Not Funny

Next week, on Thursday (the 23rd), NBC will air one of its new sitcoms. As you probably know, "sitcom" is short for situation comedy. The problem with this particular show is that there is nothing funny about the situation being portrayed.

The show is called Outsourced and is about a company that sends its call center to India. While I'm sure that there will be much to laugh about as we poke fun at the cultural collide that happens when American management invades a foreign country, I just don't think that this is a show that I want to watch or encourage as millions of Americans find themselves the victims of corporate downsizing/rightsizing/outsourcing or whatever else you want to call putting fellow Americans out of work for the Almighty Dollar.

Maybe I just see this as an insensitive way to interject humor into the poor economic atmosphere in which we find ourselves. Maybe it would be a good laugh and a way to lighten the spirits for an out of work or underemployed American worker. Maybe I'm letting my union background get the best of me and I'm over reacting to NBC's joking around about the situation that has caused financial ruin for so many families. Outsourcing of American jobs has caused families to lose health care benefits, homes and even...families as the divorce rates among the financially stressed are high.

With hundreds of channels to choose from (almost all of them with tasteless programming) I'm sure that we can find something else to watch on Thursday nights. Maybe you'd even consider turning the TV off and spend time conversing with your family or reading a good book (or reading The Good Book!). It would please me a great deal if NBC would have to drop this show after a few weeks because Americans decided that there is nothing funny about companies sending our jobs overseas. Maybe the people in India would find it funny and they can ship their show over there.

I don't know what companies will sponsoring Outsourced (and I won't be watching it to find out) but it may be worth letting the sponsors know if you are offended by the program.

As it stands in our grand land, NBC is free to produce this insensitive program and we are free to watch it--or not.

I choose--NOT!

How about you? Thumbs up /\, or thumbs down \/?

John

What Would Paul Have Written to the Church in the USA?

I'm just wondering here...I'm not afraid of your comments or criticisms, I'm just warning you that I'm writing pretty much as things come to my head and I haven't really sorted all of the thoughts out yet.

I begin with that disclaimer because I know that there are pastors and evangelists, as well as seekers and critics that will read this and I don't want to be misunderstood. I want to state--right up front--that I believe the Bible. I believe that the writer's of the New Testament (Old Testament, too--but this post deals with the New Testament) are writing as God's agents, under the Divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Having said that, I believe that we also have a responsibility to realize that they were addressing the culture in which they lived. Though the truths of the Bible are timeless, I have to believe that the methods employed by the first century evangelists would differ greatly if they were to share the Gospel in the 21st century in the United States of America.

In the 17th chapter of Acts, Paul is in Athens and addressing the philosophers of Greece. He talks to the stoics and epicureans and uses the teachings of their own philosophies to introduce them to the idea of a God that is greater than the gods of their beliefs. He even uses their "unknown god" to tell them about the God that he knows and worships. While some of them sneer (there will always be those that sneer at different ideas), others are interested in discussing these new ideas.

Paul didn't introduce God by saying that they were all wrong and that the real God was going to condemn them because they had worshiped idols. He didn't threaten to destroy their idols or burn their scrolls because God was offended by them. He didn't tell them that their epicurean ways of satisfying the lusts of the flesh were leading them down the road to a hell that they didn't believe in.

Paul simply introduced them to God.

He told them that this God created all things. That He gives life to men. That He created us to seek Him. That He doesn't live in temples built by men and He isn't like the statues of gold that men have made. And Paul tells them that God has overlooked these things in the past but now has made Himself known to man and will one day judge us accordingly...and He has shown us by raising Jesus from the grave!

In 1 Corinthians, Paul says that he has become all things to all men so that he can save some.

If Paul was as a Jew to a Jew; as one under the Law to those under the Law; as one without the Law to those without the Law; as a slave to all (though he was free); how would he present himself to the people that I encounter everyday?

I know that there are great lessons to be learned in the history and teachings found in the Book of Acts. I know that there is great doctrine and instruction found in Paul's letters to the churches throughout the Roman Empire. The letters that were written by Peter, James, Jude, John and the unknown author of Hebrews are full of instructions for living the life that follows the teachings of Jesus.

