A compliment

In a recent Facebook conversation, one person said the Genesis account of creation was simply a story (not literal and not true). I responded that I believe the account to be true. And the response was, you are definitely behind the times. I took it as an insult, a put down, meaning, You are uneducated, unsophisticated, a simpleton, a backward rube. But that’s OK, I consider this to be a compliment. After all the Bible says, “be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Yes. I believe in a six day creation, Adam and Eve, the Fall, Cain and Abel, a world wide flood, Noah and the ark, Abraham, and everything else in both the Old and New Testaments. Why? I wrote a Facebook note on this, Ten Reasons Why I believe the Bible is the Word of God

But ultimately I believe the Bible because I believe in Jesus. I did not come to Jesus because I became convinced the Bible was the Word of God. I had never thought about it. I had tried to read the Bible before, but it made no sense to me at all. All I knew was I wanted to know God. I can still remember the day in Hawaii when my family went to watch the sunset at Laie Point. That particular day I asked to stay home and they agreed. I was walking around the yard and suddenly I looked up into the sky and said, “God, if you are there I want to know you” and continued with what I was doing. I was maybe in the 7th grade.  And thus began a spiritual journey. When I was a senior we moved from Hawaii to Nashville where I attended McGavock High School. On one of my first days there I met a girl and when we met something in her touched my soul and I knew she had what I wanted. I was so disappointed to learn it was Jesus! But, I went to church to be with her and they prayed for me, a long haired hippie. One day I came under conviction at church (I mean, I had the strongest urge to go forward during the invitation). I had no idea what was going on so after church I took a walk to figure this out. While on this walk I became aware of a Presence with me. And then He spoke, “I am Christ. I am alive and I am God. Trust me with your life and I will take you to the true God.” Wow! The very thing I was hungering for. So I did and He did! Hallelujah!

I believe in Jesus, that He is the Messiah, the Savior, the Son of God. I’m committed to doing what He says, valuing what he values, believing what He believes. Jesus believed in creation, Adam and Eve, the flood, that Jonah was swallowed by a whale, that Jacob had twelve sons etc. Therefore, so do I. But, do I only believe what He specifically mentioned? No. He believed in the Law and the Prophets, the Psalms and the Writings - what we call the Old Testament. So I do too. He promised the disciples He would send the Holy Spirit who would lead them into all truth and remind them of all that He had taught. So I believe their writings – the New Testament - are also the Word of God.

So, it all really starts with Jesus. Of course, I spent a lot of time and effort demonstrating that the Old Testament has many prophecies of the coming Messiah: birth, lineage, ministry, death, resurrection etc. That these prophecies needed to be fulfilled by Jesus for Him to be the promised Messiah. And that they were! The message of the New Testament is that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah (Christ), the Son of God. But the central message of the Gospel is this – Jesus, who was crucified, has been raised from the dead! And this I preached and taught and emphasized. Not everybody will come to Christ the same way I did. But they will have to come to Christ. And for this to happen, they will need to be drawn by the Holy Spirit, for unless he turns the lights on they will never understand.

And so it is I came to be behind the times” Scholars tell us science and evolution make God unnecessary and creation impossible. But I choose Jesus, the Creator Himself. They tell us if there is a God he is incomprehensible anyway. But through Jesus I know God. I am His child and have fellowship with Him. I may be behind the times but through Jesus I am ahead of the curve!

The kind of thoughts I think at night

Working nights you don’t usually get a rush of people, although there are those times. What you mostly get is one at a time. A person will come and leave. Right as they leave another will pull up. It’s most frustrating when they wait until you have just made it around the side of the building on the way to the dumpster, even worse, get to the deep recesses of the cooler and someone will walk in. This is repeated all night long.

One of my daughters was talking about a friend who had said a certain family was “very strict.” My daughter said, “No, my parents were strict. When we started working we were not allowed to get a job that had us work on Sundays. Or Wednesday nights.” That would be us. Would I do it differently now? Nope. We wouldn’t allow them to participate in sports activities that would regularly have them out of town. I took seriously the charge of training them in the way they should go and recognized that they, as beautiful as my girls all were and are, had a natural tendency to wander. So I felt I had to instill values.

