A New Face On Gay Marriage

I try to read several blogs or articles a day. It is a habit I am forming to help me stay informed of cultural trends and to be refreshed by the writings of Godly men. One blog that satisfies both of these is Albert Mohler. He is probably one of the most prolific writers and theologians of our day. He inspires me on so many levels with his deep intellect and casual writing style.

Today I read on his blog about a growing trend in homosexuality. Instead of going into a short synopsis of the blog, I want to encourage you to read it yourself. Mohler does a great job of presenting the issue and explaining how this is detrimental to our society and our faith. Take a few minutes to read the blog. If you get the chance, tell your thoughts about the read on my comment section.

Click on link below to read Albert Mohlers blog

http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=1138

Savor the Flavor: Taste And See That The Lord Is Good

A few days ago I had the oportunity to give a devotional to Ferris's varisty baseball team. I had 10 minutes to try to point these young men to something greater than themselves. Needless to say, I did not prepare as I should have and the devotional was weak. However, God did some neat things. First, I spoke on how our hearts desire glory and we seek after it in food, sports, and other leisurely activites. I was also able to put in there that every time we see glory, (i.e. College Basketball National Championship) it is a God given parable to point us in His direction. That night, the Yellow Jackets experienced this glory when they beat Kemp in the 9th inning on a suicide bunt. That follwoing Friday, I was given another opporutniy to give the devotional. What you see below is what God worked out. Read to your enjoyment and His glory.

Tasting Happens on A Couple of Levels.

Literally

God has given us an amazing and complex system of tasting and seeing. There are over 10,000 taste buds on your tongue that act as transmitters to your brain. The moment something enters your mouth and hits your tongue, almost instantly, a message (via microvilli- microscopic hairs that transmit messages to the brain) is sent to your brain and your brain tells you if it is sweet, sour, salty, spicy or bitter. Add to that, there are olfactory receptors in the upper nose that respond to the chemicals released when you are chewing. This synergetic duo work together to create the taste of a moist "hot-out-of the-oven" chocolate chip cookie or sweet and sour chicken from your favorite Chinese restaurant.

God has given us taste buds for a couple of reasons. First, he desires you to enjoy food. He has given us so many enjoyable foods and tells us to taste and see that they are good. Secondly, I believe he allows us to taste because he wanted us to understand when he says things like “taste and see that the Lord is good”, we would understand. We can relate to this verse simply because we have an idea of something that taste good and something that does not.

Figuratively

Another way of tasting is by experiencing something; whether it is glorious or tragic. When 911 happened many of us tasted the acrimony of anger and the sordid flavor of fear. When you passed your drivers license test you may have tasted the joy of accomplishment and freedom, or if you failed, maybe you tasted the bitterness of defeat. Again, when Kansas State University player Mario Chambers made the 3 pointer at the buzzer to go into overtime in the National Championship against Memphis, and the entire arena went to its feet in frenzy; you tasted glory.

Whether you are savoring the sweet gooey delight of a brownie or you are standing at the foot of Kilimanjaro, you are tasting the mere shadow of something far better and you are being directed to seek after it with all of your heart.

Tasting Can Be Momentary or Continuous

When we taste something most times it is momentary. The taste of a chocolate chip cookie dissolves along with the food as it makes its way through our mouth. The over joyous feeling of a win, even a championship, fades away with every moment and becomes only but an incensory memory. We ourseles are momentary. The bible says that our life is a vapor in the wind; here today and gone tomorrow (James 4:14). We are here for a moment and then we are gone.

Our longing is sometimes momentarily filled with other things. Some of you will try to fill it with more sports. Others will settle for cheap momentary pleasures in alcohol, drugs, and promiscuous sex outside of marriage; in which you will jump from woman to woman never fully satisfied or content. Most of you will probably try to fulfill this appetite with a family and successful career. Which in and of itself is not bad, except it will not deliver what you think it promises.

