Across the Canyon

In Ecclesiastes, Solomon discusses the importance of striving for excellence, making the most of the time that God has given us here on earth.  Chapter 9, verse 10 says:
10Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

We have one life to live, and God calls us to live in a manner that pleases Him, as we seek to fulfill His calling for our lives.  There are unique opportunities that we have, and as we approach life with the attitude that in some cases, we may only have one chance to minister in a situation, to share Christ with another person, and even to see and experience those one-time memories or milestones that He enables us to be a part of.   And, since we are not promised tomorrow, if we mess up or misstep, we are not guaranteed a "re-do".  So, we can approach life with a fervor, a desire to make the most of every single day and opportunity that He has given.

Colossians 3 can help to shape our attitude, as we recognize that the purpose of what we accomplish in life is to bring glory and honor to the name of our Lord:
17And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
23And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

Another day, another death-defying feat from a member of the Flying Wallenda family...Nik Wallenda walked some 1400 feet on a tightrope across the Grand Canyon on Sunday...1500 feet in the air! Without a safety harness. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association reports that he gave God the glory every step of the way: "Praise you, Jesus. Oh, I love you. Thank you, Jesus. ... Lord, help me to relax, Father."

It's reminiscent of his attitude that he related to the BGEA after his 2012 walk over Niagara Falls. "It was more peaceful that you would imagine," he said. "I trust in Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. That's where I find my peace, the peace that passes all understanding."

Wallenda is apparently intent on using this platform to exalt God.  When his walk over the falls was complete, he was met by a customs agent, who asked him, "What was the purpose of your trip?"

Without missing a beat, Wallenda responded: "To inspire people around the world."

Nik is in the third generation of Christians in his family and going to church and talking about Jesus is "something I grew up knowing."  He accepted Christ into his life at the early age of 4, with his Sunday School teacher leading him to the Lord. "My mother (Delilah) found my commitment card," he said.

He started practicing tight-rope walking at the age of 2, but tried hard not to be any different than those around him.

"One of the challenges we have as Christians in general is we tend to give off this persona that we're in this elite club," Wallenda said. "The truth is that the only difference is I know I've been saved by grace through faith. That Jesus died on the cross for my sins. That's what sets me apart from anybody that doesn't know that.

"Other than that, Romans 3:23 says 'All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.' Therefore we're all created equal. We've all made mistakes."

"I believe God has given me a gift and a talent that can be used to bring glory to His name," said Wallenda, who trains five-to-six hours a day. "I don't go up there unprepared or untrained and say it's up to God whether I make it or not. Not in any way."  He says, "I train very long and hard, just like any athlete will train for any sporting event...The fact is, if I were to lose my life, I definitely know where I'm going."

So, Nik Wallenda may have an unusual craft, but he can be an inspiration for all of us - he dreamed growing up of large-scale highwire walks, and took the necessary steps to become better and better.  He wasn't just content to ride on his name or relax in past history...he works, trains...and trusts God.   And, those are our components, too - if we want to be excellent at anything, it takes paying the price.  We do recognize that God gives us an inner strength and peace to accomplish exploits for Him.   So, we prepare physically and mentally, but I believe He calls us to integrate that spiritual component, not on top of everything else, but to provide the fuel and motivation for all that we do.

What God Has Joined Together...

In Ephesians 5, the apostle Paul confirms the Biblical definition of marriage as one man and one woman, just as Jesus confirmed that in His earthly ministry.   God has a fabulous plan for marriage, and it illustrates the relationship between Christ and the church.
22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word...

Verse 33 says this:
33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.  The concept and entity of marriage works, when we operate in God's principles and allow His sacrificial, unconditional love to flow in our homes.   We do have a challenge to model marriage in our culture, where there are those who seek to redefine it, which is what the Supreme Court action on Wednesday is all about, and those that seek to replace it, such as the enormous number of people that want to have some of the benefits of the marriage relationship without entering into the actual union - it's called cohabitation.   In the midst of the perversion of the marriage relationship, we have the chance to hold up the Biblical standard, to love our mates fervently, to enjoy what God has intended, and to give a testimony to the world of the sanctity of His ways.