People stay up all night. Why, I wonder, is it so wonderful to stay awake all night?

I have noticed that many people have no restraint. No self-restraint, anyway. Remove the outer restrain of work or school and it is non-stop revelry. That’s why 3 day weekends are such benders – the restraints have been lifted. One fellow came in last night about 4:30. He comes in all the time and drinks a prodigious amount of beer. He said, “I’ve  been up for 21 hours. It’s my buddy’s birthday and we have been drinking all night long. It’s sad, I’m so tired I had to quit so I could go to bed.”

Somewhere between 3:30 and 4:00 am I had a fellow come in and go to the rest room. (Not unusual, I see  people all night just looking for a rest room.) He came out and said, “Do you sell single condoms?” I told him we used to but that now we only had packs of three. He replied, “Just my luck” and left. Immediately after he left a girl came in the same door. Even at 4 am I am sharp enough to know they are together. I suppose she thought she could use her feminine charm on me. “Do you sell single condoms?” Not letting on that I know they are together, I said, “No. We do have the three pack.” “No single condoms??” (I am now thinking that she is hoping I will yield to her smile and tear open a package for her). “No, ma’am. We do have the three pack for $4.27.” Her totally shocked reply, “$4.27 for safe sex???” I don’t tell her what I am thinking, That’s a deal compared to the cost of having and raising a child or getting an STD. She left absolutely shocked that because she wanted to have safe sex there were no free condoms. I predict that very soon there will be a major push to have free distribution of condoms just so people can have safe sex whenever they want.

If evolution is true, then we are the product of blind chance. There is no meaning, no purpose, no goal. Nothing is wrong, nothing is evil. It may be currently socially unacceptable, but it can’t be wrong. To speak of slavery as evil would be a joke – is it evil for the ants who capture and enslave other ants? Moral outrage? Based on what? Justice? Is there justice among dogs? Nope, the strong survive and rule. Of course, we DO have a built in sense of justice and right and wrong because evolution is NOT true. We were created in the image of God. As I thought about this I wrote a short poem:

for there to be death there must be life
for there to be wrong there must be right
say what you want, and say what you would
for there to be evil there must be good

Of course, the life, right and good would be God!

We ought to preach like this today

John Chrysostom (349–407) is one of the church "fathers." He was bishop (pastor) in Antioch and then Constantinople. His Liturgy is still used by the Greek Orthodox Church (it is pretty good). We still have many of his sermons. His preaching was rather straightforward: he went through a book of the Bible verse by verse, commenting on each phrase and then applying it to everyday living. I was reading one of his homilies on Titus and I came across this comment on Titus 2:12. We do not preach like this, to our detriment. I was pricked in my heart and I hope the Lord speaks to you as well.


Titus 2:12  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

“See here the foundation of all virtue. He has not said avoiding, but denying. Denying implies the greatest distance, the greatest hatred and aversion. With as much resolution and zeal as they turned from idols, with so much let them turn from vice itself, and worldly lusts…Ungodliness relates to doctrines, worldly lusts to a wicked life."

And should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present world.

"Do you see, what I always affirm, that it is not sobriety only to abstain from fornication, but that we must be free from other passions. So then he who loves wealth is not sober. For as the fornicator loves women, so the other loves money, and even more inordinately, for he is not impelled by so strong a passion. And he is certainly a more powerless charioteer who cannot manage a gentle horse, than he who cannot restrain a wild and unruly one. What then? Says he, is the love of wealth weaker than the love of women? This is manifest from many reasons. In the first place, lust springs from the necessity of nature, and what arises from this necessity must be difficult to restrain, since it is implanted in our nature. Secondly, because the ancients had no regard for wealth, but for women they had great regard, in respect of their chastity. And no one blamed him who cohabited with his wife according to law, even to old age, but all blamed him who hoarded money. And many of the Heathen philosophers despised money, but none of them were indifferent to women, so that this passion is more imperious [is much stronger] than the other. But since we are addressing the Church, let us not take our examples from the Heathens, but from the Scriptures. This then the blessed Paul places almost in the rank of a command. Having food and raiment, let us be therewith content. [1 Timothy 6:8] But concerning women he says, Defraud not one the other, except it be with consent— and come together again. [1 Corinthians 7:5] And you see him often laying down rules for a lawful intercourse, and he permits the enjoyment of this desire, and allows of a second marriage, and bestows much consideration upon the matter, and never punishes on account of it. But he everywhere condemns him that is fond of money. Concerning wealth also Christ often commanded that we should avoid the corruption of it, but He says nothing about abstaining from a wife. For hear what He says concerning money; Whosoever forsakes not all that he has [Luke 14:33]; but he nowhere says, Whosoever forsakes not his wife; for he knew how imperious [domineering] that passion is. And the blessed Paul says, Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled [Hebrews 13:4]; but he has nowhere said that the care of riches is honorable, but the reverse. Thus he says to Timothy, They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts. [1 Timothy 6:9]