But what if there is a greater lesson that we've been missing? What if the real lesson is in learning to present the teachings of Jesus (from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) in a way that is relevant, meaningful and attractive to the society in which we live?

I'm not suggesting that we water down the Gospel. I'm suggesting that we engage people in dialogue--you know, talk to them about the things that they believe as well as the things that we believe. It doesn't have to be an argument. It doesn't have to be "I'm right and you're wrong." It just needs to be an exchange of ideas.

Here in the USA, we really don't have to endure persecution for our beliefs--prejudice yes, but not real persecution. We like to think that we're being persecuted, but The Constitution is still doing a pretty good job of protecting us and allowing all Americans to worship (or not to worship) as we please. If we feel that our belief in Jesus compels us to share our faith (and we should), then let's do it in a way that doesn't turn people away from the Cross.

Paul often talked of his life before his encounter with Jesus, then told of that meeting on the road to Damascus and then told of his life's call to tell others about Jesus. Couldn't we do the same? Could it be that simple? What if we just shared the Jesus that we know--the one that died for our sins and dwells in our hearts? The one that died for their sins and longs to dwell with them, too? Would that still work?

We can't be hateful and condemning of another's beliefs and expect them to be open to hearing ours. We can't burn their holy book with one hand and and expect them to embrace the Bible that is in our other hand. (At this hour, there are conflicting reports that the Koran burning is Florida has been cancelled.) There has been plenty of killing in the name of religion throughout the history of man...and I'm afraid that there will be plenty more.

Though I know that men will continue to battle over lands, wealth, principles and ideals--as well as over religions, I long for the day when God will settle the disputes of the world. Until then, we have to find a way to talk with people and not preach at people. We have to find a way to share His message of love.

John

He will judge between the nations and settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.

Isaiah 2:4

The Temptation

Earlier this week, I began to make notes in the margin of one of the Bible reading programs that I use. The notes kind of took on a life of their own and morphed into what will eventually be a sermon.

I was reading in the fourth chapter of the Book of Matthew. You can find the text here.

These are my notes:

I really like the progression of the temptation of Jesus. In verse 3 the temptation is not only simple, it is reasonable. After a forty day fast, it is reasonable to assume that Jesus is in need of food.

I have to admit that the first part of Satan's statement confuses me a bit--"If you are the Son of God..."

As we read through the New Testament, the demons always recognize Jesus as the Son of God. They always fear Him. And they always obey his commands. Perhaps, here at the beginning of His ministry, Satan is unsure of the deity of the human Jesus of Nazareth. Is this the same Jesus that was born in a stable 30 years ago?

Maybe Satan is unsure of the humanity of Jesus vs the deity of Jesus. In any case, the temptation is for Jesus to overcome His human weakness by using His divine power. “If you are the son of God...”

It's been said that character is who you are when nobody is looking. That is the position in which Jesus finds himself in the wilderness. Really--as far as the man Jesus is concerned, is it a big deal if he uses a little bit of the divine power to turn a few stones into bread? Who would know? ( As a side note: I think that Satan was foolish to tempt him with bread. I'm thinking that if I'm hungry and planning on making food from rocks, maybe a smoked brisket with a slightly spicy bbq sauce, some baked beans, corn on the cob and maybe a blackberry cobbler. Mere child's play "If you are the son of God".)

Is it cheating if, at the end of his fast, Jesus makes bread from stones? Would the Father receive glory from this use of divine power? Does that really matter? And who would know?

This first temptation is one that we often fall for--the temptation to satisfy our need. It might be something as simple as a need for food or it might be more complex; like our need to belong or be loved. It might appeal to our need to succeed in business. Or maybe to satisfy our sexual desires.

It's an "it's all about me" kind of temptation. It's about putting my needs/desires/addictions above everything else. It's about being selfish.

Don't worry.

Everybody does it.

It's not hurting anybody.

And besides, who's going to know?

These are the excuses that we use to justify doing the things that we know we shouldn't do.

