Not Proud

God has prescribed a manner in which He desires for His people to walk; spelled out in His Word,
and He calls us to a life of purity, reflecting His plan. 1st Thessalonians 4 says:
1 Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God;
2 for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality...

In a sense this is Paul's "last word" in this first book to the church at Thessalonica.  He challenges the people to do what they've been taught and to abstain from behaviors that the Bible cautions against. We are not to seek to redefine the concepts that He has defined for us in His Word.  If we compromise His principles, then we run the risk of living a life that is contrary to His heart for us. Even though the world may not accept the teachings of the Word and render those of us who do accept them as intolerant, God wants us to be intent on living according to His ways.

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God created you in a certain way to live in a certain manner.  He determined your design and your biological gender, and He wants you to know Christ and live according to His ways.  1st Corinthians
6 warns about getting caught up in forms of sexuality that do not reflect His standards:
18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

The BBC website has released a story about what has been referred to as the world's "first transgender doll," which of course has attracted attention. The site states, "Thousands of tweets about the product unveiled by the Tonner Doll Company have been posted since it was announced that the doll would make its first appearance at this week's New York Toy Fair."

The story says that the doll is "modelled on a teenage activist who was born a boy, but lives as a female. Jazz Jennings shot to fame when she was interviewed about her gender dysphoria by US TV presenter Barbara Walters."

Gender dysphoria?  So, how is that defined?  The American College of Pediatricians states on its website, in a piece updated last month:

Gender dysphoria (GD), formerly listed as Gender Identity Disorder (GID), is a recognized mental disorder in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-V)...The psychodynamic and social learning theories of GD/GID have never been disproved.

The first of many points about so-called "gender identity" on the website is this:

Human sexuality is an objective biological binary trait: “XY” and “XX” are genetic markers of male and female, respectively – not genetic markers of a disorder. The norm for human design is to be conceived either male or female. Human sexuality is binary by design with the obvious purpose being the reproduction and flourishing of our species. This principle is self-evident.

So, here is a toy company that is glorifying what has been considered to be a "disorder."  The model for the doll, Jazz Jennings, is quoted by the BBC website as saying, though:

As for Jazz's reaction to the doll, she wrote: "I love her. A portion of my proceeds will be donated to help trans youth who are struggling.

"I hope that it can place transgender people in a positive light by showing that we are just like all other people.

"Of course it is still just a regular girl doll because that's exactly what I am: a regular girl!"

Well, except for that element called "biology."  He was born as a male, and even though he may like to do girl things or even "identifies" as a girl, biology, God's design, actually says otherwise.  It's interesting how the so-called progressives like to trumpet "science" when dealing with things such as origins or climate change, but when human biology comes into question, "identity" or "feelings" rule the day.

Jazz apparently wants to be "just like all other people," but he's not!!  And, the LGBTQ community doesn't want to be considered that way - they want to be treated differently and in some cases, in a superior manner.  Equality is not the goal here.

But, those who struggle with their innate gender, not "assigned" by the doctor who delivered them, or those who have an issue with same-sex attraction, there is help.  That is a great talking point from this commentary today - when we struggle with an area of sin, there is forgiveness and victory.  I believe that through the application of the word and the power of the Spirit, released through prayer - individual and intercessory, we can see God do a might internal work.  If we are suffering from a medical malady, there is strength and the possibility of healing.  If we are experiencing a particularly dark time in our lives, there is hope to keep going.

But, we have to be willing to allow God to work in our hearts.  Sometimes, stubbornness or self-reliance will get in the way and we block the flow of God's Spirit to transform us.  There are those who, out of pride, will hold on to that sin and even choose to be identified by it.  But, God wants our identity to be in Him.  He has designed us and desire for us to be re-created, regenerated through the presence of Christ.

We also recognize that we have the opportunity to be compassionate to those who are struggling. Jesus welcomes all who want to come to Him; but in His love, He doesn't leave people in the same state in which they came.   So, we can respond to those struggling with sin - which, incidentally, is all of us - with the love of Christ.

It Starts Here

In Psalm 86, we see a passage that extols the power and the exclusivity of the one true God:
8 Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; Nor are there any works like Your works.
9 All nations whom You have made Shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And shall glorify Your name.
10 For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God.

In our spiritual formation, we start with God, the Creator and Ruler of the Universe. Seated at His right hand is Jesus, His Son, who is risen from the dead and has raised us up with Him.  He has given us His word to provide insight into His nature and instruction to His people.  We are called to follow the Lord Most High and allow the Scriptures to be our absolute authority regarding who God is and how we relate to Him.  Humanity's ideas about God should always be driven by the Word, not a God who is conjured up in the frail wisdom of mankind.

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The Bible gives us tremendous insight into the nature of God, and we recognize that we have been created by Him, in His image, rather than Him being "created" in the futility of human wisdom. Isaiah 40 says:
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.

Hold on to your remotes!  Hollywood seems to be set to serve up some material that deals with faith-related topics.  While we cannot expect film producers that don't live in that world to get it right regarding matters related to the Bible, you can only hope that they might get in the ballpark, at least not to the extent of offending Christians and maybe offer some insight into the importance of faith.

Here's what's on the menu:

The Hollywood Reporter states that the CBS has "handed out a pilot order to comedy Living Biblically, based on the book The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs.  It reports that, "The project centers on a modern-day man who, at a crossroads in his life, decides to live life according to the Bible."   It is being written by Patrick Walsh, associated with 2 Broke Girls  and will be executive produced by Johnny Galecki of The Big Bang Theory.

So, how about the source material?  Noted pastor and book reviewer Tim Challies said:

Jacobs is at his best in this book when seeking the heart of the biblical commandments, when rather than just blindly following the commands he is seeking the reason God gave them and attempting to obey not the letter but the spirit. He is at his worst when he is being deliberately Pharisaical, seeking to adhere to the letter rather than the spirit.

Challies observes:

In the end of it all, Jacobs seems to be little better off than when he began. He remains agnostic but somehow feels he can and should pray (to whom? to what end?). He has discovered some cultural Jewish roots but does not seem to have found any true faith. He has discovered the value of the sacred, but continues to forsake God.

So, if the sitcom makes it to the network lineup, you might have to measure the "Biblical" content with the Bible itself.   In the "year of" category of books, a better choice might be former guest on The Meeting House, Sara Horn, and My So-Called Life as a Submissive Wife: A One-Year Experiment...and Its Liberating Results.  The founder of Wives of Faith, which reaches out to military wives, has also written My So-Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife: A One-Year Experiment…and Its Surprising Results.

The Hollywood Reporter notes that networks are re-evaluating their programming during this season of pilots, and that, "Dramas and comedies that appeal to the heartland...have been among this season's hottest trends" It points out:

Of those pickups, military dramas (and comedies) have been hot as well as religious programming. ABC has drama The Gospel of Kevin, which follows a down-on-his-luck guy who is tasked by God with a mission to save the world, and NBC has drama For God and Country, which explores personal sacrifices of the members of the military.

Meanwhile, over at Fox, it looks like Queen Latifah is developing her own Bible-related series, a drama called, The Scroll.  The Hollywood Reporter states that:

From Holly Carter's faith-based Releve Entertainment production company, The Scroll will reimagine some of the Bible's most popular stories in the present day, through a group of friends and colleagues who are modern-day versions of some of the Bible's most notable characters. If it is picked up to series, The Scroll would become the first-ever contemporary drama series based on the best-selling book of all time.

NBC has tried its hand at a religiously-themed comedy this season with The Good Place with Kristen Bell and Ted Danson, in which the main character is sent to the "good place" in the afterlife by mistake.  Plugged In's review says:

While The Good Place isn't designed to challenge anyone's faith—it's really just too silly for that—it certainly runs counter to what most Christians believe about heaven. This "Good Place" is for do-gooders, as measured by secular, progressive standards of goodness, circa 2016.

