The Little Things

Sometimes the little things can mean a lot.  We've heard that.  But this weekend I was reminded of it from both a positive and a negative perspective.

First, the positive.  I've mentioned here many times my love for a good cup of coffee (here, and here, and here, and here).  When we went out west this summer I found a little place in Flagstaff, AZ where I brought home a bag of brew with the wonderful name of "Danger Monkey."  It's great stuff.  Sadly, it didn't last long.

Being the whiner that I am, I mentioned on Facebook that I had just brewed up my last cup and jokingly said that if anyone was in Flagstaff I'd appreciate them going by and picking up a bag for me.  A lovely couple from our church saw that, got on line and found the company that makes/distributes that particular blend, and ordered me a bag.  They came in on Sunday morning with a bag of beans and a grinder.  Made my day!  

Seems like such a little thing, but it really did cheer me up.  Not just the coffee itself, though I'm loving that!  But just the fact that these folks thought enough to go to such lengths to demonstrate a kindness to me.  What amazing folks, and what a great blessing.  It's the little things. 

Now, for the big negative.  We live out of town a ways with only a handful of houses around us.  When the trees are thin enough, we can see two.  So it's not like we have "next door" neighbors like many folks think about.  Still, you'd think we'd do a better job of making a point to be more neighborly to those closest to us.  We haven't.  And Saturday we came to regret that very much. 

The folks who live across the highway from us, back up the hill, suffered a tragedy.  The wife came running to our door asking for us to call 911; her husband was trapped under a tree.  Turns out, he was on a tractor and the tree had him wedged into the seat.  My son and I ran over and managed to get the tree off of him, but it was obvious that he had already been dead for some time.  Sad, sad day.  

Sad because of the tragic loss of life.  Made even sadder by the fact that we haven't done much over the years to reach out to this older couple and be better neighbors.  We barely know each other's names, wave from time to time when we're both out at the mailbox, etc.  But that's about it.  Once in awhile we took them some peach jam Cheryl had made.  Once he mowed the ditch in front of our house with his tractor.  Little things, but far too few of them. 

I can't help but think of missed opportunities to do some of those little things that would have brightened their day.  Little things that would have helped us build a relationship.  As my wife and I sat with this new widow, trying to offer what comfort we could, our lack of doing any of those little things really stood out to me. 

Here's the point.  I realized this weekend how much some little gesture can mean, and how much regret can be felt for missed opportunities.  So I'm going to do my best to be more mindful, to look for more opportunities to reach out, to offer a little encouragement, buy someone some coffee.  Why don't you do the same?  Find some way to be a huge blessing with just a little effort this week. You'll be glad you did.

Perspective on Education

It's back to school time for most of the students across America.  Even homeschoolers like us are getting back into the groove.  And after a conversation I overheard between a couple of homeschool moms the other day, I thought it might be a good time to do a little reflecting on education in general.

The conversation had to do with the "pressure" homeschool moms feel to live up to everyone else's standards.  The feeling that my kids must excel academically because my extended family is judging me, or the other homeschoolers are watching me, or I have to prove something to the public schools, or whatever.

I remember feeling that way.  When we started homeschooling 15 years ago it wasn't nearly as accepted as it has become.  There weren't nearly as many of us, not nearly as many resources, etc.  Our family thought we were crazy.  Our church family even raised some eyebrows.  We felt like we had something to prove.

Then we remembered something significant.  We didn't start homeschooling because we wanted to churn out the smartest kids.  We did it because we wanted to turn out godly men and women.  That doesn't mean that our academic goals became non-existent.  We have graduated the older two, now, and one is ready to finish her senior year in college.  That makes us very proud.  We have another who will graduate next year, and so getting the next two through college testing (if that's what they choose) certainly makes us sweat.  We still feel that pressure for the kids to "perform."  And with the youngest, we still have years to go.

But aside from any academic achievement, aside from the choir/band/orchestra accomplishments, aside from all that the older three have done with writing and photography, the thing I am most thankful for is that God has graciously answered our prayers.  These older ones are good, godly men and women.  Their faith is solid and growing, and their chief desire is to please Him.  And that's what it's all about.

Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, introduces his collection of instruction by telling us what the purpose of it is:  "To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth." (Proverbs 1:2-4)

The goal is to produce men and women of faith and character.  And that should be our goal in education as well.  Not just the goal of "religious" education.  But the goal of all education.  The fact that this is not the goal of so many in government schools is the primary reason we went the homeschool route to begin with.

Not that public education didn't have this goal at one time.  The original charter for none other than Harvard University stated that the goal of the school was to be sure that every student understood that "the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ...as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning."

Jesus Christ is the foundation of all sound knowledge and learning.  That's the heart of this.  Regardless of what educational option you choose, homeschool, private or government school; you need to understand this.  This is the real goal.  It's not how high their test scores are, it's if they are ready to stand the ultimate test.  If they are ready to stand before God's examination.  All the things of this world will pass away.  It will all be burned up and destroyed, along with all of our degrees and the material things we were able to buy because of them.  As Peter reminds us: "Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness." (2 Peter 3:11)

So, as the kiddos head back to school, wherever that might be, let's keep a proper perspective.  And let's remember that our job as parents is to be sure that we are teaching and training them in righteousness regardless of who is teaching them the other "r"s. 

No Useless Man

"I ain't going to be no useless man."

No one ever said that blues singers were great on grammar.  But regardless, Glenn Kaiser's plea echos my own heart in so many ways.  "Oh Lord, don't let me be no useless man."  It speaks to one of my greatest fears...that my life would be a waste, that my ministry would be without profit for the kingdom, that my race would be run in vain. 

As Paul writes to the Galatians, he speaks of the "fear" he had in going up to Jerusalem to meet with the "men of influence" there.  He wasn't afraid of their "approval" or lack of it.  He was concerned about the fruitfulness of his ministry, that his gospel was not being preached in vain.  He didn't want to be no useless man.  

We have a lot of motivators in life.  Some are motivated by money and success.  Some are motivated by power and influence.  Some are motivated by guilt. I'm motivated by fear.  I know that sounds bad.  Especially when my last post was about destroying the "dark guest" of anxiety in my life.  But it's not that kind of fear.  At least, I don't think it is.  It's a fear of being useless. 

I look out at the folks I minister to on a regular basis, and I consider their lives, and I consider their service to the king, and I consider the maturity of their faith (or the lack of any of that) and I think, "Is what I'm saying making a difference?  Is anyone listening?  Are they growing?  Or am I a useless man?"

I know I'm far from perfect.  I reflected on goals and weaknesses and such a couple posts back in thinking about our ten years in this place.  Maybe I'm still just being overly reflective.  But I don't want to be useless for the kingdom.  I don't want to just take up space in ministry.  I want my life to count for something in kingdom terms.  Maybe that's pride.  It probably is, at least in part.  And I probably need to repent for that.  But I still don't want to be no useless man!

I know I just posted one prayer from the Valley of Vision.  But another has been helpful to me as I think about this issue.  It's called "A Minister's Strength." 

Unchangeable Jehovah

When I am discouraged in my ministry

            and full of doubts of my self,

   fasten me upon the rock of thy eternal election,

     then my hands will not hang down,

     and I shall have hope for myself and others.

Thou dost know thy people by name,

   and wilt at the appointed season

     lead them out of a natural to a gracious state

       by thy effectual calling.

This is the ground of my salvation,

   the object of my desire,

   the motive of my ministry.

Keep me from high thoughts of myself

     or my work,

   for I am nothing but sin and weakness;

     in me no good dwells,

     and my best works are but sin.

Humble me to the dust before thee.

Root and tear out the poisonous weed

     of self-righteousness,

   and show me my utter nothingness;

Keep me sensible of my sinnership;

Sink me deeper into penitence and self-abhorrence;

Break the Dagon of pride in pieces

     before the ark of thy presence;

Demolish the Babel of self-opinion,

     and scatter it to the wind;

Level to the ground my Jericho walls

     of a rebel heart;

Then grace, grace, will be my experience and cry.

