Ever Wonder?

Ever wonder what the church would look like minus all the soft superfciality we've acquired? I'm part of a group of churches formerly known as a restoration movement which alledgedly speaks where the Bible speaks and is silent where the Bible is silent. Over time, however, we speak less & less about "Bible things." Shockingly, many church folks are quite content not speaking where the Bible speaks. In fact the issue is increasingly ignoring the Bible when it speaks. People can't speak biblically when they don't know what it says! Consider some of these recent true life incidents...

• Long time church member approaches me with this question: "If the Bible says 'thou shalt not kill' why isn't the death penalty wrong?" I politely answered her question by reading Exodus with her and then suggested she start attending Sunday School.
• Long time church member says to a staff person: "My son has this idea that you're supposed to be baptized to be saved." (Sounds like your son is reading his Bible!)
• Long time church members quit a small group because questions arose and were answered regarding gender roles. (I could write a book on these scenarios: "When Women Wear the Pants").
• Long time church member leaves when I say the "Sinner's prayer isn't in the Bible."
• Long time church member refuses to go to small group Bible study around the corner from her home but will come if we move it "to the church."

John Macarthur says we should be the church militant. I'm thinking of some other phrases... How about the "church impotent" or the "church ignorant" or the "church indifferent?"

Running out of gas...

Don't you hate running out of gas? I've done it more than enough times to get tired of it and to actually start glancing at my gauges every now and then. Sometimes I run low in the tank in this whole ministry thing too. More frequently than I'd want you to know. The preacher guy who baptized me way back in the day used to end his letters, newsletters, etc. with the memorable "Keep on keeping on for Jesus." That's stuck with me many years although I struggle to live up to it fully. It's funny but I was working on an upcoming sermon from 2 Corinthians. I'm in chapter four. Check out the opening verse: Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. (ESV)

Well, it looks like I'm going to be preaching to myself!

So Who Can You Talk With?

Yesterday I found myself in a lengthy and encouraging discussion about the Bible - specifically starting with Daniel. A student from Summit Theological Seminary had stopped by and we started chatting. Billy is a young guy with an undeniable passion for Scripture (rare, huh?). I remember being young(er) and enthused similarly. I also remember not being able to find many others who had real interest in learning and/or talking about God's word. I do enjoy discussing the Bible, but it can be hard to find someone who is interested in such a conversation. So Billy and I talked... Daniel... Hell... Revelation... Church... His seminary studies... etc. Most guys will sit and talk about TV, movies, and sports, but the Bible? No thanks. How sad.

Redskins 82

I never liked football more than I did back then.

We did it...

We did it... Team Fallen soldier did 150 miles in 2 days. I've never done anything like this before and it was genuinely a great time. Everything exceeded my expectations: food was plentiful and good, the location of the camp was lovely - right on the Chesapeake Bay, the pool was very nice, the showers were hot, the dorms had cold ac & no one even snored! Tammy & I enjoyed the time away together and I 'm pretty sure we will do it again. We even landed a free hotel room in the historic Cape Charles Hotel the night before the ride began. Another team had some no shows and someone told some friends/teammates (Barry & Lisa) who hooked us up. The ride itself was enjoyable. It was fun to ride without a bunch of traffic, turns & stoplights. I enjoyed the scenery too - old farmhouses, waterfront, open land, wooded (shaded) areas. There were rest stops throughout the ride, about every 10 miles or so. There was plenty of water/beverages and a variety of snacks. My favorite was the peanut butter & banana sandwich (tasty). Each day en
ended with an ice cold towel which I promptly wrapped around my neck - this was another pleasant surprise. The best, perhaps, were the Red Bulls that were available at the very last rest stop of day two - somebody deserves big props for thinking of that. Anyway, I highly recommend the MS-150 at Cape Charles. If you want to join our team just let me know.

It's On!

Well it looks like it's official: McCain vs. Obama. It's hard to believe but it looks like Hillary Clinton will concede. So, we now have a choice between left and far left. Ain't it wonderful? 300,000,000 people and this is the best we can do? This race is interesting on many levels and we'll be inundated with all of them in the next few months... Past, future, white, black, old, young, experienced, neophyte, veteran, civilian, etc. I guess the pundits will now move on to intense VP talk. My politcal interest is rapidly declining toward an all time low. I'm far right on most issues so I'll likely never be pleased with a national candidate of either of the two main parties. I know most of my readers are republicans, but can you honestly get fired up about Bob Dull #2? Bob Barr anybody? How about Chuck Baldwin?