As Plugged In points out, Danson's character states: "each of the world's religions only figured out five percent of the big picture." Seems the only requirement to get in is to be good.

Well, the danger with portraying religion in entertainment is that it is expressed in the eyes of the writers, producers, and directors.  And, too often, I think you can see that God is made in the image of man instead of recognizing that we are in the image of God.  The filmmakers' view of God drives the process, and the god that they come up with may be very different than the God of the Bible.
That's not to say exposure to religious content can't give Christians opportunities for reflection and perhaps even for conversation with other about faith matters, but we can't always expect entertainment types to get the basics right.  Now if your name is Kendrick, Erwin, Devon Franklin, or Mark Burnett and Roma Downey - another story...they have a proven track record of handling faith with care.  Others, I would say, not so much.

So, when consuming faith-related entertainment products, proceed with care.  And, there's something else that I want to point out.  I chide film and TV producers for making God in their own image. We have to guard against doing the same thing in our own lives.  It is critical that we allow the Scriptures to shape our view of God.  And, in our decision-making, we can be challenged to follow the direction of the Spirit and be obedient to Him, rather than coming up with our own plan of action and asking God to bless it.  In our spiritual growth, we start with Him and His Word, then allow Him to direct our thinking and ultimately how we act.

Giving Up and Giving All

In Psalm 57, the writer is exhibiting his trust in the Lord, even in times of challenge. We can read:
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth.
6 They have prepared a net for my steps; My soul is bowed down; They have dug a pit before me; Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise.

I hope that can be each of our declarations - that we have a steadfast heart.  In an age in which confusion reigns, we can exhibit the hope that is ours in Christ.  And, we can "fine tune" our devotion to Him, perhaps identifying areas that we need to work on, trusting that the internal work of the Spirit will occur.  When we are weak, we can release and depend on His strength - when we are anxious or in turmoil, He brings perfect peace.  His grace is sufficient and His resources are powerful.

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God is calling us to a committed walk with Him - the Bible calls us to be steadfast, consistent in our
devotion to Christ.  Consistency does not mean complacency, and there will be times when the Spirit will direct us to place special emphasis on areas that need to be shored up in our lives.  Colossians 1 says:
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled
22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight--
23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Around the South, you hear quite a bit about Mardi Gras these days.   Mobile, Alabama was the site of the first Mardi Gras parade, and New Orleans has also become quite a Mardi Gras destination. The practice is intended to be a time of revelry, a significant party time before things get serious, spiritually speaking, on Ash Wednesday, which is the official beginning of Lent, when some Christian believers will don ashes on the forehead to signify submission to God.  It's a bit of a juxtaposition, isn't it?  Party till you drop, then go without as some part of a spiritual ritual.

That, of course, isn't the way the ebb and flow of the Christian life is supposed to be.  We are called to submit to the Lord and allow Him to control our lives - daily, and not try to live so close to the edge that we accommodate sinfulness, knowing that we can be forgiven or thinking that total surrender isn't what salvation is made of.  It's errant thinking - and dangerous spiritually.

But, ritual and sacrament can help draw us closer to the Lord and help to reinforce our spiritual growth.  Take, for instance, the practice of Advent, a way to restore a Christ-centered focus to the Christmas season that many believers practice.  To me, Lent offers a similar opportunity. It consists of the time period of 40 days before Easter Sunday, excluding Sundays.  According to a new LifeWay Research survey, reported on in a Christianity Today story, about one in four Americans and around three out of ten evangelicals observe it by choosing to "give up" some area of their lives.  Just over six of ten Catholics observe it.

I think such acts of surrender can be rewarding spiritual practice, and I appreciate what U.S. Senate Chaplain Barry Black said yesterday about fasting a meal a day for six months leading up to the election.

So, what do people typically give up for Lent?  The LifeWay survey found that among Americans who observe Lent, fasting from a favorite food or beverage and going to church are the two most common ways - each with 57% of those surveyed. 39% responded with "Pray more," and 38% said they would give to others. Cutting down on habitual sin is also a relatively common practice, with 35% saying that is part of their Lent observance. 23% said they fasted from a favorite activity.

Lent begins next Wednesday, March 1st.  And, I want to offer some thoughts relative to the Lenten season.  First of all, Christ calls us to give all; all the time.  While celebrating Lent or Advent, or other spiritual rituals can help reinforce our relationship with Him, we also recognize that our greatest experience of His life comes as we lay our own lives down.

But, we can be careful to identify areas in our own lives where we need work.   Yes, I know this can be overwhelming at times, when we consider our own inadequacies and sinfulness, but we can ask the Spirit to show us what He wants to do, and allow Him to guide us through special emphasis on certain components of spiritual growth.

And, I do believe that He is calling us to a consistent walk.  Not an up-and-down Christianity, where we engage in seasons of willful sin, followed by times of repentance and sorrow.  We will have times of weakness, but in those times, we can draw more wholeheartedly on His strength.

Pronouncing Policy

We see some standards for good political leadership in Proverbs 29:
2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.
3 Whoever loves wisdom makes his father rejoice, But a companion of harlots wastes his wealth.
4 The king establishes the land by justice, But he who receives bribes overthrows it.

Now, we cannot always count on righteous individuals to be in leadership over us, but we can seek to pray for and even influence our leaders to do righteous things.  Even though many had questions about the morality of our current President, including many who voted for him, he has surrounded himself with a healthy number of Christian people.   We can be encouraged to pray for our national, state, and local leaders, so that they will create a condition under which the people can rejoice.

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We have been placed in this world to live our lives and to speak God's truth - and that may involve
speaking truth to power or speaking out regarding important issues. 1st Peter 2 says:
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme,
14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.

But how do you do that?  That is a question that Southern Baptist leaders are attempting to answer, and it could be a major topic to be debated at the body's upcoming convention meeting in Phoenix.

With over 15 million members, it is reported that the Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S.   Southern Baptists have been known for their faithfulness to Scripture and spreading the message of the gospel.

With those types of numbers, they have a unique, powerful voice in matters of public policy.  And, when you consider that there has been a difference of opinion emerge over the last few years about how that should be expressed, then that is certainly noteworthy.

Perhaps a "shot heard around the world" in this debate came recently when the large Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas made a significant announcement, according to a Baptist Press article:

A Dallas-area megachurch has decided to escrow Cooperative Program funds temporarily in order to evaluate future support of Southern Baptist Convention causes.

At issue are what the congregation calls "various significant positions taken by the leadership of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission that do not reflect the beliefs and values of many in the Southern Baptist Convention," according to a statement the church released to Louisiana's Baptist Message newsjournal.

This would be about a million dollars annually.

The article also references some comments made by church pastor Jack Graham, a former SBC president and current member of President Trump's team of evangelical advisors.  Louisiana Baptist Message editor Will Hall had asked Pastor Graham about what he had said to The Wall Street Journal:

At issue, Graham said in the interview, was alleged "disrespectfulness" by ERLC President Russell Moore toward evangelical supporters of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Moore, who publicly opposed Trump during the primary and general election cycles, said in a December blog post he never intended to criticize all evangelicals who supported Trump.

Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist of Dallas, also was quoted by the Journal, according to a Religion News story, which said:

The Journal quoted Robert Jeffress, senior pastor at First Baptist Dallas and a Trump supporter, who said members of his church don’t believe the ERLC “represents our church’s beliefs.”

Hall has comprised a number of quotes from Moore, including a reference in a 2016 editorial to what he had told the New York Times:

In an editorial for the New York Times, Moore called evangelicals’ support for Trump “illogical” and declared “these voters must repudiate everything they believe” in backing Trump.

It must be noted that 80% of white evangelicals cast a ballot for the current resident of the White House.

And, lately, Dr. Moore has made comments regarding Trump's refugee policies. ERLC is still listed as a member of the so-called Evangelical Immigration Table.