I am a poor, feeble creature when faith

     is not in exercise,

   like an eagle with pinioned wings;

Grant me to rest on thy power and faithfulness,

   and to know that there are two things

     worth living for:

   to further thy cause in the world,

   and to do good to the souls and bodies of men;

This is my ministry, my life, my prayer, my end.

Grant me grace that I shall not fail.

Grant me grace that I shall not fail.  Oh Lord, don't let me be no useless man!  Kaiser continues: "Give me the heart of a servant.  Help me to do what I can.  Care for the weak and the lonely.  Not be no useless man."  Amen, and amen.

Now, for any fans of plain old good music, here's the Glenn Kaiser Band with our theme song for the day. 

Destroying the "Dark Guest"

Ooohh.  Sounds like a good title for an episode of Doctor Who or something.  (Sorry, with the announcement of who is to play the next Doctor, it's on my mind).  But this "Dark Guest" isn't some sci-fi/fantasy villain.  It's a real villain, a real threat, and one that haunts all of us at one time or another. 

If you're like me (and I pity you if you are) you have those areas of "un-mortified" sin in your life.  Those things you struggle with time and again.  One of the biggest for me is anxiety.  I can remember even as a kid my mom called me a worrier.  She said worry was what kept me together and if I stopped worrying I'd probably fall apart.  Well, as much as I love my mom and appreciate her wisdom, that was both a right diagnosis and a wrong cure.  I do worry too much, but it doesn't "hold me together", it works at tearing me apart.  And plain and simple, it's sin.

Do I need to remind you off the biblical commands?  "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life..And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?" (Matthew 6:25a, 27)   Or "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (Philippians 4:6).  The list goes on.  Trust me, if you deal with anxiety, you've probably memorized every single verse on the subject. 

Of course, there are lots of other great verses which help to combat that anxiety.  Those come in very handy in the middle of the night when I'm awakened by worry.  But in the end, I still know this is sin; my worry.  And like Paul's prayer to remove his thorn, I go to God asking Him to remove it time and again.  Of course, I also wonder if maybe my anxiety is a thorn like Paul's in more ways than one.  Maybe God leaves it there because He knows I tend to drift from dependence on Him, and my anxiety always drives me back.  Maybe that's bad theology; I don't know. 

Anyway, back to the point (if there is one).  Having this "dark guest" of besetting sin in my life is horribly frustrating.  Yet, I'm glad to know I'm not alone.  I've mentioned before in these "pages" how much I appreciate the Valley of Vision, that wonderful collection of prayers gathered from a variety of Puritan divines.  There is one prayer that is actually entitled "The Dark Guest."  

It's been a help to me from time to time, and so I wanted to share it with you.  Maybe you're struggling with a dark guest of your own.  I want to encourage you that you are not alone, and that God's grace is sufficient even for this.  I especially appreciate the second half of this prayer which begins "O my crucified but never wholly mortified sinfulness!"  Oh the cry of my own heart.  Anyway, here is the whole prayer as posted on the Banner of Truth site.  I hope it helps/encourages someone today. 

O Lord,

Bend my hands and cut them off,

          for I have often struck thee with

   a wayward will,

   when these fingers should embrace thee by faith.

I am not yet weaned from all created glory,

   honour, wisdom, and esteem of others,

   for I have a secret motive to eye my name

     in all I do.

Let me not only speak the word sin, but see

     the thing itself.

Give me to view a discovered sinfulness,

   to know that though my sins are crucified

     they are never wholly mortified.

Hatred, malice, ill-will,

   vain-glory that hungers for and hunts after

   man’s approval and applause,

   all are crucified, forgiven,

   but they rise again in my sinful heart.

O my crucified but never wholly mortified

   sinfulness!

O my life-long damage and daily shame!

O my indwelling and besetting sins!

O the tormenting slavery of a sinful heart!

Destroy, O God, the dark guest within

   whose hidden presence makes my life a hell.

Yet thou hast not left me here without grace;

The cross still stands and meets my needs

   in the deepest straits of the soul.

I thank thee that my remembrance of it

   is like David’s sight of Goliath’s sword

     which preached forth thy deliverance.