The definition of marriage continues to be a source of debate in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's rulings on Wednesday.   The high court struck down a portion of the Federal Defense of Marriage Act preventing same-sex couples from receiving benefits from the Federal government and upheld a lower court ruling that California's amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman is unconstitutional.

The judges said that citizens who had been involved in drafting the amendment and placing it on the ballot in 2008 lacked "standing", in other words, they were not governmental officials, so they essentially did not have the right to defend a civil law.   Thankfully, the Supreme Court did not issue a broad, sweeping ruling that there was some sort of constitutional right to same-sex marriage.   The decision, at least for now, is limited to the legalization of same-sex marriage in California.

The fact is, there is no debate about the definition of marriage, it cannot be changed by the definition of a judge or by the consent of two parties that want to enter into a relationship and call it "marriage".   Marriage is a much higher institution than what can be changed by man, and humanity, if you want to look at it this way, has no "standing" before God to change His laws or make determinations in His place.   When we "stand" before God, we will give an account for how we disregarded His ways in favor of our own faulty actions.

Genesis 2 depicts this sacred union and introduces the concept of the institution and definition of marriage:
22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 
23 The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman, ' for she was taken out of man."  
24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.  
25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. 

Not unexpectedly, the reaction among Christian leaders was swift and firm.   Some examples:

Dennis Rainey, Family Life Today: 

We may start with anger, but we must move beyond anger and sadness and back to a full confidence in the truth of the Gospel. Even though "truth has stumbled in the streets", we must not lose heart, even in the face of the loss of this skirmish. God's victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ will never be invalidated by any court of man.

Isaiah 59:15 reminds us, "Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey".

 Tony Perkins, Family Research Council:

What is inevitable is that the male and female relationship will continue to be uniquely important to the future of society.  The reality is that society needs children, and children need a mom and a dad.  We will continue to work to restore and promote a healthy marriage culture, which will maximize the chances of a child being raised by a married mother and father.

Jim Daly, Focus on the Family (from "Christianity Today"):

The two rulings don't diminish the job of the church to proclaim God's truth to a culture that desperately needs it. As we continue to distance ourselves from God's design for marriage and family, Christians will need to take their oath and commitment to marriage more seriously...The single greatest argument we can present to the world on this issue of marriage is to personally live out marriage in all its God-ordained fullness and radiant beauty.

I selected these 3 statements because they indicate clear direction to act - to place confidence in God's definition of marriage and to promote a healthy marriage culture by proclaiming and living God's truth, including affirming our own marriages.

Today we woke up, and found that the definition of marriage has not changed, nor has our responsibility to enter into an incredible union with our spouses, to love and cherish them, to glorify God, and to seek to build a Christ-centered home and family, and much, much more! 

A New Symbol of Access

After Paul writes about being transformed by the renewing of our minds in Romans 12, he moves into encouraging us to use our giftedness for His glory.     

3For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.4For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,5so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.6Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them.
Our thought patterns can be altered as we allow Christ to shape our thinking, and we will regard the skills or talents that we have as given by the Lord to be used for His glory.   In a culture that is seemingly departing from Biblical truth, we can look for ways in which we can speak or act that will point people to a knowledge of God.  We are not all called to public speaking, to pulpit ministry, but we are called to be faithful in the sphere of influence into which God has placed us, to discern and use the tools that the Lord has granted to us, to further a greater knowledge of Him or His principles.
God uses imagery throughout the Scriptures to present insight into His nature.   An example is found in 1st Peter 2:5you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.6Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame."
Here Jesus is described as our cornerstone, a rock, a stable foundation.   The image communicates a message that can be instructive for us.

