Learn from the past. Don't live in it.

"You gotta put your behind in your past." -Pumba

     You're not alone. You've got some baggage. You've got some hurts. You've got some regrets. Everyone does, and yet we still find ourselves constantly beaten up by our past and cloudy on our future. It's times like this that I remember the words of one of our greatest philosophers:

     My most recent dealing with my past comes thanks to my grandmother. I have often said I'd like to know more of my family history. My mother had me at 16, and I never really knew my biological father. As a result, I have half a family tree and even the details on the half I know are pretty sketchy.

     So my grandmother recently sent me three newspapers that ran a series on my great-great-grandfather, Harvey McCoy.What was Harvey's claim to fame, you may ask?

Inventor of the toothbrush? (No)
First mayor of his small town? (Not even)
Was he a party planner? (You're getting warmer)

Actually, ol' gramps was a moonshiner. He realized that corn sold for feed wasn't nearly as valuable as corn that was turned into illegal liquor. And yes, our family is also related to THE McCoy's. So there's that.

I suppose I hoped that knowing where I came from would add some sort of value to my life or give me some heritage to hold onto. And while my mom says that Harvey, in spite of a short time in the clink, was a devoted family man, that's just not a satisfying answer.

     We all have a history. Whether it's a criminal family member or your own sins, it can feel like a weight on your shoulders. But I'm here to tell you that it's not about your past, it's about your future.

"For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more." Hebrews 8:12"

     Jesus didn't die for us to sit and mourn the failures of yesterday. He died in His perfection to cover our imperfections and to obliterate our past while giving us a "hope and a future". So seek God above all else and live in the now!

Sour People Make Sour Conversations

"You'll never argue anyone into the kingdom of Heaven." -Dr. Gray Allison

After watching a Christian argue a moral point on CNN without ever mentioning the Bible or Jesus, I sent a tweet to the anchor of the segment. I apologized as a Christian that he hadn't heard a clear Christian viewpoint on the issue.

I'm not stupid. I knew this posting could lead to a Twitter war with strangers. So I made two commitments to myself regarding any response I would give:

1. I will remain calm.
2. I will always point to Jesus and the Bible

              It took 18 minutes to put my resolve to the test.

Every time this opponent responded to my point, I was sure to always turn my response back to the salvation of Jesus. He got more heated. I continued to be slow to speak, always measuring my words carefully. My purpose was not to win the argument, but to give opportunity for Jesus to win the soul!

As I continued to share scriptural references with gentle and respectful tones, I noticed his responses coming quicker and with greater venom. Eventually he responded with a hateful and graphic representation of Christians.

If 26-year-old Heath had seen this, he would have responded with a flurry of keystrokes and a lot of "righteous anger". But 36-year-old Heath had nothing but sadness for this man. I stopped to pray for him. I posted a few more very sparing comments, continuing to share scripture and Jesus in an intentional way.

1 Peter 3:15 "...make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect."

Who's to blame when a conversation goes bad between believers and unbelievers? OF COURSE lost people get defensive...it's defensiveness that keeps them from acknowledging their sin and need for a Savior. Don't meet their defensiveness with malice. Meet it with gentleness and respect, remembering that "such were some of you" without Jesus. Be the bigger person for the sake of the gospel.

So remember next time you get in a sour conversation with a sour person, be sure you're adding sugar to the conversational lemonade.

Who Speaks for God?

"The church will continue to be irrelevant when it quotes letters from 2,000 years ago as their best defense"
-Rob Bell, former pastor, current heretic

"(Idolatry of the Bible) is when people say the Bible is synonymous with God and the truth. We cannot be guided and dictated by a first-century worldview."
-Forrest Harris, President of American Baptist College, unwitting recruiter for every other Christian college

These statements aren't uncommon for 2015, but they are problematic. Mr. Bell and Mr. Harris are both claiming to speak for God, instead of acknowledging that God has spoken for Himself. To dismiss the Bible is not to dismiss those who hold to its teachings, but to dismiss the very God who made the statements contained therein.

Dear Mr. Bell,
If the church ceases to use letters that have stood up to 2000 years of persecution and flame, what shall we use instead? (Not to mention those letters in the Old Testament that are even older!) Once we eliminate the Word of God we are simply left with the opinions of society which have proven to be as stable as peace in the Middle East. When the church of God fails to declare the Word of God, that is when true irrelevancy will occur.

Dear. Mr. Harris,
The Bible is not a first-century worldview, but an eternal one. Its pages are filled with the love and character of God. I presume your solution is to work from a 21st century worldview. That will certainly appear very backwards by the 23rd century. You propose an opinion that is ever-changing. Scripture propose a truth that is life-changing.

Believing in the truth of the Bible is a fundamental part of being a Christian. 2 Timothy 3:16 says the Bible is "God-breathed". And just as the breath of God gave life to our bodies, the Word of God gives life to our souls by the declaration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am not claiming to be the one who truly speaks for God. He has spoken for Himself.

Daniel Webster...we barely knew thee.

"Do not be so open-minded that your brains fall out." -Walter Kotschnig

We said it would happen. Even as it came out of our mouths, it seemed unbelievable. But sure enough, destroying the definition of marriage has led us down a road where definitions no longer mean anything. 

When I was in college, we had the Triangle Coalition that sought to represent the voices of LGB students (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual). Do you know what their acronym is now? LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual).

As a result, here's where we are going. 