The memory of my great sins, my many

   temptations, my falls,

   bring afresh into my mind the remembrance

     of thy great help, of thy support from heaven,

     of the great grace that saved such a wretch

       as I am.

There is no treasure so wonderful

   as that continuous experience of thy grace

      toward me which alone can subdue

        the risings of sin within:

Give me more of it.

Borrowed Light: Pray For Your Wife: 31 Day Challenge

Here's a great idea for all you husbands out there.  It seems a little simplistic on the issue of "accountability" but the idea is a great one.  And what man can't use the encouragement to pray for his wife more?  Read the blog, join the facebook group, or at the very least let this remind you to pray for you wife regularly.


Borrowed Light: Pray For Your Wife: 31 Day Challenge: Last week I listed 7 Reasons Husbands Should Pray for Their Wives . It had a favorable response and so I thought that perhaps we should tak...

10 Years at Faith; and the Truth of Proverbs 16:9

In the first 14 years or so of our married life/ministry, Cheryl and I were much more nomadic that we really wanted to be.   Between school and ministry we were in three states; moved about 9 times (several were local moves, not ministry "changes"); served with homeless ministries, youth ministries, church planting, a mission church on a Sioux reservation, and pastored three Missouri churches.  Sadly, we never seemed to stay anywhere that long. Three years here, four years there. I always dreamed of what it would be like to put down roots, stay somewhere for at least ten years, and enjoy the "benefits" of ministry. 

This Sunday will be the tenth anniversary of my first Sunday as pastor of Faith Southern Baptist.  Ten years.  We only had three children when we came, the oldest of which was only 11.  Now there is a fourth little blessing, the oldest is about to enter her senior year of college, the next one just graduated high school, and the third will graduate next spring.  Lots of things have changed, lots of "life" has passed by.   But what about all those ministry "blessings" I was looking forward to?

Well, I will say that in general I consider having served this congregation for ten years has been an enormous blessing.  There are days when I'm just thankful they let me come back and preach the next Sunday, but then other days when I almost feel like this should be my last Sunday.  I'm learning that many, if not most, pastors have that yo-yo feeling.  However, my "vision" for what would happen in ten years hasn't quite worked the way I thought it would. 

I'm not really sure what I was thinking, what I was hoping for.  I think I believed that after ten years in one place, everything would be a bed of roses, everyone would always love me, the church would become exactly what I thought it should be, etc.  I realize now that there was a lot of "me" in those expectations:  people would love me, what I think the church should be.  I'm learning the lesson I've been trying to teach our church for ten years now:  It's not about me, it's about God.  It's His church, and it's His plans and purposes that reign. 

Proverbs 16:9 says that "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps."  I'm beginning to realize that this means my plans aren't always going to work the way I want them, but that's ok.  It's so much better to let the Lord's plans take center stage.  It may not work the way I want, or look like I want, or have the "success" I want.  But if God is working, His plans are moving forward, then I am enormously grateful and exceedingly blessed.

I wish our church had grown more in ten years.  I wish we had seen our baptistry filled more often.  I wish we had become a more passionate church, with a greater desire for worship.  I wish there had been more spiritual growth and maturity in our membership.  I wish we had raised up more pastors and missionaries in our midst.  I wish we had become more missions minded. I wish we had more fully captured a family-centered mindset.  I wish...

Then I realize.  God probably wishes the pastor had grown more, had become more committed to His Word, had spent more time in prayer, had developed a greater heart for His people.  And the church probably wishes their pastor had loved them more, prayed for and with them more, been more involved in their needs, listened more to their hearts.  So I guess we all have room for improvement, right?

But again, the Lord establishes our steps.  Regardless of how I think things ought to be, I know that when God brought me here ten years ago, it was His plan for me to be right here today.  I don't think we should ever be satisfied as a church, ever feel like we've done enough, grown enough, or "arrived."  But we should take great comfort in knowing that God is at work, He is in the process of molding and shaping us into the people He wants us to be, and we need simply to be faithful in continuing to seek Him, to seek His will, to seek His glory in all things.  And in that we'll find our blessings.  In that, I'll find my blessings. 