I like to identify ways in which Christians are impacting the culture with messages that are consistent with Biblical truth.   Recently in Christianity Today, former Meeting House guest, author Jennifer Grant, wrote a piece calling attention to a new symbol that has been generally called the "International Symbol of Access"; others call it the "handicapped" sign or sticker.    Jennifer's sister-in-law Sara Hendren teamed up with a professor at Gordon College in Massachusetts, Brian Glenney, for The Accessible Icon Project.  Starting in 2009, they worked together to design and promote a new symbol of access that—unlike its predecessor—depicts people with disabilities as dynamic and forward-moving. The new icon made national news in May, when the city of New York adopted it as its official symbol of access.

In referring to the old symbol, Glenney responds, "Are the arms in the old symbol those of the person or the chair? I think that ambiguity is dangerous in shaping our unconscious attitudes about people with disabilities."

He goes on to say that, "My deepest hope is that our symbol, however widely distributed, helps people confront their unconscious attitudes about people with disabilities and awaken their conscience about the importance of advocating for both social and physical access to all."

The Bible is a book full of imagery that can hold great meaning for us, and God does use images and symbols throughout the Bible to communicate his truth.  Those in the world of marketing and advertising recognize that a symbol or a logo can make a statement about a product or a company.  Jennifer Grant, for instance, points out that "a large swoosh on a stranger's T-shirt lets us, in a fraction of a moment, decode the logo to make an almost-instantaneous assessment of its wearer.

God can use artistic expression to illustrate a message that is consistent with a Christian worldview.   And, in this case, a Christian college professor has played a role in perhaps changing the perception oa a group of people that should not be looked down upon.  Glenney points out that Christians should be concerned about those who have disabilities.  He states, "The life of Jesus, and icons like Dallas Willard, show me that I'm part of a community of advocates for the poor and disenfranchised. They give me inspiration as I make my own attempt to self-authenticate my religious belief through advocacy and love. The power of Christ's message is one of total access: the ability for anyone to realize and authenticate their greatest desire and potentiality."

As Joni Eareckson Tada has powerfully demonstrated, the church in general and Christians individually can play a key role in being champions for those with disabilities.   Some churches have begun ministries that are specifically designed to affirm and assist those who are physically challenged in some way.   I think the development of this new symbol teaches a great lesson to us - it can potentially shape culture to think differently about those with disabilities, and it can also inspire each of us to use our gifts and God-given skills to communicate a message consistent with Scripture. 

Toward Clarity - Live What We Believe

In 1st Peter 2, the writer cautions us to walk in a manner that pleases God and is a clear demonstration of the presence of the indwelling Christ.
11Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,12having 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.
The way we live can be a visible demonstration of the power and presence of Jesus.   If He is our Lord, that means that we are not only following His principles, but the attitude we display toward those who do not share our faith will be clear and compelling.   If Christ is our life, if He is truly living through us, expressing His nature through us, there will be a distinct difference in the way WE live versus a person that merely claims to be a Christian, but whose heart is not in it.  God is calling us to be people of conviction, and that can enable us to cut through the secular haze that is so pervasive in this culture and reflect the glory of and the truth of God.

In Colossians 4, the apostle Paul challenges believers to be wise in the way that we engage those who are outside the family of faith:
5Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.6Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

So what would propel someone to choose to be an atheist rather than a Christian?   Larry Taunton of Birmingham's Fixed Point Foundation posed that question to a sampling of young people claiming to be atheist, and reports the findings in an article on the Atlantic website called, "Listening to Young Atheists:
Lessons for a Stronger Christianity."

Fixed Point launched a nationwide campaign to interview college students who are members of Secular Student Alliances (SSA) or Freethought Societies (FS), which are what you might call the atheist equivalents to Campus Crusade: They meet regularly for fellowship, encourage one another in their (un)belief, and even proselytize. They are people who are not merely irreligious; they are actively, determinedly irreligious.

They contacted leaders in those groups from a variety of campuses and asked this: Tell us your journey to unbelief. Larry writes, "It was not our purpose to dispute their stories or to debate the merits of their views. Not then, anyway. We just wanted to listen to what they had to say. And what they had to say startled us."

Some of the factors for these atheist students personal journeys included:

They had attended church.   Most of the participants had not chosen their worldview from ideologically neutral positions at all, but in reaction to Christianity. Not Islam. Not Buddhism. Christianity.