When God calls you to taste and see that He is good, He is promising to continually satisfy your soul with what is good; namely Himself. This does not mean that when you submit your entire life to him that you will become healthy, wealthy, and prosperous. It does not mean your current circumstances will change. Some of you live in tough neighborhoods and under extremely stressful situations. Some of you have had to deal with hardships that most adults cringe at going through. Your life has been tough. Coming to Christ will not necessarily change all of that. However, what he does promise is that in the midst of everything, good or bad, you will be satisfied. You will have joy in the midst of grief. It is not a flaky happy joy that does not last. But instead it is a confidence and a hope that all things will work together for your good (Romans 8:28). God promises in verse 9 that there is no lack to those who fear him.

What does it mean to fear God?

Verse eight says that one is blessed who trust in the Lord. I believe there is a connection to the word trust in verse 8 and the word fear in verse 9. To trust God is to fear God. It is to believe that he is all powerful, all knowing, all seeing and can do anything he please in all the universe.
To fear God is also to be in awe of Him. It is to be enthralled with his power and might, his beauty and majesty; his mercy in salvation and his wrath in judgment.

God is calling you today to taste and see that he is better than anything you will eat and more glorious than any championship game you will ever play or win. He makes a bold declaration to you today; “Taste and see that I AM GOOD.” Are you willing to taste and take him up on his offer? The one who does is blessed. Those who do not are cursed.

John Piper is one of the leading theologians in tasting and seeing God. I would encourage you to click on the Desiring God website under the Drink Deeply column. You will be blessed in doing so.

My Enemy My Brother: Part 2

Do Good To Those Who Hate You

Our actions pour from the overflow of what is brewing in our heart. Jesus said, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart[g] brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.” (Matthew 12:34-35) When we are hurt by someone we tend to concoct a bitter solution of revenge. Once this solution is mixed its effects tend to display itself in uncontrollable wrath either passively or aggressively. Yet, we are called to display our trust and love in the supremacy of God’ s sovereignty over every circumstance in our life by our good deeds to all people; even those who hurt us. These good deeds are the overflow of worship. This moves me to my last act of love.

Pray For Those Who Spitefully Use You and Persecute You.

This is the one act of love that caught me off guard. It makes sense and is consistent with the Christian faith, but seems so incredibly hard to genuinely fulfill. When God calls us to pray for those who molest our well being and assault all that we hold precious, he is calling us to worship him. Every prayer that is lifted up with a sincere heart of concern and love for our enemies is an act of reverence in God and his sovereign power. Every prayer that pleads for forgiveness of our offender is an act of enjoying God’s mercy. Every prayer that begs God to open the heart of our attacker to see the beauty and splendor of Christ, is an act of belief that God himself is supremely enjoyable, and is able to save the souls of even the most desolate. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, believed this when he prayed, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” as his attackers stoned him to death (Acts 7:54-60). Loving our enemies is an act of worship and is the overflow of our love for God.

God Himself Is Our Example

There are a couple of ways God justifies such a tall order. The first is seen in the text; “He makes His sun rise on the evil and the good and the rain to fall on the just and the unjust”. Everyday is an act of God’s common grace for all people. He sees the Muslim, the Buddhist, the Hindu, and the New Ager blasphemy His great name. He hears the atheist deny his very existence and seeks to defame His character. He watches over those who play church and go through the motions and rituals, yet live a hypocritical life trampling the Son of God under their foot. And He knows all of the countless others who give no thanks to Him for providing the air they need to breathe, or the food to eat, or the job they need to make money that helps pay the bills; or the doctors to operate on a cancerous tumor. And still He blesses them all. He gives them what they need to exist and be somewhat happy until He decides that their life is over. All of these are His enemies. And for these He demonstrates His love for them by taking care of them.