And that you may learn from the common notions the true state of this matter, it must be set before you generally. If a man were once for all deprived of money, he would no longer be tormented with the desire of it, for nothing so much causes the desire of wealth, as the possession of it. But it is not so with respect to lust, but many who have been made eunuchs have not been freed from the flame that burned within them, for the desire resides in other organs, being seated inwardly in our nature. To what purpose then is this said? Because the covetous is more intemperate than the fornicator, inasmuch as the former gives way to a weaker passion. Indeed it proceeds less from passion than from baseness of mind."

We ought to think deeply about these things.

How do they do it?

I was a pastor for 25 years. I pastored three churches in Pensacola, FL, Macon, GA, and York, SC. I was in York for 20 years. God was good, we had formed a really good fellowship and one I believe was solidly biblical. We never grew over the 100 mark. We would have more than that in our annual Vacation Bible School (!) but not in our Sunday services.

I have friends who pastor larger churches. One friend, Hal Mayer in Tampa, FL (he is the one who married us way back when), pastors a church with over 400 people. I don’t know how he does it.

Two of the prominent influences in my ministry and pastoral “style” were Richard Baxter (The Reformed Pastor) and Jay Adams (Shepherding God's Flock - A Handbook on Pastoral Ministry). I was never as good, effective or efficient as them but I tried to model this approach. It was a very personal, shepherding approach. I tried to regularly visit all those who attended the church - to visit them in their homes, to visit them at work, and to have them in our home. If they ever had to be in the hospital, I would be with them before surgery and then sat with the family in the waiting room until they were in recovery. Of course, if there was a death, I would be with them at the hospital, in the home, at the funeral, and afterwards. I would be up early to meet them at the hospital, up late at night at the hospital, sometimes be with them all night at the hospital. One man was in ICU for several months and I was there to see him every day.

How do you do that in a large church? I’m not criticizing pastors of large churches. Or finding any fault with them. I just don’t know how they do it.

While I was in York, I was one of the three longest serving pastors there. The other two, Wallace Tinsley of Filbert Presbyterian Church and Tony Grant of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, are still there. I know Mr. Tinsley had the same pastoral “style.” Neither one of us would have been physically able to pastor a church of  400+ people! How do they do it?

I was trying to shepherd these folks, and love them with the love of God. In the beginning, I disliked standing at the door after the service and shaking hands with everyone as they left. One day the Lord ministered to me that I was to love on the people as they left. So I did. I would greet everyone before the service, then stand in the back after and talk to them some more. I would love on the children and the young people. These were “my people.”

I heard once about a pastor of a small church who didn’t even know the names of the young people in the church. I thought that was terrible. I knew their names, what they did, who they liked and more. I was always asking/harassing  them about their t-shirts and the slogans on them: What is that? What does that mean? Really? I would talk to them, joke with them, play catch in the parking lot with them, challenge them. Drive them to church and back home. And on the way home often ask one of my famous “philosophical questions” which we would then discuss.

I suppose I had learned from Mr. Bomar way back in Bible College, “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” God had filled my heart with love for these folks and I wanted them to know I cared.

Now, am I blowing my own horn? Trust me, I have no horn to blow. Am I suggesting that pastors like my friend Hal aren’t doing a good job? No way. Am I secretly suggesting that my method of pastoring was better than whatever method they have? Absolutely not. What am I saying then? Simply this, I’ve been thinking about it lately and I don’t know how they do it. With the pastoral “style” I had, I would not know how to be the pastor of a large church.