The mission and message of their churches was vague.  These students heard plenty of messages encouraging "social justice," community involvement, and "being good," but they seldom saw the relationship between that message, Jesus Christ, and the Bible. 

They felt their churches offered superficial answers to life's difficult questions.   Fixed Point found that when participants were asked what they found unconvincing about the Christian faith, they spoke of evolution vs. creation, sexuality, the reliability of the biblical text, Jesus as the only way, etc.  Some had gone to church hoping to find answers to these questions.  Serious-minded, they often concluded that church services were largely shallow, harmless, and ultimately irrelevant. 

They expressed their respect for those ministers who took the Bible seriously. The former church-attending students apparently respected Christians who unashamedly embraced biblical teaching.   Michael, a political science major at Dartmouth, told us that he is drawn to Christians like that, adding: "I really can't consider a Christian a good, moral person if he isn't trying to convert me."  

Ages 14-17 were decisive.  For most, the high school years were the time when they embraced unbelief.

The decision to embrace unbelief was often an emotional one.   With few exceptions, students told those conducting the study that they had become atheists for exclusively rational reasons. But as they listened it became clear that, for most, this was a deeply emotional transition as well. 

And, the internet factored heavily into their conversion to atheism.  When participants were asked to cite key influences in their conversion to atheism, such as people, books, or seminars, they heard vague references to videos they had watched on YouTube or website forums.

The takeaway for those of us who are Christians? In conclusion, Larry makes some great points. He says, "...these students were, above all else, idealists who longed for authenticity, and having failed to find it in their churches, they settled for a non-belief that, while less grand in its promises, felt more genuine and attainable." He adds: "Sincerity does not trump truth. After all, one can be sincerely wrong. But sincerity is indispensable to any truth we wish others to believe. There is something winsome, even irresistible, about a life lived with conviction."

Columnist Rod Dreher, in elaborating on Larry's article for The American Conservative writes: "We live in a truly secular age, in which religion is not taken for granted, but is a choice — and in which there is little or no pressure to go to church at all. More than ever, the Church has to give people a reason to believe. I’m not talking about an argument to believe (though that’s part of it), but a sense that the faith is true and compelling. You can’t get there through argument alone, at least not with most people. They need to see more. They need to see the faith incarnate in a meaningful way."

And, that's the challenge for each of us - do we believe what we say we believe?    Have we developed a strong personal theology rooted in the Scriptures so that we not only know what we believe, but are able to engage in conversation about some of the Big Questions?   And, do our lives reflect a sincere devotion to our Lord Jesus?    If we are seeking to apply His truth to every area of life, then we will see the nature of Christ developed in our hearts, which will flow out to those with whom we come in contact.

Divided by the Cross

In Galatians chapter 6, Paul confronts those who were trying to ensnare believers in Christ in legalism, rather than devotion to Him through the cross:
14But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

The cross is more than a symbol, more than an adornment on top of a church building or in a sanctuary, although those expressions do point powerfully to Christ.   But, we testify to the power of the cross by the way we live our lives.  The Bible tells us that we have been crucified with Christ, and we are called to put to death the deeds of the old nature, the works of the flesh, and to put on the new creation that God has worked in our lives.   The cross represents a message of hope - freedom from the old and the promise of the new.   The cross is a bridge to a new life in Jesus Christ.   He took the pain and shame, he suffered death on that cross, so that we might enter into the bright promise of life eternal with Him.

In 1st Corinthians chapter 1, we see a passage that addresses the power of the cross, but also the propensity of our message to separate us from those who will not believe:
18For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.20Where is the wise man ? Where is the scribe ? Where is the debater of this age ? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world ?21For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.22For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom ;23but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,24but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Late last year, the National Bank of Slovakia announced that the European Commission, the executive arm of the burgeoning European Union, had ordered it to remove halos and crosses from special commemorative euro coins due to be minted this summer. A local artist had designed the coins to celebrate the 1,150th anniversary of Christianity’s arrival in Slovak lands. But, as the New York Times highlights, they have instead become tokens of the faith’s retreat from contemporary Europe. They featured two evangelizing Byzantine monks, Cyril and Methodius, their heads crowned by halos and one’s robe decorated with crosses, which fell foul of European diversity rules that ban any tilt toward a single faith.

