed individually, was suspended.  
Not again. 
Playboy returned to Waco this spring for another Big 12 shoot. This time, Baylor made a pre-emptive strike.

Dr. Dub Oliver, vice president for student life, sent out a university wide e-mail warning that posing for “a magazine that is clearly antithetical to Baylor’s mission” would violate the school’s code of conduct and be penalized accordingly.

Regular readers of these humble ramblings know that I rarely use the all-caps blog weapon. But in this case it is merited.

HOORAY FOR BAYLOR!

Before I proceed I must issue a couple of disclaimers.

3. I have three sons and two daughter-in-laws who are Baylor Bears. Two sons have graduated and one is currently enrolled at Baylor.
4. I am friends with Dr.Dub Oliver.

I support Baylor on this issue for a number of reasons. But allow me to offer a few counterbalances to the disclaimers.

1. I am not Baptist. So don’t think I am merely drinking the “Convention Kool-Aid”.
2. I am not a pastor or professional Christian. I am a television sports director so I am all too well aware of “progressive” attitudes toward sexual issues.
3. I regret to inform you that I was once a regular reader of this magazine so I am not speaking out of “self-righteous” ignorance.

I am so proud of Baylor University for having the courage to stand for their convictions and principles. I have sat with three sons during the student indoctrination sessions for Freshmen at Baylor. The leadership makes it extraordinarily clear what Baylor is and what the university expects from students. If you leave those sessions not understanding what Baylor stands for then you are likely not ready for college. The Student Handbook also makes it clear that Baylor has standards that make it unique. In the Student Handbook it straightforwardly states that students must conduct themselves “in accordance with Christian principles as commonly perceived by Texas Baptists. Personal misconduct either on or off the campus by anyone connected with Baylor detracts from the Christian witness Baylor strives to present to the world and hinders full accomplishment of the mission of the university.”

Such a strong stand may not make this university right for everyone. Baylor does not hide the light of it’s mission under a basket and why should that not be admired? I am a huge fan of accountability. There is no hidden agenda if you choose this university. When you enroll at Baylor you have not agreed to be a Christian but you have agreed to certain standards of conduct. I for one do not want a picture of a scantily clad young woman next to a Baylor pennant. There are over 1250 NCAA member schools. There are only a handful that would take the stand that Baylor has decided to take on this issue. Students who wish to appear in this magazine have 11 other choices in the Big 12 and several private school options in the North Texas area.  
A columnist for the school newspaper presents this argument.

Our university is taking on an in loco parentis role by threatening to punish students who choose to pose in Playboy’s Women of the Big 12 issue. The Student Policies and Procedures Web site states: “The provisions of the Student Policies and Procedures do not constitute a contract, express or implied, between Baylor University and any applicant, student, student’s family, or faculty or staff member.”

If these are merely guidelines and not a contract, how can they be enforced? Under this definition, they are merely suggestions. Christian students may decide against posing for moral reasons, but everyone has the right to make this decision personally.

I think the primary issue (and my main problem) here is that Playboy shamelessly markets the Big 12 conference and it’s member schools. A Baylor student who made a personal decision to appear in a photo shoot not related to the conference or university would be a different debate. This issue of the magazine clearly reflects on the conference and on Baylor. The columnist then proceeds with the obligatory disclaimer and then tips over the sacred cow of personal freedom.

I am not advocating pornography. I am simply advocating the right of a student to choose to participate in activities if they are of age. Some may feel these comments promote the objectification of women. This is not the case as I’m not saying Baylor women should jump at the chance to appear in the magazine. But they should make their own decision and not feel threatened by administrative action.

A student posing for Playboy has made a personal decision. The policy is only in place so students don’t sully the university’s reputation, and this isn’t reason enough to infringe upon each of our personal freedoms.

Bully for you for not advocating pornography. Hope you are against meth amphetamines as well. Here are some counter arguments from a “loco” parent.

1. You may certainly make your own decision about posing in this photo shoot. But then you will face the consequences of those actions. That is life.
2. Students are not being threatened. They are being fairly warned about the consequences for their actions. You have total freedom to do what you want. You also have to deal with the implications of those decisions. Again, that is life.
3. I would argue that posing in Playboy with the school logo displayed does, in fact, sully the university’s mission.

The magazine had this comment about another editorial from a female columnist at the school paper.

Some Baylor students believe the university overstepped its authority. But at least one, Lauren Burris, disagreed, claiming in the student newspaper that “there is no appreciation for women in the people who read this magazine. Actually, there is appreciation, but only in the most disturbing and sick manner. The men who look at these magazines don’t look at your body and appreciate your mind or hard work ethic. They view you as a sex object.”