But Jesus sees through the devil's temptation and turns him aside by using that which he has learned from the Scriptures. The quote that he uses is found in Deuteronomy 8:3.

In essence, Jesus says, "This isn't about me and my hunger. It's about preparing for my Earthly ministry. It's about serving God."

It is important that you and I realize that we can't expect the Scriptures to rescue us if we don't know them. It is so important that we are able to recall verses of Scripture if we are to live by the Word and if we are to count on the Word in times of trials as well as in times of temptation.

In round two, Satan steps up his game a bit. He decides that if Jesus is going to quote Scripture, so is he. Again, Satan is looking for some divine proof--"If you are the Son of God..."

In round one, Satan uses the "If you are the Son of God" line to try to convince Jesus to use his divine power to take care of himself. Here, he is saying, "If you are the Son of God, then prove it to me. The Scripture says that angels will guard you and take care of you."

Jesus doesn't disagree with Satan or argue with him. Jesus just tells him what else is written in the Scriptures. Again, Jesus quotes from the Torah, this time Deuteronomy 6:16.

I want to share my observation that this is one thing that I often hear Christians saying--that they are going to do something and trust God to stop them if it's not His will. I don't think that's the way God works. Often times, what we're asking God to do is to make our will His will. It's a lot easier than actually seeking His will.

Professing Christians have used the "it's His will" line to justify torture (during the Inquisition and Crusades) and murder. Even today, there are those that use "God's will" to harass and bomb abortion clinics or to hatefully treat gay and lesbian people. We overlay our will with "God's will" to justify abusing our children or our spouses. We decide that God wants us to be happy and so we fill our life with things that will make us happy. We decide that whatever makes us happy is God's will. We even justify leaving our marriages because we say it's not God's will for me to be unhappy.

Those that have placed their trust in Jesus have been rescued from the judgment; the condemnation that comes after this life. There is no promise that this life will be pain free. There is no assurance that we will not face the struggles of life. In fact, Jesus says that we will face trials because of Him.

Test God? If we are testing God to see if He will conform to our will, He won't. If we are testing Him to see if He's really God, He is--no matter what He does or doesn't do for us.

Finally, Satan brings out the big guns: power, wealth, fame--all the kingdoms of the world and all of their glory. Pretty tempting, indeed! And if Jesus would have had eyes that were focused on this world alone, He may have gone for it.

But His eyes were fixed on heaven and once again He relies on the Scriptures to make his choice.

Perhaps our greatest downfalls, our greatest failures come when we are focused on the things of Earth. Perhaps we too seldom think of God and too seldom serve Him only. We are weighted down with meeting the needs of our bosses, our parents, our kids, our spouses, our society, etc., etc.

We have no time to worship God; no time to serve Him only.

...And so we fall into temptation. We fall into sin. We offend God because He isn't really our God. Our gods have become the idols of self, of lust for power, wealth and fame. The gods we serve may serve us well in this life, but what of the life to come?

Who is your God? Will your God be ther for you in the next life? Will He stand with you at the Judgment? If His name is Jesus, He will.

"It is written..."

John

Quietly Coming Home

I got to see something pretty cool last night. At a little bit after 1 o'clock Thursday morning, an MD80 aircraft, bringing several dozen military troops home, arrived in Springfield MO. The chartered airplane parked at the old terminal building to unload its passengers.

These men and women that had been away from their families serving our country, arrived home in the middle of the night with little fanfare. Except...

The guys that man the Fire and Rescue at the airport heard about the flight and wanted to do something to let the passengers know that they are special and that their sacrifice and service is greatly appreciated. They positioned two of the fire trucks to give a "water salute" as the aircraft taxied to the ramp.

The firetrucks station themselves far enough apart that the aircraft can easily taxi between them. As the aircraft approaches, they expel water from their cannons, forming an arch of water over the taxiing aircraft.

What made this really cool was that it was at 1 am, on a dark ramp...and there was nobody there to see it--only the troops themselves and their families. Having a small part in it (coordinating between the vehicles and the pilots) made me feel like it was a personal salute from me and the guys at the firehouse; a personal thank you to the troops; a welcome home. I found myself standing to watch it--not because standing gave me a better view, but because standing seemed like the right thing to do; the respectful thing to do.