Mark Tooley of the Institute on Religion and Democracy wrote this back in 2013:

Popular evangelical author and commentator Eric Metaxas has quit the Evangelical Immigration Table (EIT), citing its ties to leftist billionaire George Soros.

Metaxas Tweeted his announcement late this afternoon: “Did you know George Soros was behind the Immigration thing I signed but then had my name taken off? Yikes.”

Attached was a link to a report about Soros funding for the National Immigration Forum, of which EIT is a program. Likely very few of the prominent evangelicals endorsing EIT knew of its ultimate ties to leftist donors like Soros.

Well, according to the EIT website, the organizations that comprise the leadership of this organization include: the Council of Christian Colleges & Universities, ERLC of the Southern Baptist Convention, Korean Churches for Community Development, the National Association of Evangelicals, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, The Wesleyan Church, World Relief, and World Vision.

As we consider some takeaways from this discourse, I want to return to the Baptist Press article, which also states:

Some Southern Baptists also have criticized the ERLC for joining a friend of the court brief last May in support of a New Jersey Islamic society's right to build a mosque. The International Mission Board joined the brief as well, and IMB President David Platt apologized Feb. 15 for the divisive nature of the action.

Another story at Baptist Press discusses the issue.  Platt is quoted as saying: "I can say with full confidence...that in the days ahead, IMB will have a process in place to keep us focused on our primary mission: partnering with churches to empower limitless missionary teams for evangelizing, discipling, planting and multiplying healthy churches, and training leaders among unreached peoples and places for the glory of God."

Again, this is a large denomination, so these trains of thoughts are important to highlight and discuss. But, in the end, all Christians, regardless of denomination or cultural background, can recognize there is much that unites us - hopefully, a desire to see the gospel spread to unbelievers and for believers to grow in the knowledge of God.   We may have differences, but we should seek to be unified on the essentials of the faith.

The media, no doubt, finds there is quite a story when there is division in the Church.  And, as I have said, we can be diverse without being divided.   Jack Graham is quoted in Baptist Press as saying that "...our desire is not to seek publicity so we can make the right decision for our church and Southern Baptists."  And, that's the way it ought to be - too often, the rancor becomes the story rather than the reasons that have led to it.  Pray that Christians who disagree will always exercise civility and venture toward meaningful conversation.

Christians, I believe, should be involved in matters of public policy - that's why often I discuss the issues of the day, attempting to highlight a Biblical worldview perspective.  We can prayerfully wrestle internally, as well as with others, how we are to respond, but we should certainly not draw back from speaking the truth.  In dealing with these matters, ultimately, we recognize to Whom we belong and realize we are representing Him.

Right Place, Right Time

Jesus gives us the capacity to be merciful to other people, and we demonstrate His mercy as we are
sensitive to opportunities that He may bring our way. Luke 6 says:
36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.
37 "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

This is the mindset, the stance for our life in Christ, which I believe is marked by generosity.  I also believe the Bible teaches that God will give us the means and the opportunity to bless other people, and in so doing, we testify to what He has given us - salvation through Jesus Christ!  He gave His life, and we respond by giving our lives to Him.  He has not granted us salvation merely to keep it to ourselves, but to be willing to share in a world that needs to be touched with the gospel.

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In 2nd Corinthians 9, we encounter the teaching that God gives us resources so that we, in obedience to Him, can minister to others:
10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,
11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.

You know the drill - you go into the local department store or grocery store and see a family that seems a bit frazzled; they've filled their cart, they have maybe one, two or three kids that are behaving a bit, unruly, perhaps even begging for whatever treats are there at the checkout line.  They're just not having a good day!  And, the whole process of checking out is just not pleasant, either.  You've been there, right?  Or, that may even be you.

Well, this was the situation the Jordan family from South Carolina found themselves in recently.  And the mom, Ashley Jordan, posted about her experience on Facebook.  The story was picked up by WLTX television station, as well as Faithwire.com.   Ashley had posted:

It was another dreaded shopping trip trying to buy groceries for a family of 5. We got as much stuff as we could get on my husband's income since I'm a Stay at Home Mom. We literally dread going to Walmart and buying groceries period because my husband's whole check goes to food for our family.

Now, pay careful attention to this account from the WLTX website:

Sharnique Dasant, a customer service manager at the Walmart on Garners Ferry Rd., says she had other plans for her Saturday night.

"I was supposed to go to my mom's fashion show," Dasant said, "I wasn't able to go because of work."

Dasant says when she got on a register, it did not have bags so she had to switch.

"After I moved to that register, that's when Ashley came into the line," Dasant said.

Did you catch that?  Sharnique wasn't supposed to be there at all.  And, she was supposed to be at another register.

Sharnique relates, ""She started putting her stuff up, her baby was crying, she had her husband with her." She then added, "As we're scanning and scanning, she got in front of me and it's like I saw a different face on her," adding,. "And I just had like a little man on my shoulder that was like, 'Give her a $100 dollars, give her $100 dollars.' And I was like, 'give her $100 dollars?' Like, I'm talking to myself like, 'Give her 100 dollars!'"

The story continues:

"So I was like, I said, 'Yeah, God told me to give you $100 dollars,'" Dasant said, "and she said 'What? What? What are you talking about?' So I said, 'He told me to give you $100 dollars.' So I went ahead and I slid my card. I went around the register and I slid it for her."

In Ashley Jordan's Facebook post, which is now at over 28,000 responses, she writes, "...you truly are a blessing and you will never realize how much you helped us out and how much faith you have put back into our hearts."

Sharnique didn't have to, but it could be that she indeed felt a prompting from God, which a local media outlet deemed as newsworthy.  In an age where so much news seems to skew negative, it's important that we focus regularly on where God is working.  I don't know what the pay scale for a Walmart cashier might be, but I would imagine $100 is significant.  But, this young lady was apparently obedient to God, and I believe that He will bless her obedience.  As 2nd Corinthians 9 teaches us, He provided some seed to be used for His glory.

I also want to return to the orchestration of events here.  Sharnique wasn't "supposed" to be at work that night, but she was.  She moved to another register, and the Jordans appeared.  Think back on a situation perhaps in your own life when plans or circumstances changed, but you realize that you were just where you were supposed to be.  I believe God had a plan to bless the Jordans, and of course, to make Sharnique a participant in His grand plan.

I was reminded of the series of events depicted in the upcoming film, The Case for Christ, which is the story of how noted Christian apologist Lee Strobel came to Christ.  In the movie, Lee and his wife, Leslie, are in a restaurant when their young daughter starts choking.  A lady, who is a nurse, steps forward to help save the girl's life.  She attributes it to God, which attracts Leslie's attention - she begins to attend church, and this sets Lee, a journalist, on a search to disprove his wife claims about Christ.  That didn't go so well - ultimately, Lee became a Christian and has impacted many with his teachings on Christian apologetics.  The movie premieres April 7, with a special one-night-only event on the 6th, featuring a Q&A with the Strobels.

Our main takeaway for today is that God is working, and when He calls, when His Spirit prompts, it's important that our hearts are in a position so that we respond to Him.   The question becomes: are we listening?  Are we in a spiritually sensitive state so that when He directs, we are quick to obey.  We can also examine whether or not we operate out of a sense of generosity, as believers in the One who gave His life for us.

Losing Focus

We have been deployed to this world in order to be an effective witness for Christ. We represent Him, and our thoughts and deeds should line up with His truth:
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

We are called to share a message that represents the Lord, and we are to do so in a way that is Biblical, compelling, and compassionate.   Scripture has a number of uses, as we find in 2nd Timothy 3, but if we are using the Bible in a manner that is outside the parameters that have been established, we run the risk of using Scripture for a non-Scriptural purpose.  So, we have to reflect a working knowledge of the Word and make sure that it is being used for the betterment of others, not manipulated to prove a point.

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The Bible reminds us that God resides in our hearts, and His life and wisdom should inhabit our
thoughts and deeds. 1st Corinthians 3 says:
16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness";
20 and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."