For the next demonstration we need only to look to the cross. God paid the ultimate price for his enemies. We are all born enemies of God (Gen 3, Romans 1, 3, 5, 8). None of us choose God or desire to obey God. We are hostile towards Him and hate everything He is about. We are completely depraved of any good until He extends to us mercy. And for us He chose to send His Son to die; to rescue us and redeem us. He offers this gift of mercy to all of His enemies. It is a pity that few accept it.

Here is a thought for you. If God were to do to you what you desire to do to your enemies; what would happen to you? Would you be loved and overwhelmed by mercy; or would you suffer and be humiliated?

My Enemy My Brother: Part 1

The other morning I was watching the news with my wife before I headed off to work. As I was sitting in my green recliner couch enjoying a crunchy bowl of Grape Nuts, a news headline appeared on CBS “Teen Beating Caught on Tape.” The title sparked my attention for a couple of reasons; first, I work with teens on several levels whether it is in the church or public school system. Secondly, the video image looked horrific and I wanted to see if it was as bad as I thought it was. To my surprise it was.
Six teenage girls, the youngest being fourteen years old, decided to lure a “friend” over and beat her up for the sake of being famous on the internet. Two boys stood outside the house as lookouts. According to the CBS news cast, when the sixteen year old girl arrived at the home, the other girls attacked her and slammed her head into the wall knocking her unconscious. The six girls then put the unconscious victim on a couch and waited for her to wake up. After she awoke, they all took turns beating her while video taping the entire event.
The young victim suffered a concussion, hearing and sight loss on her left side, and multiple contusions. Not to mention she was humiliated on the internet and on national television. This humiliation has been so devastating that her mother had to pull her out of public school and began home schooling her.
After watching this video I was livid. My demeanor changed almost like Dr. Jackal and Mr. Hide. I went from being fairly laid back and eager to start my day, to becoming almost undone. My chest ached with tension and my mouth was growling slurred pieces of indignation. I could not believe the audacity of these young people.
I was terribly disappointed. I was disappointed in the fact that these girls had such a lack of moral appreciation for the value of ones life. They show no remorse for their actions and actually kidded about the incident at the police station. I was disappointed with the mother of one of the victim’s, who said “the girl should not have been talking trash;” which indicates that because the victim may have said some things about these girls, their actions are vindicated. I was also disappointed in some of the media who are trying to say on one hand that their actions are bad and on the other; “they are just teens being teens.”
With that being said, God forced me to ponder being put in the same situation as the victim or the victims’ parents. How would I respond if I were attacked and humiliated to such a degree as this young lady? My heart revealed that I am not as mature in my faith as I long to be.
As Christians we have a right to be angry at sinful behavior and its affects on people. We have the moral obligation to seek justice for those who have suffered injustice. We should be passionate about rightful retribution. However, we are not commanded to let that passion sprout into a hatred for our offenders. In fact, we are called to treasure Christ in our love for those who hate us. And this love is demonstrated in four ways.

Four Acts of Love for our Enemies That Glorifies God
Matt 5:43-48

Love Your Enemies (v44)
Your enemy is anyone who is antagonistic toward your life and your endeavors. Their motives are centered in your demise and destruction. In the realm of Christ, our enemy seeks to destroy anyone who submits to him as Lord and King. This pursuit is seen in the countless acts of persecution all over the world of believers by governments and radical non-Christian religious sects.
Jesus teaches his people to love those who are antagonistic toward you. This love he commands is not a superficial “I will forgive but not forget” kind of love. The word used in this text describes the kind of love God commands us to have for Him (Matt 22:37) and also the kind of love God has for Jesus (John 10:17). God loves us so much that he sent his Son to die for us and grant us eternal salvation through Him (John 3:16). And God loves his Son more than anything on this earth or above the earth and will exult his name above every other name (Phil 2:9-11). We are to love our enemies with a never ending, un-breaking, life changing, radical world defying kind of love.