I don't know where these troops had served. It really doesn't matter. What matters to their families is that they are safe and they are home.

John

It's Raining, It's Pouring

It's raining in the Ozarks this morning; the first significant rainfall we've had in sometime. I know many people that have been saying how badly we need rain. And I know that we do need the rain, but...

When I was a kid, I never really understood the old people always saying that we needed rain. As a kid, I had little use for rain. I mean I liked playing in the rain if you could talk mom into letting you go outside while it was raining. And I liked riding my bike through the puddles or floating sticks down the water in the ditches after it stopped raining. But rain usually meant no swimming that day, no baseball that night and you were stuck inside with only your siblings to play (fight) with. You didn't get to go outside for recess during the school year and outdoor activities were cancelled--especially if there was lightning with the rain.

All in all, I never really cared if it didn't rain.

Now it's the people my age that seem to be concerned about how badly we need the rain. Notice that I said "people my age" and not me. I know that we need rain for the crop, grass, flowers, animals, yada, yada, yada. And I know that the river levels and lake levels are important for energy production and general water recreation like boating and skiing. Maybe I should be like everybody else and remind others about how we need to pray for rain. I'm pretty much not...if ya know what I mean.

First of all, I say if you're going to pray for rain, why not ask God to have it rain at night? That way we still have all of the wonderful daytime activities to enjoy at our leisure. If you're going to ask, ask for what you really want.

Second of all, I'm guessing that after a few thousand years of playing around with weather systems, making corrections for greenhouse gases, keep watch over the animals and our food supply, that God pretty much has the rain thing the way He wants it.

So if you don't mind, I'll just take what comes without expecting God to cater to my personal preferences as far as the weather goes. After all, He did give us a number of different climates and conditions to choose from and we are free to move to an area more suited to our likes and dislikes. (For example, if you're one of those people that has to have a "white Christmas", don't pray for it to snow in Southern Missouri--move to Iowa. I don't want to have to shovel your snow!) And if you feel that you just have to pray for rain--pray that it rains at night.

Just sayin'.

John

Giving Away Our Rights

When I was just a low seniority Annealing Operator at the aluminum foil factory, everything there was done based on seniority--job bidding, vacation bidding, overtime assignment--everything. Since I didn't have any(seniority), I had relatively few options.

There were those that wanted to change how overtime was assigned. They were guys that had no seniority and wanted to work the overtime that the more senior workers kept taking away from them. (Overtime was assigned to the junior qualified person but somebody with more seniority could take it.) Even though I was a new guy and had no seniority, I was unwilling to trade away my future seniority rights for something that I wanted now.

I think of those times when I continue to read and hear the ongoing discussion of an Islamic community center/Mosque being built near Ground Zero. I wonder how the future would play out if the opposition to this building won and the Muslims were not allowed to build their facility there.

What would happen when a Baptist Church wanted to rent a store front and start a church two blocks from a casino? Could the casino owners cite the "Ground Zero Case" and block them from putting a church too close because it would offend their patrons? Or maybe in a city's downtown area where there are a number of bars, pubs and micro-breweries? Could the businesses block the building or limit the hours so as not to interfere or offend their clientèle?

Imagine the uproar then! Fox News would have camera crews on hand. Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh would fill the airwaves with their self righteous drivel. Jay Sekulow and the ACLJ would descend on that community with lawyers and truckloads of money. Politicians would line up on the side that would fill their campaign coffers with the most money. And the religious right would scream that this is the United States and their Constitutional Rights are being violated!

That's right, the same Constitutional Rights that are being challenged right now for a different organization. You can say that the "Ground Zero Case" is different; that the very land is sacred--but it's not.

I have a very hard time believing that good, well meaning, God fearing Americans are taking a stand to oppose religious freedom. I wonder what the Christian believers that meet in secret in the Middle East would say. I wonder what the believers that risk imprisonment in China would say. Would they be for or against a government deciding where followers of any faith can meet?