I was stunned to see an article recently online that makes a rather bold premise - people in ministry who have lost their positions or have had them threatened because of their political beliefs.  That's the charge that the story from The Atlantic was built upon.  It's written by Emma Green, who recently ran a piece featuring an article featuring a Q&A with Eric Metaxas and spotlighted pro-life women who had intended to be part of the so-called Women's March in Washington.

But, this story, I think went a bit beyond the pale, and it bears some lessons from each of us as we wrestle with when to speak and when to keep silent.  The premise came from a tweet by an author named Jonathan Martin.  The story states:

“I’ve lost count of the number of people who say they’ve had ministry jobs threatened/been fired for speaking out in some way in this season,” the Christian author and speaker wrote. Confirmation rolled in: one story from a church planter in California, another from a former worship leader in Indiana. These are “not people who would historically self-identify as progressives, at all,” Martin told me later. They’re “people who see themselves as being very faithful evangelicals.”

Of course, the story writer attributes it to Christians' views of President Donald Trump.  And, certainly, believers were divided during the election season over the candidate who won the election. I would hope that there would be healing among the disparate viewpoints that had been expressed, or at least a measure of civility between believers, so that we can present a thoughtful witness to the world.  But, this story highlights that there are unnecessary lines of fracture.

The story uses this quote by Martin: "A lot of church leaders are wanting to play it especially safe and not wanting staff members to speak out." "A lot"? It seems that the story takes a broad charge and then quoted sources to support the supposition.

You see, the seeds of so-called "progressive" thought have been planted even in the evangelical church - and those that embrace it are so intent on owning those philosophies that they are willing to cause strife.  Case in point:  a Millennial writer who had a job with Focus on the Family.  She seemed to keep pushing the envelope.  According to the story, the Focus writer...

...wrote a piece for The Washington Post about her experience with sexual assault, criticizing Trump for his derogatory comments toward women and Christian leaders for not speaking out. And that’s when she started getting serious internal pushback.

Well, I would dare say that plenty of Christian writers published stories, rightly so, on the issue of Donald Trump and his past escapades.  Many, many people were alarmed by the video excerpt that was widely circulated.  But, I contend the issue here is not merely Trump, as the Atlantic story makes it out to be.  It's a matter of respecting who you represent.   The Focus writer kept writing provocative stories, even to the extent of writing stories supporting a third-party candidate.  Finally, a story on transgender suicide that, according to a text exchange with another staffer that "...comes across as smug, disrespectful, and distinctly partisan," resulted in some employment options being issued to her, and she is no longer with Focus on the Family.

The VP of communications at Focus declined comment "out of respect for the privacy of our current or former teammates.” He said that Focus advocates for "biblically relevant issues" and encourages employees and constituents to "vote for those candidates who most closely reflect and represent their conscience and convictions.” He also stated that, those representing Focus "are not to ‘get out ahead’ of the organization on issues that could be relevant to the work and ministry of Focus on the Family or speak against an established ministry position."

I did want to defend the policies of Focus on the Family, a ministry I greatly respect, with which Faith Radio has had a longstanding relationship.   And, it's not productive for the former employee to smugly say, as she did on Twitter, that her religious convictions were "incompatible" with those of Focus.

You see, we each are representatives of someone or something - and, as believers in Christ, we recognize that we are not our own; we belong to Him.  We represent Him and all of our words and actions should be carefully considered in the light of that fact.  To say or write something just to prove a point reflects a lack of respect for the Lord, as well as those whom He has placed in authority over us.  So, what we declare should be in line with Scripture and should not be said in a manner that will reflect poorly on us, our family, our church, and even our employer.  We are not our own, and what we do so often reflects others.

But, that's not to say that we should not delve into difficult issues.  Another person spotlighted in this Atlantic piece also was taking positions that were detrimental to the ministry for whom she worked. The president of Key Ministry, described as a "Christian disability-advocacy organization," said: “It seems to me that faithful Christians, living out life from a Biblical worldview, will have passionate debates and honest disagreements about politicians and political issues,” adding, “At the same time, it would be very difficult for us to have someone serving in a leadership position who disagreed with us on essentials..."  He said that these include, according to the article, the authority of scripture, the sanctity of life, and a Christian sexual ethic."

Unfortunately, too often I see a polarization, even among Christians, about difficult issues, and there is a tendency by some to show an intolerance for differing views.  For instance, on same-sex marriage, there is a ferocious faction that believes that the Bible allows it and people of that view will characterize those who disagree with them as being somehow intolerant, even though those, like myself, who take a traditional view of marriage have a strong Scriptural basis for their position.

And, we have to recognize that there is a time and place for this discourse.  People who come to hear a Christian speaker or singer don't necessarily want to have controversial political views being expressed.   There is a time to speak truth, and a way to speak truth.  We have to be sensitive to the words that we say and how they are said.

Come Closer

The book of Hosea is built on imagery of Israel's wandering from the Lord - the prophet, Hosea, and his relationship with a wayward woman named Gomer is an illustration of the God's unfailing love
for His people. In Hosea 10, we read:
12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
13 You have plowed wickedness; You have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, Because you trusted in your own way, In the multitude of your mighty men.

The Bible calls us to seek the ways of the Lord - He wants us to walk in righteousness and experience His mercy...no one is too far away to be brought into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. He is seeking to save the lost and He is desiring to bring the saved into a deeper walk with Him - so we have to respond to His invitation, lay aside the sinfulness that the Bible says "so easily" entangles us, and allow the risen Christ to set us free.

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In Hosea 6, we see an invitation from the Lord to come closer to Him, to "come home" to Him, in a
sense:
1 Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up.
2 After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight.
3 Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth.

On Fridays, I like to take a look a God-sightings in pop culture, and there are several instances that recently attracted my attention.

The world of popular music is certainly an outlet for creative expression, but it is highly competitive. One instance that illustrates that came this week.  According to ChristianHeadlines.com, relaying a story from HelloChristian.com, when pop superstar Katy Perry "was attending Sunday’s Grammy awards, she was asked why she recently had taken a break from music." Perry said, "It’s called taking care of your mental health.” She added, "I haven’t shaved my head yet.”

This was thought to be a reference to fellow singer Britney Spears, who had a "period of erratic behavior in 2007, including shaving off all her hair, which some allege was a way to cover up for her drug abuse."   Spears responded by posting a Tweet featuring a picture of two hands making the figure of a heart against the backdrop of a sunset - and the Tweet said, "Her mouth speaks from that which fills her heart...Luke 6:45."

The HelloChristian website has another story about the Spears family.  You may be aware that Britney's niece, Maddie, the daughter of sister Jamie Lynn Spears, was driving an ATV which went into a pond. The report says:

Miraculously, first responders were able to free her just in time. Britney believes that God answered their prayers, and that this was a total miracle.

"So grateful Maddie was able to go home today," the pop singer posted to her Facebook account. "It's truly a miracle. Our prayers were heard, and they were answered." Maddie was in critical condition for two days but finally regained consciousness and is now recovering.

On February 7, according to the PEOPLE Magazine website, the hospital gave the site a statement that "Maddie was awake talking with no signs of neurological damage, and by Friday, she was discharged and able to go home, with doctors saying 'she is on the way to a full recovery.'" Reportedly, Jamie, her husband, and the child's father, all held hands and prayed as they sat on the child's bed.  A friend of the Maddie's father said, according to another PEOPLE article: “Everyone knows this was a God thing,” adding, “It could have gone either way; they almost lost her. But God wasn’t ready to take her back … She’s getting stronger, and they have their Maddie back — and that’s all that matters.”

You may remember, Lynne Spears, Britney's and Jamie Lynn's mother, wrote a book a few years ago called, Through the Storm, released in 2008.  A CBN.com story said that the book is a "moving memoir of a mom who has come to grips with and learned from her mistakes, but the book is not about feeling guilty. Though she openly admits her parenting errors, she encourages other parents to not dwell on their shortcomings."