Bless Those Who Curse You (v44)
To bless someone who curses you is to speak well of them. The connotation here is that of giving a eulogy at a funeral. We are to invoke a benediction toward the one who curses our reputation or slanders our integrity. We are not to return fire with words insulting them, but rather speak well of them and encourage their well being. It is incredibly easy to assault them with anger and hate. It takes an act of grace to not only hold your tongue, but to pray for them with a heart that longs for God to be glorified in their life. It is to be like the apostle Paul whose concern for the Philippian jailer who helped imprison him, and was about to kill himself (because all of his prisoners were able to escape because of a God ordained earthquake) graciously said “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.. Believe in the Lord Jesus and be saved.” (Acts 16:25-40)

At this point I want to leave you with a question. Can you love someone who attacked you and humiliated you like God loves us and His Son? Can you genuinely bless someone and be gracious to one who beat your child to a pulp? As you meditate on this, carefully monitor your feelings toward those 8 teens that maliciously attacked the young girl. What would you want to do them if you had the opportunity?
In my next entry I will explore the final two acts of love and how they are justified. Be good and God bless.

Thank You

Dear Friends and Family,

I want to say thank you for your comments on the blog. It is intimidating to write something and then display it for the world to see. You guys have encouraged me to continue to write and share what God is doing in our family.
I have added some of you to my email list to receive an update whenever I have a new posting. I was only limited to 10 people, so if your not on the list and you want to be, let me know and I can see what I can do.
For your convenience, there is a comment section just below the title. You can leave a comment there and I will respond. It will save you time and inspire me.
All of you have wonderful things to say. I reap many benefits by just sitting down and listening to you. Since we live so far away and business keeps us busy, I do not have that luxury. So please, feel free to say what you want. I love to hear your perspective; constructive or not. be good and God bless.