Archbishop Stanislav Zvolensky stated, “There is a movement in the European Union that wants total religious neutrality and can’t accept our Christian traditions." Gudrun Kugler, director of the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians, said, “There is a general suspicion of anything religious, a view that faith should be kept out of the public sphere,” adding, "There is a very strong current of radical secularism.” She said that this affects all religions but is particularly strong against Christianity because of a view that “Christianity dominated unfairly for centuries” and needs to be put in its place.

The article points out that church attendance is falling across Europe as belief in God wanes and even cultural attachments wither. The Continent’s fastest-growing faith is now Islam. In Britain, according to a poll last year, more people believe in extraterrestrials than in God. In the European Union as a whole, according to a 2010 survey, around half the population believes in God, compared with over 90 percent in the United States.

The collapse of communism in Eastern Europe slowed the secular tide somewhat as the European Union began to admit new and sometimes deeply religious countries like Poland and Romania.  But when Europe set about drafting a constitution in the early years of the last decade, demands that Europe’s Christian heritage be mentioned ran into bitter resistance and were eventually dropped. The religious question resurfaced again with the 2007 Treaty of Lisbon, which skipped any reference to Christianity and instead paid tribute to the “cultural, religious and humanist inheritance of Europe.”  Previously, the 1951 Treaty of Rome and other founding texts of what is today the European Union make no mention of God or Christianity.

The Times piece is entitled, "A More Secular Europe, Divided by the Cross".   I had to think about that passage I read earlier from 1st Corinthians 1 that describes the cross and its message as "foolishness" to those who will not believe.  We have to understand that we live in an increasingly secularized world, and there are distinct groups of people, as highlighted in this piece on the division in Europe.   There are those who believe in secularism, a culture devoid of religion.  You also have those who want to pay homage to the religious traditions, the Christian symbols of the past.  There is a rise in Islam throughout the continent.  And, there is a small group, a remnant if you will, of devoted Christian believers who see the cross as relevant to today's culture and not an icon to be relegated to a coin or a deserted church building.  

And, that's the camp that I want to be in.   How do we uphold the teachings of Christ and the power of the cross in an increasingly secular society?    The power of the cross is not necessarily transmitted through ancient icons, or even a Christian symbol around our neck, on a t-shirt, or on a catchy bumper sticker, although those are all ways that can point to Christ.   But the most powerful communication of the cross is the way we live our lives, testifying to the cross by our radiance of His love.

Yes, the cross is a dividing line, and it seems the line is becoming more and more pronounced.    But, the cross is also a bridge through which souls who do not know God can come into a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.   We can be challenged to bring the hope of the gospel and the transformational power of the cross as we allow Him to be our life.

Taking Back the House

Psalm 127 lays out for us God's view of children and can remind us of the responsibility we have to raise them according to His principles:
1Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain.2It is vain for you to rise up early, To retire late, To eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.3Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.
The words "blessing" and "treasure" are also used to describe the wonderful gifts that are our children.   God has granted us our families for His purposes, for His glory, to create an atmosphere of love, training, and safety for those who reside in our homes.   The home is, in a sense, an incubator, where our children learn not only Biblical truth, but how to apply it, and we as parents learn about ourselves and are challenged to try to be more Godly examples to them.   It's a wonderful institution ordained by God - but when we are fractured and we depart from His ways, then some really tragic circumstances can come about.  We have to guard our hearts and our homes, so that Christ will be exalted in our families.

In Deuteronomy 6, we see a pattern of imparting Godly principles into the lives of our children.
6"These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.7"You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.8"You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead .9"You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

There was plenty of inspirational material released over the Father's Day weekend, and you may have come across the piece on ABC News online, as well as Yahoo! featuring the inimitable Bill Cosby.   My friend Warren Smith of WORLD called attention to it in his latest "Signs and Wonders" column, in fact.