I honestly pray that ten years from now, I'll be looking back at 20 years at Faith.  I know that if I do, I will look back and think "I wish we had done more..., been more..., grown more..."  And the church will probably look back and think "we wish the pastor had done more..., been more..., grown more..."  But I hope I also look back and realize what a great blessing it is to serve the Lord for ten minutes, let alone ten years, or twenty years.  I hope I realize that the "blessings" I'm looking for in ministry are staring me right in the face each and every day.  And I pray that I, and that we, will still be seeking Him, His will, and His glory in all things.  And as He orders our steps, we will be content to walk with Him wherever He leads. 

The Return of the Intolerant "Tolerance" Folks

Almost exactly one year ago today I posted a little piece about the hypocrisy of the "tolerance" crowd.  Those who yell so loudly about how we ought to tolerate their lifestyles, while at the same time disallowing anyone to disagree with them.  In fact, I suggested that we have redefined "tolerance" to mean not just allowing a view to be stated, but to agree with it.  To be tolerant in the world's eyes, I not only have to allow homosexuality to be expressed, I have to support it.  Read that post for the evidence. 

Now, a year later, there is another example in an ever growing list of examples that show those who support the liberal, pro-gay, pro-death agenda violently opposing anyone who would dare disagree with them.  Watch this. 

My heart breaks when I see this.  Not only for the poor guy holding the sign.  Not only for the violent marchers blinded by their sin and led to rage and bitterness.  But for our nation as a whole.  What have we become when we are so blinded by the so-called "tolerance" crowd that we can't see how hypocritical this is? 

If this had been a group of Christians attacking a homosexual holding a sign, it would be all over the media for months on end.  We would be hearing non-stop about those cruel, heartless, hate filled Christian bigots who attacked this poor innocent protestor.   But because it was a group of gay pride marchers attacking a Christian, well that's ok.  We'll let that one slide. 

It is a sad, sad day in America when this can happen.  In the midst of all the "racial" outcries over Trayvon Martin's tragic death, in the midst of all the cries for equal rights for homosexuals in marriage, in the midst of all the talk about tolerance, and curbing violence against those who are "different", etc. we sit back and ignore this outrageous behavior.  As one young man said to me after viewing this, "God is not smiling on America right now."  How very true.  And how very sad.  And chances are, at the rate we're going, it's only going to get worse.   

I've always hated the "sky is falling" alarmists, but the truth is, persecution for the true Church is coming to America.  We're seeing glimpses of it all over. And we had better be prepared as those who have fought for "tolerance" will eventually lead our nation to their desired end, the complete intolerance of Christianity. 

Does Truth Matter?

You have to be living in a cave not to know about the whole Zimmerman/Martin case down in Florida.  It seems we can't get away from it.  What fascinates me about the whole thing is how different people can look at supposedly the same set of facts and come up with such wide ranging conclusions and reactions.  The jury, arguably the ones who heard most of the actual facts in the case, rendered a verdict of not guilty.  Thousands of people around the world, who granted have only heard the facts as presented by the media and so called "civil rights" folks, disagree so strongly with that verdict that they are willing to go on a rampage.

Now, apart from the ridiculous nature of that kind of response to one of thousands of similar cases that happen all the time in various circumstances, the question is: what is truth, what are the facts, and do they matter?

Liberal groups are protesting and attacking Florida's "Stand Your Ground" Law which allows citizens to defend themselves.  Interestingly enough, Zimmerman's lawyers never even appealed to that law in their defense. That's the truth.  That's the fact.  But does it matter?  Apparently not.  

This whole thing raises an important question.  Does truth matter?  Not just in this case, but in general?  Part of the problem comes from defining truth.  In this case, the jury saw truth in one way, the protesters believe the truth is something different.  So is truth just what we believe?  Or is it something else that stands outside of our belief?

I would argue the latter.  Truth is truth, period.  It's true whether you believe it or not, accept it or not, embrace it or not, discover it or not, etc.  It is true, and it doesn't change.  In this legal battle, there is a chance that we may never know the whole truth.  Only the two men involved know all the facts, the full truth.  Again, a jury heard the facts as presented and rendered their opinion on the truth.  Others hear the media firestorm, stoked by pictures of a much younger and innocent looking Martin, and believe the truth to be something else.  But there is only one truth in this case.