By fighting to limit another's religious freedom, we fight to limit our own freedom. When we take away their rights, we also lose our rights. Here, in the United States, we aren't compelled to believe what somebody else believes--but neither are they compelled to believe what we believe. I just don't see why this is so hard to grasp.

If all Muslims are guilty of the 9-11 attack, then try them and put them in prison. But they're not. So why are we putting them on trial and punishing them by limiting their religious freedom? Personally, I cherish my religious freedom...and I'm willing to let somebody else keep theirs so that I can keep mine.

John

Random Thoughts

I'm not sure why I was just thinking about moments of when Hannah was little...but I was. I was remembering that at somewhere between two and three she started talking on the phone. Think back around 15 years ago when most of us still had phones that were tethered to a wall by one of those color coordinated curly cords. Hannah would lift the phone from the cradle and just start jabbering in a one way conversation. I'm sure that it looked exactly like what she saw her mom and dad doing. After we noticed her on the phone, we would tell her to hang up. She always wanted to wait for the man in the phone to tell her...you know, the one that would come on after a while and say, "If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try your call again."

When the man in the phone would tell her to hang up, she would.

When I would call home, Chris would usually answer the phone. On occasion, Aaron would get to it first. Poor Hannah never got to answer the phone. I remember one time when she did and it caught me off guard. I said, "Hey, buddy." And she said, "It's not buddy. It's baby."

I thought it was funny then and it still makes me smile now. Even today when she calls I answer, "Hey, baby!"

******

Every Saturday morning, my blogging friend Bilbo posts Cartoon Saturday. This past Saturday had one that caught my attention.

No, it didn't offend me in any way. It actually made me think of all of the things that we are so very willing to tell our friends, family and co-workers about and yet we fail to tell them about the one thing that should be the most important thing that we have to share with them...the Good News about Jesus.

I'm just as guilty as the next person. I'm quick to tell everybody about a new restaurant, a new dessert or recipe. I'll let you know of a new product I've tried or a blog that I read. I'll tell you about a way around highway construction. I'll tell you about all kinds of things that will have little impact on your daily life and no impact at all on your eternal life. And what makes that so sad and me so pathetic is that I truly believe that Jesus really meant it when He said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

So let me ask you this question, "Have you heard the Good News about Jesus?"

The Good News is that God loves you and Jesus died for you!

Jesus paid the price for our sin. That's what the whole crucifixion thing was all about. He took my place, my punishment, my death...and yet HE LIVES!

It's more than Good News...it's GREAT NEWS!

Tell somebody.

John

Btw, my counter tells me that this is post #500!

Cruisin' Along On Autopilot

It's funny what your mind can think of when you're supposed to be engaged in something else.

Relax, this didn't happen at work; it happened at church.

Of course I was supposed to be engaged in the whole worship experience. That is why we go to church, right? I don't remember what songs we sang or what it was that started me on the thought trail that I ended up on, but the thing that I started thinking about was that my spiritual life has sort of been on autopilot.

In some ways, this is not a bad thing. The little things are taken care of and we're able to cruise right along and everything appears to be okay.

In other ways, this can be a very dangerous thing. Without proper monitoring and occasional adjustments, autopilot can take you to places that you don't want to be.

I started thinking about Payne Stewart. Payne Stewart was a Springfield native and his death in 1999 was a big shock to this area. In this chronology of the events that happened on that day, the entry at 10:52am EST says: ''Aircraft jumped to 44,000.'' (Pentagon spokesman Kenneth Bacon said the plane was ''porpoising,'' fluctuating between 22,000 and 51,000 feet. This may be because it was on auto pilot.)

If the aircraft was configured to climb, it would keep climbing until somebody or something told it to stop climbing, or until it could no longer generate the lift to keep it climbing. Even though the autopilot should be able to do this, there are adjustments that need to be made. Power for a climb is different than power for cruising. Wing configurations are different. Fuel mix is different. Adjustments are subtle but significant. With nobody conscience to make these adjustments, the Lear jet made it way across most of the country climbing and descending as the forces of nature and engineering battled each other until it ran out of fuel and the Laws of Gravity were no longer offset by the lift being generated as the engines pushed the aircraft through the air.