The comedian and legendary sitcom dad is not one to mince words, and in this interview, he talked about his goals for the unbelievably successful "The Cosby Show". He said:

“I based the series on two important things: Number one … I hated those series where the children were brighter than the parents, and those parents had to play dumb...Number two was that I wanted to ‘take the house back'".

By Cosby’s estimation, if you want to entertain children “at the expense of parenting, at the expense of keeping children out of harm’s way to get these laughs, to make these parents look stupid, to make kids look like they are ultra-bright but still lost, then we have a problem.”

“[We] parents make it difficult," he said, "because we want to be well-liked. And I’m not saying that parenting, you shouldn’t want to be well-liked, but you also have to have some kind of judgment.”

Cosby sounds a lot like another sitcom dad, who is quoted by Jim Daly of Focus on the Family in a 2011 piece, who admittedly missed it, saying that the TV show in which he was featured destroyed his family.   In a GQ piece that Jim quotes from, this actor referred to interviews he had given where he said what was important between he and his daughter is that he tried to be a friend to his kids. He stated: "I said it a lot. And sometimes I would even read other parents might say, 'You don't need to be a friend, you need to be a parent.' Well, I'm the first guy to say to them right now: You were right. I should have been a better parent. I should have said, 'Enough is enough--it's getting dangerous and somebody's going to get hurt.' I should have, but I didn't. Honestly, I didn't know the ball was out of bounds until it was way up in the stands somewhere."

In 2010, this man - Billy Ray Cyrus, father of Miley - filed for divorce, then said he wanted to work things out.   Just this past week, his wife filed for divorce.   It's tragic, the disintegration of an American family, right before our eyes.  

So Cosby rails against buddy-buddy parenting; so does Cyrus, but from a position of weakness, by his own admission. Jim Daly goes on:   

Now a reality check. We all like to be liked. If it’s human nature for a kid to push, it’s human nature for a mom or dad to want to be favorably viewed by our kids. But here is the big question: Do we want to be their best pal – or their parent who often has to hold firm and say “no” when they desperately want us to say “yes”?

John Rosemond, noted parenting expert who has been a guest on this program quite a few times, speaks about parental authority.   We have to take up the mantle that God has given to us.   Aloof parents do not necessarily produce children who are attentive to the ways of the Lord.  And overly authoritative parents can produced rebellious kids - remember what Josh McDowell said yesterday that "rules without relationship leads to rebellion".  He's not talking about being a buddy or pal, but striking the right balance - to show authority, but all the while being affirming and reflecting a genuine love and concern.

There are so many issues in homes in America - we just have no idea!   But, as parents, we have to be conscious of, as Cosby says, taking back the house.   In areas that we identify where we as a family are not reflecting Godly values or character, we have to interject the principles of Scripture.   We can make it our aim to be a family that is based on a firm foundation of Biblical truth, making decisions from God's perspective.   And, the way we approach our lives as parents and relate to our children has the potential to make a lasting impact for generations to come.

Father's Day in the Rearview

A charge to fathers is found in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 4, which says:
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline andinstruction of the Lord.

We have just celebrated Father's Day, and we can reflect on the importance of a father's love.   Love ultimately flows from the heart of our Heavenly Father, who gives each of us as fathers the capacity to reflect Godly character and to effectively teach Biblical principles.  We live in a culture where fatherlessness is quite prevalent, including just over a quarter of households who do not have a father's presence and around one-third of children who do not live with their biological father.   In these times, we have a chance to testify to the presence of our God, "Abba, Father" and to look for ways in which we can relate His love, presence, and principles.

In Psalm 78, we see a passage that underscores the powerful role of fathers, who are charged, among other things, to teach Biblical principles to the next generation:
2 I will open my mouth in a parable ; I will utter dark sayings of old,
3 Which we have heard and known, And our fathers have told us.
4 We will not conceal them from their children, But tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.