In writing about Britney, Lynne wrote: "Someone told me once that no one is immune to prayer, no one is so rich, so famous, so lost, that she is outside the power of petitioning God on her behalf. So I move toward God and pray for fresh eyes and fresh faith to see his hope for my child. She is not out of his reach.”  

Certainly, the Spears family has been through its share of trials, and the choices of the daughters have played out in the public eye and caused great concern, especially for the mom.  But, there's a reminder to all of us that no one is beyond God's reach.  And, you can easily see where God could be working in a profound way here, even through the tragedy of Maddie's ATV accident and her recovery.   

There is an awareness of God in the lives of these two daughters - Britney just posted Scripture on Twitter, and Jamie Lynn has trusted the Lord for the healing of her daughter.  You could possibly attribute that awareness to some degree to the faithfulness of a mom who taught them about the ways of the Lord.  Parents can trust that seeds of faith will produce a harvest in the lives of their children.

A Christian singer recorded a song a few years ago dedicated to Britney Spears - it contains these words:

Britney, I do believe that love has come
Here for the broken
Here for the ones like us

I know love goes around the world we know
And you never see it coming back
You never see it coming back

And I know love goes around the world we know
And you never see it coming back
But I can see it coming back

(*-from Google Play)

That was co-written by Bebo Norman, who told New Release Tuesday, now New Release Today:

"'Britney' is a song about what our culture says and does to young women these days," said Bebo Norman in a recent conversation. "It's about the lies we tell them about fame and money and what's beautiful and what will give them life. It's an apology for those lies. But more than that, it's an invitation to the truth about a God who is bigger than the pain this world so often leaves them in."

For everyone, those who have been blinded by the power of the enemy and the lure of sin, God's love is reaching out, and He is inviting people who have strayed, who are struggling, or who are in trouble, to "come back" to Him, or experience Him for the very first time.

Pastor Profiles

God has called the body of Christ to work in a certain way, as the members, the "parts," do their work to the glory of God.  And, we have been given shepherds who have been uniquely gifted to equip the
saints. 1st Peter 5 says:
1 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:
2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly...

Later in the passage, we see a reference to the Chief Shepherd, Jesus, our Good Shepherd, to whom we all submit.  So, there is a chain of command in the church - God the Father; Jesus the Son, the head of the body of Christ; then the shepherds, who lead and teach those in the flock, equipping and encouraging by the power of the Holy Spirit.  We are called to submit to the authority of the spiritual leaders who are called by God.  In respecting them, we can pray for, affirm, and support their efforts, as God directs them.

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In Ephesians 4, we see that God has called certain people to serve in spiritual authority and exercise
their gifts, so the Church might be strong and equipped to do the will of God:
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ...

We talk often on Faith Radio about our pastors and the need to support them.  I think that understanding where they are coming from or what they're going through are key components to being good congregation members.  Realize they have a high call from God, but they're in a tough spot - they are being looked to, I would project, to proclaim the truth, to please the congregation and meet its expectations, and to personally keep things together.   They need a regular infusion of the Spirit of God in order to be an excellent ambassador of the Most High.

The Barna Group, in partnership with Pepperdine University has released an exhaustive study that is called, The State of Pastors.  There is a press release on the Religion News Service website that highlights some of the findings of the study.

The really good news from the survey, according to that press release, is that pastors generally think things are going well - greater than 9-in-10 report "a good overall quality of life," and 88 percent "describe their spiritual well-being as excellent or good." But, "a troubling number of pastors are at risk of burnout (1 in 3), and nearly half face relational risks in their marriages, families, and friendships."

Break that down, though, and you still see some encouraging signs.  The Barna website actually has some figures relative to their relationships.  Among Protestant pastors 18 and up, 70% say their marriages are excellent, while 26% describe that relationship as good.  Regarding parenting, 60% believe that relationship is excellent, with 36% describing it as good.  But about one-quarter have faced significant marriage or parenting problems during their time as pastors.

On the topic of friendships, about a third say their satisfaction with friendships is excellent, with another third describing them as good.  The summary press release does say about pastors, "They are more likely than the general population to feel isolated and lonely. Gen-X pastors in particular seem to have a harder time making friends and feeling connected—they’re more similar to people their age (30s-40s) in the general population than to their ministry colleagues."

There are two more issues I want to point to - one deals with the aging of Protestant cleary members. The press release states:

"As other careers woo Millennials and older generations struggle to hand the baton to younger pastors, the median age of pastors has risen from 44 to 54 over the last 25 years.” Protestant churches face a massive leadership shortage in the coming decades, similar to that seen in the Catholic Church. The situation appears bleak: 7 out of 10 pastors report that it’s becoming more difficult to identify promising pastoral candidates.

And, here's a shocker that actually might give some insight into some of the cultural decline that we have been seeing:

Only 8 percent of adults are interested in hearing pastoral teaching on issues such as same-sex marriage/LGBT rights, abortion, gun rights, tax policy, climate change, drug policy, or religious freedom. Pastors’ influence in broader culture has diminished in general; most U.S. adults express ambivalence about pastors: “Most don’t actively hate pastors, they just don’t especially care.” Pastors perceive the culture’s growing indifference; only 22% say respect for clergymembers by their community is excellent; 7 in 10 say it’s merely good or average.

So, it seems you may have complacency or indifference in the pews, perhaps leading to a mild contempt from the pastors.  It's got to be tough to have a mantle and a word from God, but you may not be confident that it will be received.  We depend on our pastors to lead, but the congregation has to be willing to follow.  And, on cultural issues, it seems too many church attendees have tuned out.

So, I want to offer three takeaways springboarding off this information.  First of all, pray for and affirm your pastor.  He has been chosen and appointed by God to speak the Word of God to the local church and to shepherd God's flock - it's an enormous responsibility, and he needs extraordinary strength.

Next, be sure to be engaged; find new ways to participate.  Remember, as church members, we are not called just to be consumers; we are to be encouraged in church to be the church.   Don't be guilty of merely saying, "oh, that was a nice sermon," or the converse, "preacher didn't do so well today." Allow God's Word to change you.

Finally, we are not called to keep truth to ourselves. Realize that the call to Christian service is Scriptural and potentially revolutionary in our culture.   Our pastors and church staff members work long and hard to equip and encourage the body - and it's for a purpose, not for a self-sustaining local church, but for a God-honoring Church - the body of Christ.

Love the Refugee, Protect the Nation

We are called to be in this world, while recognizing our citizenship is in heaven. We are called to be
compassionate servants of Christ and responsible citizens of our society. In 1st Peter 2, we read:
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,
12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme,
14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.

This world is not our home, and while we are in this world, we are called to invite others to come into a relationship with Jesus so they might join us in our heavenly home.  We are also called to be obedient and respectful, I believe, to our governing authorities, as they carry out the sometimes difficult task of maintaining order.  That tension is playing itself out in our culture today, and I have come to the conclusion that we are to value our responsibility to carry out God's commands while recognizing that civil authorities can help set the table for that; we can be challenged to speak truth in matters of policy while being driven by the Great Commission.

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Two passages of Scripture for you. First of all, from Leviticus 19:
33 'And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him.
34 The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Now, from Romans 13:
3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.
4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

This highlights, I believe, the tension between compassion and security, which as some have pointed out, present the role of the Church and the role of the civic authorities.

As Christians, as evangelicals, there will be issues over which we disagree, and our diversity of opinion should never work to divide the body of Christ.  But, there is an issue that has been at the forefront recently that is concerning to me regarding the Church, its Biblical role to care for those in need, and the government's responsibility to protect our nation.