When the Laws of Gravity take effect on an aircraft ten miles above the Earth's surface and there is little or no resistance to the effect, the inevitable happens very quickly and very forcefully.

Maybe that's how it is with our spiritual lives. We go through the highs and lows and either consciously or sub-consciously fail to make the necessary adjustments to keep on track as life's situations change. We make no course corrections. We make no changes to our attitude. Our altitude fluctuates outside of our control and we will eventually crash and burn in a spiritual heap...

Unless we decide to wake up and begin to make the subtle but necessary changes to our attitude and altitude and to make conscience decisions about our course instead of leaving things to the rigid structure of the autopilot.

I know...it's weird. Even more weird that this whole thought process took place in my head in only a few short moments. It's like waking up from a dream that was a whole day in dream time but only minutes have ticked off the clock in real time.

I guess it's time to be more purposeful about my spiritual life--more purposeful about prayer, more purposeful about study, more purposeful about ... worship.

What about you? Everything okay in your spiritual cockpit? Or is it time to kick the autopilot off and make some adjustments?

John

My, How Time Flies

I'm home alone this weekend.

Aaron and Jenny are back in Chicago getting settled in their apartment with the grand haul of gifts from their wedding and getting ready to start classes on Monday. Hannah is getting acclimated to the campus at Columbia College and meeting new friends. Chris and Kathi are returning from Chicago after returning a vehicle to the kids and bringing the gifts that wouldn't fit in the Jeep Liberty.

I've given up on working outside since the temps are in the upper 90's and pushing the 100 degree mark.

I scanned a couple of pictures to post on Facebook and it really got me thinking about how quickly time passes when you examine it against the background of your kids' lives. I've always told Hannah that she will always be my baby. I've told her that even when she has babies of her own, she will still be her daddy's baby--and she will. But clearly, she is no longer a baby. She is a young woman that is striking out on a new adventure that will include quite a bit less of her mom and dad.

I remember the day I took the training wheels off of her bicycle--we didn't see her for the rest of the afternoon. I told Chris then, "Just wait until she gets her driver's license!"

She has always been a free spirit; incredibly independent. While she enjoys going out with friends, she is equally comfortable at home with the company of a good book. She is as talented as she is humble. Hannah had several poems published that we found out about when she filled out her application for the ACT and answered the question about whether she had ever had something published with a "yes". Although writing is her passion, she is also a talented artist. She only took a semester of art in high school, but was able to submit a portfolio worthy of additional scholarship dollars at Columbia College.

Yeah, I'm a proud dad. It'll be quiet around here and I'll miss my coffee drinking buddy...but I guess it's time for one of us to grow up and move on. Good luck with that, Hannah!

John

I Get It--Sort Of

I ran across this article yesterday and am willing to understand it's meaning--to a point.

I know that technology has seemed to trump relationships in many areas. I know that people are losing the skills and abilities to build relationships--to talk to one another in polite and civil manners. But let's not blame social networks for our lack of social graces.

Through Facebook, I have reconnected with many classmates and been able to share some meaningful conversations through messaging or chatting. I've "talked" with relatives and blogging friends from around the world. We've shared thoughts on faith, politics, family life and a host of other subjects.

Social networking, e-mail, texting, tweets, etc., are supposed to be tools of communication. The six kids in my family live in six different states. We keep in touch through Facebook and e-mails. My own kids (now away at two different colleges) are much more likely to respond to a text message than they are a phone call. Because of poor cell reception at my son's apartment, I often chat with him on Facebook.

I'm a talker--aren't most preachers? I love a good conversation. I love face to face conversation (although some faces are easier to converse with than others!). If technology is getting in the way of you having decent personal relationships with people, then by all means, set it aside and get purposeful about building relationships. As for me, I'm going to pass on the technology fast. I think it's a bogus stunt meant to create publicity for a particular church and the thought crosses my mind to delete this post rather than contribute to the cause--but nah, it's written and just a click away from being posted.

Participate if you like...or send me a Facebook message next Wednesday instead!

John