Tombstones, Daisies, and Chick-Fil-A: A Childs Question on the Inevitable

One of Bristol’s defining features as a community is its cemetery. It has approximately two acres of land that is nestled between a ranch, a man made pond, and a church. Of course everything is fenced off because that is the American way, and we don’t want any stray cows meddling over the grave sites.
There is a dirt road that circles a portion of the cemetery like a quarter mile track. The road is a mixture of gravel and grass with some paved lanes that are in dire need of repair. There are many lots that have old stones that are weathered and worn down; while others look like they were just set in yesterday. When the sun strikes just right, the new stones provide a burning glow that makes something so dismal appear kind of aesthetic.
The contrast is significant and adds a certain degree of nostalgia. Cemeteries are kind of melancholic in nature. They represent a paradox of absolute uncertainty; death being absolute and the rebuilding of a life after someone has died as uncertainty. There is a sting that comes with death and the swollen after affects carry onto the place where we burry our loved ones. This is so evident that even a child can pick up on it; as did my daughter.
This last Sunday I decided to take a jog around the cemetery. For me seeing the grave stones offer a great reminder of where I will be one day. And if I don’t keep running and eating right, I will be there sooner than I think. My wife and two children decided to walk around the cemetery while I was running. After about twenty minutes of my life flashing before my eyes, I decided to walk with them. As we were walking my four year old daughter asked, “What are all of those stones?” My response was not a well thought out response. When I run I typically pray for God to grant me the ability to breathe and not keel over from a heart attack. Today I was not sure if he was going to answer that prayer the way I desired him to answer. “Well, that is where we burry people who die. It helps us remember where they are.” And of course, if you have ever stepped into a four year-old’s mind, you know the question that is coming next. (For one, the questions never really end; they tend to reproduce themselves like rabbits. Secondly, it is always during the most unprepared and most awkward times the hard questions like to present themselves.)
“Daddy, why do we die?” In my mind I think my response was “Are you serious?” However, by God’s grace I was able to not dodge the question. It would have been really easy to do. I could have given her some flaky “don’t worry about that dear, you will not have to deal with that for a long time” kind of answer. The reality is it may be just around the corner. Everyone lying in those graves had no idea that they were going to die when they woke up that morning. And some of those graves house the bodies of children Naomi’s age. Many of those graves were of fathers who left young children behind. Death does not discriminate by age. It is the most certain reality that does not care what race, ethnicity, sex, age, sexual orientation, or religion you are. It consumes everything.
I tried to explain to my daughter that sin kills everything. When God told Adam and Eve to not eat of the tree of knowledge he warned them that the consequence would be death (Gen 2:16-17 ESV). And when they ate of it that is exactly what happened. Everything began to die. First, they died spiritually. Man became spiritually dead to God and instead of being his friend; became his enemy. This reality of our spiritual death shows itself in the way we view God. Our hearts reek of the decay of lawlessness and hatred toward God.
Secondly, this did not just affect Adam and Eve, but the curse was passed down to all of Adam’s offspring (Romans 5:12-21). Every human being born on this earth is born dead in their sin and at enmity with God (Romans 8:7-8). It seems absurd to use two words like born and dead in that context, but that is the actuality of our given state. We are “born” "dead" in our sin. (Eph 2:1 ESV)
Thirdly, our souls were not the only thing affected by Adam and Eve’s rebellion. God also said that our bodies would perish also, “ …till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and dust you shall return.” (Gen 3:19 ESV) We are nothing more than glorified dirt. And once we are done on this earth, we will return to being just dirt.
I am not trying to sound condescending or inhumane towards the value of human life. Our value comes from God because we are made in his image (Gen 1:27 ESV). We are also made to display his glory (Is 43:7). We have value. However, our value is not in our health, wealth, or prosperity; our value is in a God who created the heavens and the earth and took dirt and made it something almost as amazing and incomprehensible as he is.
Needless to say I did not communicate this truth to my daughter as eloquently as I may have here. She responded by saying “I don’t want to die daddy.” I told her I understood how she felt and that I pray that God allows her to live a long time. I also told her that it is something that is going to happen and I want you to be prepared when the time comes. You see, Jesus took the sting out of death so that we do not have to be afraid (1 Corinthians 15:55-56). If you love Jesus, if you make him your Lord and treasure, then death is nothing more than an open door for eternal joy or in her understanding: a really long time to eat and play at Chick-Fil-A.

Rainbows and Opportunity: Both are Beautiful

The other day I had the wonderful opportunity to take a walk with my four-year-old daughter. The weather outside was not so delightful. Storms had hammered Dallas and the surrounding areas all day. However, as I arrived home, there was a break in the clouds and an opportunity to spend some well-needed quality time with my little girl.

We live in a small rural town 30 miles from downtown Dallas. We have one general store and a small knick-knack shop called “The One Trick Pony.” We live approximately two blocks from the general store. On a good day, and a few dogs chasing behind me, I can make it there and back in 10 minutes. However, today, I wanted to take my time. Today I was going to take my daughter Naomi for a walk.

“Hey, you want to get something to drink at the store” I asked Naomi? Her smile reached from ear to ear. Her nose crinkled and accented her blue eyes.

“Yes sir, daddy. I want to go. We can spend time together.” She eagerly ran to her room to get her pink crocks.

Just as she grabbed my hand my wife from another room said “Are you sure you want to go out in this weather?”

Naomi’s face did not flinch. She assured mommy we would be just fine, grabbed my hand and headed for the door. I nodded in agreement and told her we would be right back.

I grabbed her hand and we began to walk down the road. She was on my inside closest to the ditch. As we walked, she talked and asked all kinds of questions about the cows that were on her left and the baseball practice going on in the filed on the right. You could tell she was excited because she was very polite and eager to please her daddy.

I just listened to her. I love hearing her voice. She makes me smile in ways I have never known. She is very inquisitive. Her appetite for curiosity is ferocious. It seems like it never ends. Sometimes I can keep up, but most times, I am at a loss for words. I pray and plead with God to give me the wisdom to answer half of her concerns. I am thankful this time he answered my prayer.