There has been much said and written about the plight of refugees and the attempt by the Trump administration to prevent people from coming into our country that could do harm to the American people.  The order that the President issued has three components, according to a WORLD Magazine report by Evan Wilt:

The order halts all refugees from coming into the United States for 120 days in order to improve vetting procedures of applicants and restores the Bush-era quota of refugees admitted per year to 50,000. (President Barack Obama increased the quota in his second term.) There is also a 90-day travel ban for people entering the United States from seven Middle Eastern countries fraught with sectarian violence and dysfunctional governments: Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Additionally, the order places an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees.

All of these measures, in essence, are temporary.  And, there is, of course, a great compassionate concern over people who are coming out of Syria.  But, I would contend that the procedure needs to be overhauled.  Case in point:

A CNN article states: "According to a report by the non-partisan Pew Research Center, however, 99% of the nearly 12,600 Syrians granted refugee status last year were Muslims. Less than 1% were Christian. Syria's population is 87% Muslim and 10% Christian, according to the CIA World Fact Book."

The article quotes Trump from his interview with CBN: "If you were a Muslim you could come in, but if you were a Christian, it was almost impossible and the reason that was so unfair -- everybody was persecuted, in all fairness -- but they were chopping off the heads of everybody but more so the Christians. And I thought it was very, very unfair. So we are going to help them."

There are church leaders who have spoken into this debate, according to the WORLD story, including the head of the Southern Baptist policy arm, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Russell Moore, who sent an open letter to Trump, published in the Washington Post, which said:

“We are deeply concerned that the order will cause widespread diplomatic fallout with the Muslim world, putting Southern Baptists serving in these countries in grave danger and preventing them from serving refugees and others who are in need of humanitarian assistance and the love of the gospel...”

Evan Wilt of WORLD went on to say:

Retired Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin, who now serves as the Family Research Council’s executive vice president, told me he appreciated Moore’s heart but disagreed.

Boykin said Christians need to help those persecuted abroad, but it’s crucial to defend Americans first: “We are outside Biblical teaching if we fail to protect our own families.”

First Baptist Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress, in addressing those that have characterized the order as fostering discrimination, said, according to a Baptist Press article, that:

...churches and individual Christians are commanded in Scripture "to minister to those in need." Yet "those who label President Trump's new immigration policy as 'unchristian' and 'discriminatory' fail to understand the God-given role of government" to protect citizens.

Now, about that figure that's floating around about the chances of being killed by a refugee on American soil.  The CNN piece quoted from the Cato Institute's Alex Nowrasteh: "The chance of being murdered in a terrorist attack committed by an asylum-seeker was one in 2.73 billion a year," adding, "The chance of being murdered in a terrorist attack committed by a refugee is one in 3.64 billion a year."

That's just simply not the point.  ISIS has already stated its intent to infiltrate the refugee population. And, while the Federal district court judge contended no refugees had committed an act of terror in the U.S., a recently released report now says that, according to the Washington Times:

At least 72 convicted terrorists came from the seven countries President Trump targeted in his extreme vetting executive order, according to a new report this weekend that directly undercut part of the courts’ rulings halting the program.

Seventeen of those entered the U.S. under the refugee program that Mr. Trump has said is of special concern to him, according to the data compiled by the Senate Judiciary Committee and analyzed by the Center for Immigration Studies.

So, where do we go from here?  The debate is raging in the Christian community, and I think we do well to examine facts and not respond with emotion.  I like the reasoned approach by people such as Ronnie Floyd, former SBC President, who wrote in a blog post:

There are three practical realities that are inescapable. It is imperative we understand these or we will get lost in the complexity of the issues. Consider these three realities:

Love the Refugee

The Gospel of Jesus Christ moves me to call on all of us to demonstrate compassionate action toward the refugee. We need to honor and respect them individually for their God-given dignity. However, their long-term future in our nation is a political issue, not a spiritual one.

Fix the Immigration System

In prior writings about these issues, I have mentioned that negligent leadership and political polarization has now resulted in this American crisis. Our immigration system is not working. Otherwise, we would not be where we are today.

Immigration is a political issue and it needs to be addressed by our nation seriously and immediately. Therefore, this is not in the hands of the Church, but in the hands of our elected leadership. Justice and fairness in relationship to the law must be considered along with compassion and mercy toward all persons.

Pray Diligently

We must pray for our nation and for our leaders to come together and resolve this issue, both short-term and long-term. The lives of people are at stake. The security of our nation is at stake.

Floyd quotes a Southern Baptist Convention resolution passed in 2016, while he still presided over the Convention as its President:

...Please notice one line in this resolution that realized the biblical responsibility of government: “RESOLVED, That we call on the governing authorities to implement the strictest security measures possible in the refugee screening and selection process, guarding against anyone intent on doing harm;”

This line was included in the resolution because as followers of Christ, we must understand the tension that occurs because our government has a responsibility it is mandated to fulfill.

Jerry Johnson, President of National Religious Broadcasters, of which Faith Radio is a member, tweeted out those same words from the resolution, and he also shared this tweet: "Christians and churches must minister in love to refugees. Government must vet and limit immigration to protect citizens. Both are needed."

We also have to make sure that we are understanding the role of government and the role of the church.  That is a point Franklin Graham has made.  While government can and should create the climate for compassion to flow, we also recognize its responsibility for national security.

We also have to be discerning - there will be manipulated protests, and it seems there are those that would manufacture large crowds for the purpose of protest.  And, I am sure that we will see more - but protests are not necessarily representative of public opinion and we have to make sure we are discerning to develop a Biblical mindset based on facts, not emotion.

And, remember, generally speaking, just because a position is being taken that is being billed as the "faith" or "Christian" position doesn't necessarily mean it lines up with Scripture.  I will always encourage you to search the Scriptures, seek the Spirit, and allow Him to direct your paths.  And, show grace toward those that may not have come to your conclusion.

In the Air

On this day, on which you hear a lot of talk about "love," I thought it would be great to talk about the
authentic love of God. In Psalm 36, we can read:
5 Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

The ultimate source of love is God, who gives us the capacity to love one another in a totally unselfish way.  He gives us the ability to experience love in marriage in an new dimension; he enables us to be blessed as we give our ourselves to another person.  In the Lord, we are designed to be givers, to be selfless, because we have been re-created by Jesus to fully experience the love of God.  That is intended to be our default, our natural state - in Him, rather than to pursue human ambition.

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In 1st John chapter 4, we read about the incredible love of God:

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

Happy Valentine's Day to you!  And, if you're married, let's take a moment to thank the Lord for the special person that God has brought into your life.  If you're not, thank Him for special people with whom He has connected you.

I think about what I read on the Tim Tebow Foundation Facebook page about marriage proposals that came at the Night to Shine events last Friday, where some 75,000 special needs children and adults experienced a special evening when they were shown how much God loves them.  There were two such proposals in New Hampshire, and a another person said there were three in Washington state.

A collage of pictures of an apparent proposal on the Kitsap, Washington Night to Shine Facebook page was accompanied by these comments:

One of several such commitments of love made last night! Another gentleman came up to me later in the night with the biggest smile on his face just gushing with the tale of his proposal to his gal, who had accepted his offer. Love is always in the air at this incredible event for our special guests.

You might say love is in the air when God is bringing people together - and He's doing it and has done it!  We do well to recognize it.

Jay Wolf recognizes it:  He and his wife, Katherine, are the founders of a ministry called Hope Heals. Perhaps you're familiar with their story - three years after they were married, she had a brain stem stroke, which resulted in paralysis and a long medical journey.

According to a piece that was referenced on Facebook, on the Darling website, Jay writes:

Katherine and I have beaten the odds in an extraordinary circumstance, one which results in a 90% divorce rate typically, and for this new life and second chance we are so grateful. But this is not to say that I, myself, am extraordinary or heroic. What I’m trying to do is what I promised in my vows: To love Katherine’s whole self throughout her whole life. And something mysteriously wonderful is happening; our souls are weaving together.

He declares: "...my marriage, like every commitment birthed of true, unstoppable goodwill toward someone else, has meant an end to part of the life I dreamed for myself, a death of the future Me I always thought I would be."