Things I’ve learned playing pool

First, it is just fun! Sometimes it is frustrating, but mostly fun.

Second, most of the people I play beat me. Which is a very small group because:

Third, I have to admit, I overestimated interest in pool, at least among the people we know. Dave could play all day, and we did when he was here. Anne will. And so will Mary K. And Daniel. Erica really likes to play as well. When they are around it is like I envisioned - a game just ready to break out. Most people seem to be either embarrassed that they know how to play or at how they play and as a result would rather not. I still have a few people left to invite. But I still enjoy it. My skill level is now probably third degree green ninja. Just this morning I played a game of 9 ball and sunk four balls on the break! Pretty good, huh? But this is the only time it has happened so that is why I am still only third degree green ninja.

This game is an illustration of Newton’s Laws of Motion:
I. Every object persist in its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line unless it is compelled to changed that state by forces impressed on it. In other words, that ball ain’t gonna move until you hit it!
II. Force is equal to the change in momentum per change in time. Uhhh, I’m pretty sure this is about how hard you hit the ball!
III. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. You know, the cue ball is rolling along until it hits another ball. Then the cue ball stops and the other ball takes off. Unless you have put top spin on it, then it rolls right into the pocket as well. I wonder where “English” fits in Newton’s Law?

Straight lines that are not always so straight. The ball you are aiming at is directly in front of the cue ball. Directly behind that ball is the pocket. You lean over the table. It is so clear that it is a straight shot. And everything is lined up perfectly. You hold your breath. Slowly let it out. Draw the cue stick back and gently hit the cue ball. And miss the pocket! Somehow you were not lined up quite straight. Ugh! What happened? If you are off a little, just a little, that “off” is magnified by the distance. That’s covered by the Law: There’s a lot of green between you and the pocket. There goes my sympathy card - I thought it was just because I could only see with one eye!

And speaking about one eye, I only see out of my left eye. So I see the ball better playing left handed. But sometimes I just have a more natural feel right handed. Not often and not for long! I often play 8 ball right hand vs left hand. Right or left handed, I go through periods where I sink everything, followed by longer periods where I can’t sink anything!

I’ve learned a lot about angles. And that includes using the rails. It is a lot of fun to kiss a ball into a pocket. Or bounce it off of one or two rails. Even to take the cue ball off the rail from behind the ball, and knock it into the pocket. Not frequent, but fun!

Finally, I love to hit a ball, know it is going in and walk away, not watching it, just waiting to hear the ball sink into the pocket. My girls says that’s weird. But I like it!

All this makes me want to go play myself a game of 9 ball!

Dave, explaining to Ryan how he beats me like a drum

Anne enjoying a game. she probably beat me too

Random Thoughts on Spring

Spring is indeed a wonderful time of year. The weather moderates and the flowers begin to bloom. And everything is a yellowish green.

It has been an expensive Spring. Mary’s car broke down and needed a new transmission. A week later, on the way to pick up her car, Erica’s car broke down and needed a new alternator. And it’s not like we had all that money just lying around.

Earlier this week I went to get our taxes done and OUCH doesn’t even come close! We are looking at having to pay A LOT. I am thinking about quitting our jobs, selling the house, and going on public assistance. But first we have to pay for the non-refundable plane tickets to Ohio and California! We are gonna enjoy those trips anyway.

Gas prices continue to go up. We are at $3.55 here the first of April. I predict $4 by May and that means maybe $5 by summer. I think this is terrible. But it has not stopped people buying gas. No one is complaining and I am surprised by this. And just wait for other prices to get adjusted for the higher gas prices. And have you noticed that when gas prices go back down food prices don’t?

I cut (some of) the grass today. I heard there was a petition going around the neighborhood and Mary was the first one who signed! As I was cutting I saw some beautiful grass – it was tall with a beautiful head. I learned something about myself this spring, or was finally able to put it into words. I like to let a plant just grow unchecked, and see how it expresses itself. I find a beauty in that wildness. My view and approach has very little sympathy and support!