Ouch. Lauren appears to have the uncanny ability to form an opinion about something without actually having read it. That’s a great skill to have at college.

So allow me to defend Lauren. I have “read” the magazine. I do know why men read such magazines. And Lauren is exactly right. Incredibly, it is not for the articles! Any many who tries to rationalize that is disingenuous at best and a liar at worst. Christian men should have no part of it. I am stunned by men who make threatening comments to young men that come to date their daughters and then go out and ogle and lust after the daughters of others. In New Man Magazine author Matthew Paul Turner writes that “pornography alters your view of humanity by objectifying people. And, it’s almost impossible for a porn habit “not to affect the relationships you hold most dear.”  
That is truth. You can believe it now or find out, to your dismay, later.  
I work in a secular and testosterone driven world. There may be a small percentage of men who can view these types of magazines and not lust. I have not met any of them yet. If you are that man would you join me for lunch (and bring along a lie detector)?

Our only daughter was born with a terminal birth defect. She would have been twenty-one this past March had she lived. She would have been, as the earlier writer flippantly stated, of age. Had she lived I would have encouraged her to attend Baylor University as one shining example of principle and integrity. A place that still believes in the quite outdated idea of virtue.  
Baylor is not perfect. You will find all of the problems that you find at other universities and in life. But I believe you will find these problems in smaller percentages because of the clear vision, mission, and leadership at the school.

I am proud that my sons are Baylor men. That still means something special because Baylor University still stands for Christian values. Sic’em Bears! And don’t back down.

The Top 20 Countdown today features one of my favorite articles. It was written to my beautiful bride as she lost her hair during cancer treatments.  At Number 11: Bald is Beautiful – Part 1. 

One of my smart aleck remarks that I use periodically is that “I am not burdened by that whole maturity thing.” There are many times when I go about demonstrating that in real life. But the unwelcome intrusion of “life” into my happy little routine has caused me to evaluate a lot of things. God is teaching and revealing a lot of things to me during our cancer journey.

1. I am clearly a work in progress as a follower of Jesus. 
2. He has done a lot of work over the years that I was not aware of until this cancer trial came along.

Last night I had the weird privilege of helping clip off the rest of my bride’s hair that was falling out from the chemotherapy. As I reflected on that moment later I realized that nearly everything I knew about beauty when I was 25 years old was wrong. Like most men I looked for appearance first and then tried to find some good qualities. Joni was a stunningly beautiful woman when I fell in love with her over thirty years ago. I have often said that I married my trophy wife first and got it over with. I also joke that I married her to deepen my gene pool. And she has done that admirably. One of the ironies of this cancer journey is remembering how much I loved Joni’s long hair in the early years of our relationship. In fact I got upset when she cut it a few years into our marriage without my consent. Her hair was a real part of her beauty in my stunted male view of what beauty in a woman means.

To be completely honest I wondered how I would react when the chemo therapy had its inevitable effect and she would be bald. Oh, I knew I would say the right things. I am not that stupid. But how would I react inside? Would it matter more than I cared to admit? And that is when I realized how much God has been working over the years. He has been retooling my thinking and my heart. Patiently. Quietly. Lovingly.

Joni’s hair began to give up while I was on a recent trip. She decided to get the buzz cut while I was gone (again without my consent). So I walked in the door and she, in typical Joni fashion asked, “Want to see my head?” When I did I realized what God has been doing over the years to a shallow and selfish guy. He has been changing me and what I perceive to be beautiful. Because the truth is that Joni is as beautiful to me today as she was with that long, shining hair thirty years ago. That is because I am learning what beauty in a woman really looks like.

Some days are better than others. I am grateful for the days when the sparkle returns to her beautiful blue eyes. Those eyes are the windows to a soul that has more depth than I could ever achieve. She is remarkable. She is my hero. Her faith inspires me. Her smile still lights up the room. I treasure each moment that I can make her laugh. The sound of her laughing is like a symphony to me. I have learned that beauty is so much more than what the world and testosterone ridden young men (or older men) think it is. Beauty is a package. One part physical to be sure. But beauty in the covenant of marriage is also emotional and spiritual. When I fell in love with Joni I just thought I was marrying a foxy lady. I was really too stupid to know I was marrying a gift from God. The classic description of a Godly woman from Proverbs 31 fits her pretty well.

Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is worth more than precious rubies. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life…

She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs with no fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule when she gives instructions. She carefully watches all that goes on in her household and does not have to bear the consequences of laziness. Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all! Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the LORD will be greatly praised. Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.