Does truth matter?  Or are we satisfied with having our emotions charged by "beliefs"?  And again, this is a question that reaches well beyond this one case.  In fact, it is a question with eternal consequences.  Because ultimately, truth has to do with the the Truth of God.

It's interesting how when discussing truth, we usually look at the facts, but when it comes to religion, we redefine truth in terms of preference.  It's objective vs. subjective truth.  And the swapping of those two is what leads some to say ridiculous things like "all religions are true," or "what's true for you is fine, and what's true for me is fine, even if they are different."  Really?

So, I can say that the world is flat, and you can say that it's square, and that's fine for both of us even though the facts, the truth is that the world is round.  How silly.  It doesn't matter what you "believe" to be true, or how sincerely you believe it.  Truth is true, period. 

Stop and consider the basic logic of things.  Hindus believe in thousands of gods.  Buddhists believe in no god.  Jews and Muslims believe in one God in one person.  Christians believe in One God, but in Three Persons.  How can all of those be true at the same time?  They might all be false, but they can't all be true.

Eastern religions believe in reincarnation and working toward eternal bliss.  Muslims and Jews believe in various forms of "works" salvation.  Christianity believes in grace through the finished work of Christ on the cross.  They can't all be true, no matter how much we believe them.

Here's the point. Truth matters.  Eternity is an awfully long time to be wrong.  So examine the facts.  Don't let emotionalism and "belief" get in the way.  Look at the historical facts and you'll find that only Christianity lines up with the Truth.  Jesus Christ came and died on the cross, and rose again.  Historical facts.  Doesn't matter how the "jury" or the "media" interprets the facts, they are facts.  It's true.  It's the Truth.

My favorite example is the old bumper sticker that says "God said it, I believe it, that settles it."  And my argument has always been:  God said it, that settles it whether you believe it or not.  Truth is true.  God has set it before us.  Whether you "believe" it or not doesn't change the reality of it.  So we'd better check the facts and embrace the true Truth.  Because, again...eternity is a long time to be wrong. 

Curbing our Patriotism?

In my last post (which was almost two weeks ago...wow....is anyone still out there?) I wrote about the current state of our nation compared to the mindset, beliefs, etc. of our founding fathers.  Surely, we've come a long, long way from those beginnings.  But how much time should we spend focused on "bringing the nation back"?

I'm in the midst of preparing an adult VBS study on developing a biblical worldview, and one of the video presentations I'm planning to use traces the history of that worldview in our nation.  It points out that our founding fathers had a well developed biblical worldview, that is seeing all things through the lens of Scripture, through the eyes of faith, etc.  (As you know, worldview studies takes in a bit more than that, but for the sake of this post, that oversimplified summary should do.)  We indeed have a proud heritage as Americans when it comes to this. 

The presenter goes on the bemoan the current state of things, which he is right to do.  But at what point to we take this too far?  At what point does this consideration of our rich national past sidetrack us from our proper biblical role of preaching the gospel and making disciples?  

If you've read anything in these cyber-pages, you know that I'm a proud American, have been immensely active in political things, and have a strong desire to see our nation return to its biblical roots.  But at what point do we let our patriotism overshadow our kingdom responsibilities. 

One of the things that concerns me about presentations like the one I'm using, is an almost one-to-one application of God's dealings with Israel, and God's dealings with America.  We act as if God's defense of His chosen nation in the past, now applies to America today.  It may not always be in the extreme of some of those radical reconstructionist types, but there is a undercurrent in much of modern "evangelicalism" that tends to truly see America as the chosen people of God, and equates our current woes as a nation with Israel's disobedience.

We do know that the USA is not Israel, right?  In fact, controversial as it may be with some, modern Israel is not Israel.  (I guess I shouldn't digress into the whole idea of the Church being the inheritors of the promise and the spiritual children of Abraham and the dividing wall being torn down between Jew and Gentile and God making one new man out of both, so...moving along)  

This is a wonderfully blessed nation.  We've enjoyed unprecedented freedoms.  And yes, we have moved far from the foundations that gave us those freedoms, and yes, we may even suffer as a nation because of it.  But is our job as the Church of Christ to save the "nation" or to make disciples of all nations?  Is our focus to be on trying to reinstate biblical principles in our government, or is it to see men and women come to faith in Christ, to become fully devoted followers of Him?  