Jay adds, "Admittedly, this isn’t what’s sung about in most love songs. But perhaps we need to start writing some new ones."

Well-known columnist Cal Thomas knows the value and experience of sacrificial love.  He and his wife, Ray, experienced 51 years of marriage prior to her death last Friday from "multiple health issues," according to a piece he wrote, found on the WORLD website.  From that site, you can read his words:

I can say without embellishment I would not be the man I am today without her. God knew what He was doing when He put us together.

On the day of her passing, I posted this thought on my Facebook page:

“Men, love your wives. Don’t wait until they are about to be taken from you before you realize what they have contributed to your life. Love them now so you have no regrets at the end. I am glad my wife as she prepares to meet her Savior has known of my love for her and how valuable she has been to me. Have you told yours that? Love today is seen as a feeling. But real love is a commitment, a covenant. That’s why most of us take marriage VOWS instead of make promises.”

Love is certainly in the air, and we can see it expressed in so many tangible ways.  Now, the question becomes - are we seeing it?  Are we expressing it?  I think of the Night to Shine attendees that are made to feel like Kings and Queens for a night.  We can reflect on how we can make our spouses feel, as Gary Thomas puts it, "cherished."  We can be challenged to show them value and make them feel like royalty.

Jay and Katherine illustrate an incredible sacrificial love for each other.  Amidst the challenges, as Jay shared in that piece, you die to yourself, as you should.  As he relates, you also discover a new self and a greater willingness to serve, in the midst of challenges, which, as he points out, can weave our souls together.

And, Cal and Charlotte Ray Thomas can remind us of the rewards for taking a long-term view. Marriage is ordained and designed by God to last a lifetime.  But, we have to recognize His love and strength in order to ensure that it does.  The contrast of vows to promises is real and implies a desire to recognize and develop this wonderful gift. 

How Great

In Ephesians 4, we read about oral discipline - that's not a dental term; no, I think it illustrates spiritual truth.  That chapter contains the admonition to speak the truth in love.  Later, in verse 25, we read:
25 Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another.
26 "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
27 nor give place to the devil.

There is lots of anger these days - people are frustrated by what they see in the so-called "political" realm; perhaps, economically, things aren't quite falling into place.  Families are fractured and our schedules are stressed.  But, as we approach the boiling point, we can remember our Prince of Peace, who wants us to adopt His posture.  His Word, our source of truth, can shape our thinking - and our speaking.  God does not want us to be consumed with anger, but overwhelmed by Him.

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In John 8, Jesus is teaching about His relationship with the Father...we pick up in verse 29:
29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."
30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Well, if you thought the Grammys last night were going to get political, you would have been correct; that was a no-brainer.  But, if you thought a gospel choir would take the stage and sing Chris Tomlin's "How Great is Our God," well, now that was certainly unexpected, and I think it illustrates the opportunity for believers in Christ to elevate the discussion.

Let's talk about Chance the Rapper - he won three awards last night, including New Artist of the Year. His performance was described on the music website, Pitchfork:

Chance the Rapper, who was nominated for seven awards at tonight’s Grammys, gave an enormous spiritual performance of Coloring Book’s “How Great” and “All We Got” during the ceremony. He was joined by Kirk Franklin, Francis and the Lights, Tamela Mann, and a huge gospel choir. He also added in little snippets of “No Problem” and “Blessings.”

By the way, it was a great night for Kirk and his former background singer, Tamela - their collaboration, God Provides, won for Best Gospel Performance/Song, and Kirk won Best Gospel Album for Losing My Religion.  In 2 of the other Christian/Gospel categories, a mainstream artist who did a Christian album, Hillary Scott of the country supergroup Lady Antebellum, won two Grammys, and Joey+Rory won one.

So, what's up with Chance the Rapper?  The Tennessean stated:

Chance's faith has been at the forefront of his music, and that carried over into his acceptance speech.

"Glory be to God," he said from the podium. "I claim this victory in the name of the Lord."

Chance hails from Chicago, and an article on the Christianity Today website, written by Philadelphia pastor Watson Jones III said this:

If there’s any identity that might compete with Chance’s South Side status, it’s his newfound Christianity, which the rapper has repeatedly referenced on social media and incorporated into the album. One repeated theme: being a Christian has made Chance far more aware of his own flaws, even as he recognizes God’s love for him and his desire for redemption in the midst of the complexities of his own life. In Coloring Book, Chance assumes this posture toward Chicago’s South Side, which suffers from disproportionate poverty and violence. On the album, Chance names his community’s flaws while underscoring his undying love, loyalty, and hope for it.

He certainly has a heart for his city.  At the age of 21, he was involved, along with his father, deputy chief of staff for the mayor, in leading a successful moratorium on gun violence.  Jones writes:

Chance’s faith offers him hope that Jesus can deliver Chicago from the ills of gang violence and police brutality. (“Someday Chicago will be free,” sings Kirk Franklin on “Finished Line/Drown.”) But it’s also personal. The primary source of this conviction? The way Chance has seen his own life play out. This isn’t blind optimism. Chance used to “hide from God.” Having been rescued from “the slums” of life, Chance now observes grace transform his own life. To him, that same change is possible for Chicago.

Chance can remind us that you don't have to be a mature Christian, a Christian that has it all together, in order to try to enact change and be a voice for Christ.  None of us has arrived, but God wants to use us just as we are, where we are.

So, back to that injection of spiritual truth into the Grammys.  Yes, there were reports on the number of political statements that were made in the awards show.  And, against that backdrop, the truth was proclaimed - How Great is Our God.  I'm disturbed by the rancor, the division, the name-calling, and the lack of civility that we're seeing in our land; some of it is spontaneous, much of it is being manipulated and the flames fanned.   But, do we believe that God is greater?   In an age when even professing Christians get lured into being part of the culture of division, people can unite around a message of hope - and truth.  As Jesus said, "the truth shall make you free." And, remember, we don't have to adopt the posture or language of the world in order to be a strong voice for Jesus.

(Not-So-) Super Snapshots

God calls us to be discerning about what we allow into our minds, choosing to hear messages from
Him and rejecting messages that violate His principles. James 1 says:
21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Yes, we are to "hear" the Word of God and we are called, I believe, to reject the messages from the world to which we're exposed.  That's one element from these verses.  But, not only are we to hear the Word, but we are to be doers of it; I believe that we make God's Word a priority regarding what we take into our minds and spirit, but we don't just leave it there - we act accordingly.  The Bible is more than a collection of wise sayings - it has power that we so desperately need each day.

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We have to be so careful in how we process the messages that are being sent to us.  Here are some
words of instruction - and caution - from Proverbs 16:
22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it. But the correction of fools is folly.
23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, And adds learning to his lips.
24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.
25 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

It seems as if there has been a collision, no, an infiltration of so-called "progressive" politics with professional sports.  The overblown controversy with 49ers' quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his refusal to stand for the National Anthem was thought by some to be responsible for a decline in the NFL's television ratings during the season; others thought it was the lack of exciting games.

Well, the NFL certainly made up for some of the season's (and the playoff's) lack of excitement with a dramatic overtime game involving the Patriots and the Falcons.  It was a game that some might say, had everything, including its share of messaging that would be considered contrary to the values taught in the Bible.

First of all, a good word for the NFL, according to the Family Research Council website, which pointed out that the host city, Houston, in the eyes of one prominent businessman who fought to get the game there, is "doing just fine after repealing the city's controversial bathroom bill..." The FRC piece points out:  "Unlike the NCAA and NBA," the NFL "...ignored the politics and followed the money. Does anyone honestly believe that if the decision to restore order to Houston's public restrooms, locker rooms, and showers would have depressed returns or turnout that the NFL would have agreed to keep it there? Of course not. They're a profit-driven entity. You can bet they studied the revenue models even after picking Houston as the host city-- and in doing so, blew a huge hole in the Left's bogus claims."