I married an amazing women. Right now she happens to be bald…and so very beautiful.

The Top 20 Countdown reaches Number 12 with a tongue-in-cheek article about singer Chris Rice and the theological concerns with cartoon characters becoming Christians. 

I think I am going to start posting a warning label so the Spiritual Hall Monitors will be alerted to the fact that my blog may contain humor or, according to some, attempted humor. With this warning they can avoid encountering humor, satire, and sarcasm that might trigger an allergic reaction for the sullen saints.

Warning: The following post may contain humor. This blog was produced in a program where irony and satire are processed. May contain sarcasm fragments.

I think that singer Chris Rice may understand my plan to post the humor/satire warning. Rice is a wonderful song writer. My IPod features many of his songs and his lyrics resonate with me. I could have written the song Clumsy (if I had any musical talent)

You think I’d have it down by now 
Been practicin’ for thirty years 
I should have walked a thousand miles 
So what am I still doin’ here 
Reachin’out for that same old piece of forbidden fruit 
I slip and fall and I knock my halo loose 
Somebody tell me what’s a boy supposed to do? 
 
I get so clumsy 
I get so foolish 
I get so stupid 
And then I feel so useless 
But You’re sayin’ You love me 
And You’re still gonna hold me 
And that You wanna be near me 
Cause You’re makin’ me holy 
You’re still makin’ me holy, yeah 
 
But recently the Spiritual Hall Monitors finally got the best of Chris Rice. Let me explain. Fifteen years ago Rice wrote a silly song wondering what would happen if cartoon characters got saved. I guess because I am a Bad Christian I didn’t take the premise real seriously. My lack of spiritual depth caused me to presume the song was fanciful satire. But some actually took the premise of imaginary characters without souls getting saved seriously. And somehow they had access to the internet and even to transportation. Finally Rice had enough of people debating the theological ramifications of Fred Flintstone endorsing the faith. Others wondered if Astro the Jetson’s dog should be praising the Lord. I wish I was kidding. This appeared at a called TheyWill Know Us By Our T-Shirts (love that title) 
 
“Apparently, it’s (Rice’s song Cartoons) supposed to illustrate that Christians can have fun too. Is it just me, or does it seem sacrilegious to have Astro from The Jetsons sing hallelujah (ra-ra-ru-jah, to be exact)? I thought worship was about reverence toward God. I just dislike the entire thing. I’m even more disgusted with the cult following surrounding this song. I don’t usually advocate censorship, but if someone wanted to organize a CD burning party for this song, I’d bring the beer. That all sounds very harsh. I know some people love the song and think it’s just a clean, fun song that Christians can listen too. I just wonder when turning faith in God into a nursery rhyme was ever healthy for anyone involved.”  
 
Comments. Spreading the message that Christians can have fun would not be a bad thing. As for Astro…well I was most blessed that he had been saved. I love that dog.

Even though his sin nature seems to be prevailing in the photo it is wonderful that Astro is in the family. If you listen to Chris Rice’s entire body of work you will see that his lyrics demonstrate great reverence to God. I thought the idea of having a kegger at a CD burning party was a mature and godly response to the song. My biggest disagreement with this blog is his use of adverbs and adjectives.

“That’s one of my major concerns with the Christian subculture. All we do is pander to the lowest common denominator. We never push forward. We never ask real questions. Maybe I should be thanking Chris Rice. Maybe he’s showed us that constantly pandering does not edify the church but in fact forces us to devolve until we’re speaking in cartoon voices. I don’t want to speak ill of Chris Rice, a man I have never met. I just wish to point out one of the many reasons I believe Christian music is irrelevant and in many cases detrimental.” 
 
All Christians do not pander to the lowest common denominator. Many are pushing forward and asking very real questions. Using words like “all” and “never” do not advance the dialog. I think using this little ditty as an example of pandering is more than an over reaction. I think I will need to see the rest of the reasons that he believes that Christian music is irrelevant or this case gets thrown out of court. 
 
“Bad Christian”subscriber Randy (last name withheld to protect his waning reputation) sent me the following obituary that was recently posted at Chris Rice’s website. My comments are italicized.

CARTOONS

After 15 wonderful years of trouble-making and laughter, the beloved song about cartoons has finally been laid to rest. Well, actually just retired from live performances.