Now, two things.  One, as good Christians citizens it is our right and responsibility to be involved in the political process.  I've argued that case over and over.  We should be involved as citizens.  And two, the truth is that if we saw men and women truly come to Christ, if we saw a genuine revival across this nation, it couldn't help but have an impact on society, government, etc.  So the two goals are not necessarily mutually exclusive. 

But how much of our time and energy should be focused on that vs. our Kingdom responsibilities?  Is our national patriotism to supplant our Kingdom commitment? Do we need to curb our patriotism, in the sense that while being involved is a good things, spending too much time on "national" issues to the neglect of "church" issues is not a good thing? 

Drawing the lines can be tough, sometimes.  I'm certainly not going to be less involved in voting, in my support of the Constitution Party, etc.  But maybe I need to be more worried about the men and women God has placed right in front of me; seeing them come to know Christ; placing my Kingdom Citizenship in front of my American Citizenship.  Just some thoughts. 

The America We Celebrate No Longer Exists

Tomorrow, all over the country, there will be parades and picnics and pyrotechnics.  Even though July 4^th is not the official date of the writing or signing of the Declaration of Independence (read here), it is the day we’ve set aside for celebrating our national independence.  We celebrate the founding of our great nation, and remember the boldness and sacrifice of those who worked so hard and fought so bravely to ensure that founding.  Sadly, what those men and women stood for and fought for is hardly recognizable today.

Our founding fathers, regardless of the liberal rewriting of history, were people of faith.  The freedom of religion was a prize for which they came to this land, and for which they fought.  Freedom of religion, not just freedom of worship.  The two are different.  One allows expression of faith in all walks of life, the other simply allows your church to meet.  Today we have freedom of worship (mostly), but have less and less freedom of religion.  Sure you can believe what you want, as long as you don’t share it or show it (especially if you’re Christian).

Our founding fathers were people of morality.  Family, life, godliness were all near and dear to them.  Today, we’ve devolved our “freedom” into the freedom to kill unborn children, to pervert nature and morality with so-called “gay marriage”, to pursue whatever ungodly lifestyle we want.  While at the same time those who promote Christian values, the same values our founders held fiercely to, are scorned and treated as outcasts, even as criminals.

Our founding fathers established a nation of free states, escaping the unwanted intrusion of the king’s representatives in our homes, our businesses and our churches.  Today, “Big Brother” continues to grow out of control, spying on its own citizens, taxing them into poverty, seeking to control more and more of their lives, right down to the kinds of “sugary drinks” you’re allowed to enjoy.  The Federal Government continues to ignore the 10^th Amendment, acting as if the states are beholden to D.C. rather than the other way around.

Please don’t misunderstand.  I love this land.  I consider myself to be blessed to have been born in the grandest nation on earth.  And tomorrow, I’ll take part in a parade, get together with family for food and fireworks, and have a good time.  But the celebration, for me, is still tinged with a bit of sadness.  Sadness because I know this isn’t the land those great men and women fought to establish; their words have been twisted, their lives often ignored, their beliefs ridiculed.  Sadness because I know that on our current path, many of the freedoms we now enjoy will not be enjoyed by our children; many of the blessings we enjoy, they will miss out on.  Sadness because the America we celebrate, in many ways, no longer exists.

And yet, in some ways that may be a good thing.  Maybe it will wake up the Church of Christ and help us to separate the gospel from the American Dream.  Maybe it will help us to see that while we appreciate the freedoms we have in this great land, true freedom is in Christ, and Christ alone.  It’s a freedom enjoyed by brothers and sisters all over the world, in all sorts of government systems, in all sorts of socio-economic conditions.  Maybe we need that reminder. 

Or maybe I need to stop being so gloomy and go shoot off a few fireworks.  Yeah, that’ll make it all better.