As we look at this year's celebration of Father's Day in the rearview mirror, I think it's important to consider the importance of fathers in our society.   The role of father is unique and ordained by God, and He will use the man who is willing to walk in that role in a powerful way to shape the lives of his children.

On the CourageousDads.com website, there are plenty of helpful resources for us to ponder and practice.   There is a piece from The National Center for Fathering called "Top 10 Facts On Fathering".   The Center has found in a study that 70% of Americans agree that the physical absence of fathers from the home is the most significant family or social problem facing America.

The Center has put together some facts about the impact of fathers, and the scourge of fatherlessness in our culture today.   These are based on the 2010 Census:

There are 67.8 million fathers in America.  There are 74.7 million children under the age of 18.

Almost two-thirds of children - 62.2% - live with their biological mother and father.  That means that around a third - 24.8 million children (33%) live apart from their biological father.

According to the Census data, 20.3 million children, or just over one-fourth of all children in America - 27% - live in a home with no father

The National Fatherhood Initiative says that the presence and involvement of a father is positively associated with a child's well-being, educational attainment, behavioral development, selfesteem and avoidance of high-risk behaviors.   And, children growing up without a father present are more likely to suffer physical, emotional or educational neglect, engage in juvenile delinquency including violent crime, abuse drugs and alcohol, be a teenage mom and live in poverty.

Author S. Michael Craven says that fathers are the primary determinant on a child’s ongoing faith practice.

Fathers have the incredible role to demonstrate to our children the power of the cross and the character of Jesus Christ.   On the Courageous Dads website, Stephen Kendrick of Sherwood Pictures wrote:

Embracing the cross transforms a man from the inside out. Living the cross guides him to die to his fears and self-centeredness and to be more like Christ and walk in courage and truth in this world. (Luke 9:23) Teaching your children about the cross is fundamental to leading your kids to the heart of God and training them to make the most of their lives.

Jesus said it this way, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.” Luke 9:23-25 (NAS)

The surrendered dad has the capability to set His priorities properly, to truly love and shape his children, and to point them to Jesus.   We have the tools necessary to bring honor to God in our homes, and in our communities.  

But, we have to be "there" - mentally, emotionally, and spiritually engaged with our kids.   And, as those stirring statistics remind us, there are scores of family that don't even have the physical presence of a father, with dire implications.   Did you see the front page of yesterday's Montgomery Advertiser?    There was an article about the recent spike in homicides in the city of Montgomery.    One contributing factor, I think, was highlighted by a 15-year-old interviewed for the article: “Most of the kids out doing stuff don’t have father figures in their lives...They don’t have anyone there to tell them what’s right and wrong. They need that.”

I'm thankful that churches and church leaders are getting involved in the crime situation in Montgomery.   And, I believe that Christians being sensitive to problematic family situations, especially where there is no father in the home, is a key to helping curb the crime rate in areas across our land.    God has said He would be the father to the fatherless, and I do believe it's up to believers in Christ to relate the heart of God to those who do not know the love of a father.

Asleep at the Keyboard

In 1st Peter 5, we are cautioned about being weighed down to the point that we lose some of our spiritual alertness and sensitivity:
6Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,7casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.8Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.9Resist him, steadfast in the faith...
Alertness is a characteristic that serves us well as we seek to follow Christ.   I think it's interesting that verse 8 mentions sobriety and vigilance just after the writer says to cast our cares upon the Lord.   The burdens of life, those things we carry and not allow the Lord to bear, can weigh us down to the extent that it's hard to concentrate on the love of God and His provisions.   But, when we release those heavy burdens, when we refuse to be distracted by worry and anxiety, we can experience peace and strength from the Lord.   As we use His resources, we can remain alert when the enemy would want get us off course.

In Romans chapter 13, we are challenged as believers to be alert:
(11)...it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.12The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.13Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

Yahoo! is reporting on a bank employee who reportedly took a very expensive on-the-job nap when he laid his head down on his keyboard.   When the employee woke a short time later, he discovered that he'd accidentally transferred hundreds of millions of euros by holding down the "2" key, according to a report from the French website AFB.