I have a Muslim friend who comes into the store from time to time and we talk about political and spiritual things. Couple of nights ago he came in and wanted to talk about John 14-16. I tried to discuss this lightly, after all I am at work and have things to do. But he was persistent so I took out my Bible and we talked for some 2 hours. I left a note for my manager to explain why I didn’t get my work done. I was written up for it. But that’s OK.

And speaking about work, we are begging, I mean asking for donations for a camp for sick children. It has been turned into a contest between stores etc. I know these must be proven fund raising techniques but it been a real shock to my system. I am used to fund raising the Bible way: giving is a grace (God’s work in you), give if you want to and can do so cheerfully, no pressure, no obligation, no guilt; no contests and no persistent begging; and lots of prayer. Ooops, I just stomped on a lot of church toes!

Which brings me to my fence. Despite my patience, it has not painted itself and still awaits my painter’s brush.

Finally, there is Erica’s car. A nice little car. A good car. Would you like to buy it?

from thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead

We do not hear much today about the day of judgment.
In the 400s Patrick wrote: And likewise the Lord says in the Gospel: ‘On the day of judgment men shall render account for every idle word they utter.’ So it is that I should mightily fear, with terror and trembling, this judgment on the day when no one shall be able to steal away or hide, but each and all shall render account for even our smallest sins before the judgment seat of Christ the Lord.

In the 1300s John Wycliffe wrote: But where is our belief in the day of doom, when we know that we shall come before the highest judge, and be judged of our life and all things that we have…

Today, if discussed at all we hear things like (words in quotes refer to my words to him):
For my and others' sakes, I hope that when "the great and dreadful day" comes, I will not be judged on whether or not I kept God's commands. I hope I will be judged on the basis of my holding to/believing/trusting in Christ's atoning sacrifice which totally compensates for my lack of ever being able to keep God's commands.


The term "works" is such a loaded concept in Western thinking, that I think we need to reorient the conversation to first explaining specifically and biblically: what do we mean by "we  will be judged according to" (what exactly does this phrase mean as well) our "works". We need specific denotation of exactly what all these overused and nuanced words and phrases mean…

And, in a conservative church I attended, the pastor was teaching through John. He said, repeatedly and emphatically, “Christians will not be judged.”

Something has happened in the Church. The Creed states, “from thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead.” This was the faith of the fathers. Yet now it is ignored, denied, or at best considered “overused and nuanced” (I have no idea what nuanced means; I suspect it is used to mean, “no one really knows what this means”). Has the Bible changed? Were the fathers wrong? Has the Day of Judgment been canceled?

Let’s consider just a few passages:

Matthew 12: 36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. – is he serious?

Romans 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. – really? God can’t keep a secret?

Romans 14:10 …for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.  
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.  
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
Let God be true and every man a liar. There will be a day of judgment and we shall all be there, every one of us. We shall give account to God. Account of what? How we lived; what we did; what we failed to do; how faithful we were to the grace, gifts, and opportunities God gave us.

1 Corinthians 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.  
14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.  
15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. At that day there will be reward and loss. This is serious stuff.

1 Corinthians 4:4 ...he that judgeth me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
At this judgment God will even take into account our motives. Sometimes we do the right things for wrong reasons. On the other hand, then shall every man have praise of God!

2 Corinthians 5:9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.  
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.  
11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.
Here it is again, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. All and every one. And be judged for what? The things done in his body, whether good or bad. This is what according to works means.

Colossians 3:24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.  25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.
God shall reward us for the good and the wrong we have done, and there is no respect of persons.

1 Peter 1:17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: Here is the truth and the expected response to it.

1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Not only are we not exempt from judgment, it begins with us!

1 John 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. It is possible to have boldness in that Day – because of the blood, because we have walked in His ways, because we have walked in love and mercy.

So, Has the Bible changed? Were the fathers wrong? Has the Day of Judgment been canceled? NO. The sober, solemn, somber truth is: The day of judgment has not been canceled. We will all appear and every one of us will be judged on whether we kept God's commands. We will be rewarded according to what we did or didn't do. This is what according to our works means. There is no nuance to this, no doubt about it. As sure as Jesus is coming again there will be a judgment, And as sure as there will be a judgment I will be there and give an account for my life. Apparently, this should strike a certain fear in our hearts. This will indeed be a great and dreadful day and my one and only hope is this, My King died in my place!