THE BIRTH 
 
I wrote it about 15 years ago, as a joke. I threw it together in about 10 minutes and only intended it to be heard by a few people. It was a skit for a junior high youth group in a small church in Tennessee. Before singing it, I explained to them, in a light-hearted manner, that it’s weird how we try to make Christian versions of everything. Then I said, “I’m sure someone will try to do that with popular cartoons one day. Here’s what I mean…” I then launched into the cartoon song for the first time. The kids laughed really hard. The youth minister, Robin, asked me to sing it for the whole church, so I sang it again. They laughed really hard too. So the next week, I sang it for another group of students. Yeah, they laughed too. And before I knew it, I was singing Cartoons at a lot of camps. About 8 years later, after hearing me sing the song for a group of college students, my record label insisted that I record the song on my 2nd CD. I resisted strongly, having never intended for such a silly song to be made popular.

THE COMPROMISE

I reluctantly agreed to record the song only if it could be a hidden track, and it would not be acknowledged in print on the CD booklet. My hope was that it would go unnoticed. I was naive.

Here is where it gets really weird. People listened to this silly little song and somehow got offended by it’s theology! We are talking about cartoon characters here.

Breathe slowly.

Again.

They are less real than pro wrestling. It is obviously a good natured satire. What is wrong with a few of you people? (notice careful use of descriptive word)

MET WITH OPPOSITION

The song was immediately met with a sudden uproar by fans who disagreed with the song and its theology. Hundreds approached me and wrote to me to voice their opposition to the song.

I would not be inclined to believe this if I hadn’t written a book called When Bad Christians Happen to Good People and this blog. But I have learned how seriously some readers take everything. I have had people write scathing rebukes to me because they disagreed with one thing I said out of two hundred plus pages.  
 
Chris Rice is so authentic about his journey. Even if you hate this song how about looking at his entire body of work and I think you will quickly see what this song is. A simple little skit for a junior high group that developed legs. But the Spiritual Hall Monitors let Chris know what he had done wrong.

Some of their reasons were:

1) Hallelujah is a Hebrew word that means Praise the Lord, so I was misusing the Lords name by changing the phrase, and using it in such a flippant and silly way. Okay. Let me get a sense of your indignation. You are offended because cartoon characters are saying Hallelujah as their cartoon character would say it? You should be grateful Yosemite Sam wasn’t at the meetin’ you flop eared varmints! 
2) By not letting Beavis and that other guy get saved, I was giving the wrong message to people, that God only loved certain types of people. It was just a humorous…sighhhh…never mind. 
3) I should not refer to Beavis and “that other guy” in a Christian song, for “obvious reasons.” Why? Because Christians can’t say butt? Crap, I said butt!  
4) I should not refer to the Smurfs in a Christian song, because they do magic, and are therefore demonic. The first basic concept that I agreed with but not because they are demonic. I think the song should not refer to Smurfs because it might cause that song to stick in my mind all day. 
 
Night after night, while singing this song in concerts, I spot people with their arms folded across their chests, making it clear they do not approve of the song. Right next to them there are fans singing along with their eyes closed and their hands raised, as if we were singing How Great Thou Art. Neither was my intended reaction. It has left me baffled and amused…we humans are funny! That is very kind Chris.

TAKING BACK THE REMOTE 
 
Then in a bold move in November 2004, after hinting at it for several years to my live audiences, the day of retirement finally came. Little by little, fans have been discovering that I no longer perform the song live. I am met with many Thank yous as well as many (believe it or not) angry fans who demand that I (and my band) keep performing it. After every show, as I sit to sign autographs and talk to people, I hear one fan explain in a very spiritual tone why the Cartoon song is so important, and only seconds later another fan corrects my theology and suggests that I stop performing the song. Both cite ‘Biblical’ reasons. That’s the nature of public work. Its really true–you can’t please everybody! I want to do excellent work. I want to reach a wide range of people. I have heard all sides of the reasoning for and against the Cartoon song–literally thousands of times. Well, when you cant please everybody, you just have to check your own motives for purity, and then follow your own heart, and hope people will try to understand. So, I have laid the song to rest. You can still hear it on the radio quite a bit, just not in live concerts anymore.

I have actually considered having one of Chris Rice’s songs sung at my funeral. No, it won’t be Fred Flintstone singing Yabadabadooya, he’s gone!  
I am considering having Rice’s Untitled Hymn performed at my memorial.

And with your final heartbeat 
Kiss the world goodbye 
Then go in peace,  
and laugh on Glory’s side, and  
Fly to Jesus  
Fly to Jesus  
Fly to Jesus and live

Those words demonstrate the depth and heart of Chris Rice. Cartoons is just a silly little song. Look at his entire body of work before you cast your verdict.