As we were walking and talking, I saw an opportunity for a teaching lesson. I asked her a series of questions.

 "Who is in control of sending the rain and wind?"

She answered, "God is!" "Yes, that is very good" I said.

Again I asked her, "Why does God send the rain, the wind, and the storms?"

            She answered once more, "To feed all of the plants and animals."

I told her “You are exactly right! God is sovereign over every raindrop that falls to the ground and every branch that falls from the tree. And just as storms come into our life, God is in control of them as well."

She listened and agreed. We were almost to the store when Naomi looked up and asked me another question.

She asked, “Do think God will put a rainbow in the sky today?” I said, “I don’t know. He can if he wants to.”

We arrived at the store and I grabbed a 2-liter bottle of Sprite. I asked Naomi if she wanted a purple coke or an orange coke. I thought for sure she would pick the purple because that is mommy’s favorite color and drink. Instead, maybe showing her independence, she chose orange. I paid the inflated price of living out in the middle of nowhere, and of course, I “tested” the orange drink to be sure it was good enough for Naomi. She is at an age where I can get away with that, so I take advantage of it whenever I can.

We crossed the busiest road in the town by looking left, then right, and then left again. Needless to say we did not see anything. However, as we crossed the road I looked up ahead to see a beautiful rainbow in the backdrop of the baseball field and the community building. I stopped and knelt down and told Naomi to look up and see glory. I told her God decided to put a rainbow in the sky. Her smile returned in amazement. I looked at her and told her God was listening and decided to show us his power. He gave us a promise.

The rainbow is a promise of judgment and grace. The rainbow reminds us that God judge’s sin. When God looked down from heaven in Noah’s day, he saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of man was only evil continually. (Gen 6:5 ESV) He judged mans sin by sending a worldwide flood that killed every human being and creature on earth except Noah and his family. God is serious about sin and will judge our sin without hesitation. Either we will take that judgment on our own, or Christ will bare it for us on the cross.

The rainbow is also a reminder of mercy. For God promised to never flood the earth again (Gen 8:21; 9:11) and sustain the earth while it remains (Gen 8:22). Everyday God extends this mercy to the just and the unjust. Everyday, though many walk as his enemy and seek to defame his character and his worth, he tells the waves you can go this far and no further; the tornado can touch down here but not there; the fire will blaze for this long and no longer. His wrath is never fully implored as it was during the flood. And after the rain has stopped and the waters have risen as high as he will allow them rise, he looks to the sky and sees the rainbow, and remembers the covenant he made with every living creature that the waters will not devour all flesh again (Gen 9:15). This does not mean that judgment is not coming. For God says, it is appointed for man to die once and then face judgment (Hebrews 9:27).

God gave my daughter and I a very special moment. He moved the clouds and the rain and displayed a rainbow of promise. In doing so he reminded me, that his mercies are new every morning and that the heavens declare his glory and proclaim his handiwork.

He also reminded me that if my daughter remains in her current state of rebellion that she will suffer the same fate as those in Noah's day. My daughter is without excuse. God displays the evidence of his existence in all creation. Today she was able to taste and see that God is alive and well. This moves me to live radically for Jesus for my children’s sake.

I am moved to teach my children the commandments of the Lord. According to Deuteronomy 6, we are to saturate our children with God's word. In the morning when we wake up, we are to feed their souls before their faces. During the day, we are to take advantage of every teaching moment.

Every circumstance presents an opportunity to glorify God. Moreover, when the day comes to a close it should be filled with singing and words of adoration of our God as a family; and this is just Monday. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday should be filled with minute-by-minute worship as well. This in turn will create a Niagara Falls like overflow on Sunday and the body of Christ will actually worship God like we are called to do. This is what it means to be a "Christian family." This is what Deuteronomy 6 calls for us to live like. This is what it means to live radically for Jesus. I pray for more rainbows