• The world first three person same-sex marriage occured in Thailand on Valentines Day, 2015.
• A 2013 Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriage was heralded by polygamy groups who see same-sex marriage as an opportunity to normalize their relationships as well.
• Fred Berlin, a psychiatrist from John's Hopkins School of Medicine, argued in 2011 for "acceptance and compassion for people who are attracted to minors" at a symposium declaring pedophilia is just one more alternative sexual orientation.

So now they'll have to lengthen that acronym to LBGTQIAP (P for either pedophilia or predator. Take your pick).

What's my point? There are standards. Not because the church declares it, but because God's Word does. The standards of marriage could not be any clearer in regards to what is and what is not a marriage:

• He made them male and female (Genesis 1:27)
• Marriage is between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24)
• Marriage is used by God to bring forth children (Malachi 2:15)

None of these standards leave any room for a redefinition of marriage, especially by any organization that defines people by 1 of 7 sexual designations. 

Let us as believers, share not only God's definitions, but God's salvation. Let the lost know that God is not simply calling on them for new behaviors, but a new life in Jesus Christ if they will turn from their sins and accept his forgiveness and leading for the rest of their lives. 

Should Christians Fight to Live?

I had someone cancel a lunch appointment with me this week. He has a friend who recently lost his wife AND is suffering through the late stages of cancer. The man is a believer, but according to my friend, he is ready to "give up on life." I'll be honest with you...I can see the temptation.

This sparks an important question: Should Christians fight so hard to live? Why take on weeks of debilitating chemo or radiation in order to spend a few more years on planet earth, when God has offered us a perfect paradise?

My opinion is nothing compared to the Bible, and God's Word is not silent on this issue. God says in Exodus 20:12 to honor your parents so you will "live long in the land." So a long life is considered a blessing, even in light of a Heaven that is waiting for us.

All throughout the scriptures, many people sought and received medical treatment for ailments, and they were not chastised for doing so. In one instance, King Hezekiah was given a terminal diagnosis that put him in tears. But he prayed and asked God to spare his life, and God gave him fifteen more years. The doctors used a different medical treatment and Hezekiah was cured. Without that prayer or procedure, Hezekiah's influence would have ended.

It seems the issue comes down to why you even want to live. Do you see your life as a continuation of service to the Lord or to yourself? Google even has an employee whose sole job is to find companies that can extend life, push back death, and even cause people to celebrate their 500th birthday! (And you thought traffic was bad now?) But his purpose is not to give more years to God, but more years to self. Even if mankind could push back death, death doesn't give up so easily (Hebrews 9:27).

I pray regularly that God will give my wife and I a long life together, with good health, living in our own home. Do I pray it because I fear dying? No, but so that God would allow us to be a witness and impact on my children's children and perhaps even their children.

So let us not fear death, especially as believers, knowing that death is our entrance to Heaven. But let us not hasten it either, choosing to revere life and the opportunity God has given us to serve Him here. Eternity isn't going anywhere.

Dog Paddle Prayers

To say that I'm not a good swimmer may give you the false impression that in some way I can swim.

The reality is...

And while dog paddling is fine for poor swimmers, are you happy with that for your prayer life? 

Though I consider my prayer life strong, God continues to show me there is ALWAYS room for growth! As a result, I'm often looking for ways to keep my times with the Lord fresh and meaningful. 

So I hope these ideas grow your prayer life from dog paddling to solid strokes the same way they did for me!

Sunday Sundays

It's not a bad parody of the great hit by the Mamas and the Papas, but instead I take time to pray specifically for fellow pastors, ministers, and churches as we worship.

My Mondays

While I pray for my family throughout the week, I spend extra time praying for my wife, kids, and our future together in a much deeper way. I often email those prayers to my kids afterwards. 

Theology Thursdays

I've been using The Valley of Vision to guide me as I drop my requests, take more time for confession, and spend more time talking to God and asking to understand him better. In the words of A.W. Tozier's classic The Knowledge of the Holy, "I want to want Thee."

On Friday mornings I simply pray for people as I scroll my Facebook feed. You'll be surprised at the people who you suddenly find yourself praying for and perhaps even reaching out to as a result. 

My final encouragement is to read the Bible before you pray. Allow God to speak first before and to direct you on where the conversation may need to go. 

Do you have other ways you keep your conversations with God fresh? 

A Pastor Struggles with ISIS

Even as I type this, I painfully recall the video of those 21 men being led down the beach. I wonder where their minds were...

        "Should I try to dash away?"

                                          "Will my children understand my sacrifice?"

                       "Is my faith strong enough for this moment?"

Even now I get angry at ISIS. I picture those cowards hiding behind veils, and I want to pray the fire of God to wipe them from the face of the earth. 

And then the words of Jesus ring in my ears from my recent sermon

"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." 

Matthew 5:44

And so I admit my struggle: how to pray for both the destruction AND salvation of an enemy. 
And this week, I appreciated a thought from Russell Moore's recent blog on this exact issue. Moore states: 

"The main problem is that we sometimes forget that we are called to be a people of both justice and justification, and that these two are not contradictory." 

So now I replay that video in my mind's eye again and I wonder about the faces under those executioner's veils. Are they all stone? Are they all fully resolved? Are there one, two, three, who see the faith and peace in these Christian men and think, "I wish I had that"?

The situation remains unchanged, but my perspective is. I will pray for the the God of justice to execute His judgement against those who violently oppose believers and innocents. And at the same time, I will pray for witnesses to come out of ISIS who echo Paul's words of thanks to Jesus that,

"though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent... I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief." (1 Timothy 1:13)

So I will now pray for the destruction of the entity of ISIS.
So I will now pray for the salvation of the souls of ISIS.