That, of course, is a reference to the now-overturned "sexual orientation and gender identity" bill that resulted in the former mayor actually issuing subpoenas for pastors' sermons.  Good thing that debacle is now in the rear-view mirror.

But, politics were there, from the addition of the word "sisterhood" in a performance of America the Beautiful by members of the Hamilton cast to an seemingly apolitical performance by Lady Gaga which included LGBT anthem, Born This Way.  The Chicago Tribune stated:

"Lady Gaga keeps political poker face while singing of inclusion at Super Bowl," announced the Guardian. "Lady Gaga steers clear of politics in Super Bowl show," claimed the Hill. Breitbart, Fox and various other outlets published articles with similar headlines.

Some, though, argued Gaga included a veiled message with her song choices. Much has been noted of her set's inclusion of "Born This Way," "a melodic celebration of 'gay, straight, or bi, lesbian, transgender life.'"

She opened the set with God Bless America, with the site of hundreds of drones lit red, white, and blue in the background and segued to This Land is Your Land, which the Tribune points out was a protest anthem by Woody Guthrie, who had grown tired of hearing Kate Smith sing, God Bless America.  You might say there might have been a "not my America" motivation.

Of course, then there were the commercials.  Some examples: A Google Home spot opened with a rainbow flag being flown in front of a house.  An 84 Lumber spot was pointed out as appearing to promote illegal immigration.  Airbnb ran a commercial including the line, quoted by Newsbusters, “We believe no matter who you are, where you’re from, who you love, or who you worship, we all belong. The world is more beautiful the more you accept.”  The winner of USA Today's annual Admeter, a spot for Kia, featured the overexposed Melissa McCarthy, with an environmentalist twist.  T-Mobile produced spots that were characterized as takeoffs of the objectionable movie, 50 Shades of Gray.  Parents Television Council called out the dark movie trailers that peppered the broadcast.

If there's ever a time when we need God to bless America, it's now, it seems.  And, fasten your seat belts, the Grammys will be handed out this Sunday night, with the Oscars on deck.

These Super Bowl instances really speak to the power of messaging.  The political aspects of some of this material may have been lost on some, but as people of faith, I believe we are encouraged to a higher calling.  We have to be people of discernment, and accept messages that line up with or even do not violate our deeply held values and reject those that do not.

The imagery, the technology, the creativity can make for an attractive container of messages that can be harmful to our spirits.  If we're not careful, we can find ourselves desensitized to the things of the Spirit.   God does not desire for us to be compromised in our beliefs, but if we open our hearts to a greater degree to messages that are not consistent with His teachings, we can find ourselves less fervent in our faith.

The Shift

In Titus chapter 2, there is instruction given to those who are older to be a good example for those who are younger, modeling Christian behavior.  And this passage, I believe, which comes after an exhortation to teach young men to be sober-minded is directed to those models:
7 in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility,
8 sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.

These are qualities that can speak powerfully to the culture.  We are called to do good works, as the Spirit enables us - that is the fruit of a person who is devoted to Christ.  We are to know what we believe and be strongly grounded in our beliefs.  We are also called to demonstrate "sound speech." We can strive to speak with clarity and depth, in a reasoned manner, so that our words may leave those who stand in opposition to the gospel with no recourse - in our flesh, that's impossible; in the Spirit, it can be done.

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In Ephesians 5, we counter a rather challenging passage of Scripture that gives us direction in living
in these times:
14 Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light."
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Over the last eight years, there have been significant changes in the overall attitudes and practices of Americans, according to a new Pew Research poll examining changes during the years that Barack Obama was President.  This is definitely an exhaustive piece of work, and religious views and activities were certainly part of the mix.

The survey summary states that:

When it comes to the nation’s religious identity, the biggest trend during Obama’s presidency is the rise of those who claim no religion at all. Those who self-identify as atheists or agnostics, as well as those who say their religion is “nothing in particular,” now make up nearly a quarter of the U.S. adult population, up from 16% in 2007.

Those identifying as Christians now represent 71% of the population, down from 78% eight years ago, but as Pew points out, this is due largely to declines in the number of adults in mainline Protestantism and Catholicism.  The summary notes that the "...share of Americans identifying with evangelical Protestantism, historically black Protestant denominations and other smaller Christian groups, by contrast, have remained fairly stable."

Overall, according to the poll:

Due largely to the growth of those who don’t identify with any religion, the shares of Americans who say they believe in God, consider religion to be very important in their lives, say they pray daily and say they attend religious services at least monthly have all ticked downward in recent years. At the same time, the large majority of Americans who do identify with a faith are, on average, as religiously observant as they were a few years ago, and by some measures even more so.

In a report on the Daily Caller website, it states:

The Obama administration consistently took actions that conservatives said demonstrated hostility towards religious believers. The administration was sued repeatedly over Obamacare’s contraception mandate, including by a group of nuns, the Little Sisters of the Poor.

Martin Castro, who has served as chair of the US Civil Rights Commission since Obama appointed him to the position in 2011, said last September that “religious freedom” and “religious liberty” are “code words for discrimination, intolerance, racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, Christian supremacy or any form of intolerance.”

 And, there's a telling quote in a Breitbart article about the survey:

According to Tim Schultz, the president of the 1st Amendment Partnership, the Obama administration often viewed religion as an enemy standing in the way of their policy objectives.

“They view religious freedom as a kind of inconvenient speed bump on the way to those objectives in some way,” Schultz said.

I don't want to necessarily suggest that one man is responsible for a decline in religious practice in America, but I am confident that Mr. Obama is emblematic of a dramatic cultural shift and he did embrace it.   This is clear in his support of the LGBT agenda.  CBS News rated same-sex marriage legalization as Obama's #2 accomplishment.   Sure, that was the Supreme Court that made that ruling, but the culture for it was set by the legitimization of gay marriage in the eyes of the public - and, based on analysis, this was more of a cultural ruling than a Constitutional one, and Obama-appointed justices signed on to it.  He moved from supporting traditional marriage in a forum hosted by Rick Warren during his first Presidential campaign to being a champion of radical support for gay rights.

And, gay rights is just a piece of the coalition of anti-Christian "values" that are confronting us today.
As the former President said in his farewell speech, according to the transcript from the Los Angeles Times:  

So just as we, as citizens, must remain vigilant against external aggression, we must guard against a weakening of the values that make us who we are. That’s why, for the past eight years, I’ve worked to put the fight against terrorism on a firm legal footing. That’s why we’ve ended torture, worked to close Gitmo, and reform our laws governing surveillance to protect privacy and civil liberties. That’s why I reject discrimination against Muslim Americans. That’s why we cannot withdraw from global fights – to expand democracy, and human rights, women’s rights, and LGBT rights – no matter how imperfect our efforts, no matter how expedient ignoring such values may seem. For the fight against extremism and intolerance and sectarianism are of a piece with the fight against authoritarianism and nationalist aggression.

These so-called "values" are not our values as Christian believers.  These are powerful words, but, for instance, as we learned from that recent women's march in Washington, "women's rights" are centered around allowing a woman to take the life of her unborn child.  That is not a productive right at all.  Those that claim to fight "intolerance" seem to often be intolerant of Christian ideals.  Mr. Obama did not say he rejected "discrimination" against Christian Americans.   Again, we have to recognize there is a carefully orchestrated coalition that embraces agendas that stand in opposition to our deeply-held beliefs, faith perspectives that have shaped America.

But, we have to move forward.  We can't totally blame the former President for our cultural slide, for the seeds were planted long before he took office.  But, we now have to see that there is a bias in culture against Biblical truth - and that bias can sometimes take the form of hostility.  How do we counter it?  Live our lives for Christ in a credible manner, pray, acknowledge the differences while embracing dialogue without compromise, speak out in a winning manner.  I believe that the margin of error is smaller than ever, but the might of the Lord is great!