What was supposed to be a 62.40 euro transfer ($82.80) turned into a 222,222,222.22 euro transfer ($295 million).

The mistake, which occurred in April 2012, was reversed, but the sleepy employee's boss initially let the transfer go through, and the supervisor was reportedly fired for not catching the mistake right away.   The case went before a German court, which ruled that the supervisor was wrongly fired and ordered the bank to give her her job back because the mistake was not malicious in nature, according to the London Evening Standard.

It's unclear what became of the sleepy employee.

We all make mistakes - some are greater than others, and some can be corrected.   I think when we make an error, it can be helpful to us to do a little self-analysis to see if we can take the necessary steps so it does not happen again.   

In this case, the data entry person did something simple which led to the huge error - he fell asleep.   He had an important responsibility and for whatever reason, he didn't remain alert.    

Spiritually speaking, alertness is a great virtue for us as believers.   The Bible is full of warnings to stay vigilant, not distracted or weighed down with cares, cognizant on what is taking place around us so we can respond Biblically and on what is going on inside of us so we can shore up areas of potential weakness.   The enemy would want us to be focused on other things than the realm of the spiritual, and the Lord wants to sharpen our focus so that we concentrate on and depend on Him.

We maintain spiritual alertness through:  determination - making a commitment to try to be our best.    Also, through physical rest - we can wear ourselves out if we're not careful.   And, through the basic elements of Bible meditation and prayer, we combat spiritual drowsiness so that our minds are sharp and stayed on Christ.

What's in the Bag?

1st John chapter 2 describes the desires for the things of this world that can so easily ensnare us if we're not careful to abide in Christ and depend on His power to overcome temptation:
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world.
17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

We can become so distracted sometimes, thinking that the promises of the world can truly satisfy us.   The hunger for power and control, the thirst for more money or possessions, the lust for relationships that are not pleasing to God - these desires can become so overpowering and hardly satisfying.  The Lord alone can give us the contentment that we are longing for.  If we abide in His love and exhibit a dependence on Him, then He will fill our souls with the peace and joy that He intends.

In James chapter 4, we see a description of people who had misplaced priorities and motives:
1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?

2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.

3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

It's truly an odd sight, a picture of a deer at the edge of the woods, with its head covered in a bag - of Doritos.  No, it's not a scene from a Super Bowl ad contender.   In Monroe County, Florida, 2 Sheriff's deputies spotted and photographed the deer.   A UPI.com story quotes Deputy Becky Herrin, who said, "It must have wanted that last chip in the bottom of the bag..."

The bag's green color suggested it was possibly once filled with Doritos Dinamita Chile Lemon Rolled Flavored Tortilla Chips.

Herrin said the deer was calm while the deputies approached.  Deputy Joshua Gordon snapped a photo of the animal with his cellphone, then removed the bag.

The deer then scampered away, Herrin said, noting that it was unlikely anyone had deliberately put the bag on its head.

I couldn't help but think of that winning Super Bowl ad from last year, remember, Goat 4 Sale", where a goat   was consuming hundreds and hundreds of bags of Doritos, and its owner decided he had had enough, took his Doritos, and put the animal up for sale, much to the chagrin of the incensed goat.

That picture of the deer with a bag on its head illustrates a powerful picture for us.   We don't really  and can't really know the backstory, but there was something that this animal wanted, and it turned out he or she couldn't have all that it desired.   And, so often, we exceed the limits of moderation and find ourselves wanting more than we need or than we should have.  It could be more stuff, or a greater position in the workplace at the expense of someone else, or more control in a situation.   If we're not careful, we could end up, figuratively speaking, with an empty bag on our heads.

The Bible challenges us in Isaiah 55 with the question: Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy?  Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.

God can provide the satisfaction that we yearn for deep in our souls - as we abide in Him and do not indulge in the empty promises of this world, we find peace and contentment, joy in His presence.  As we depend on Him, we can be confident that He loves us and only wants what is best for us.

Lion in the Streets!

I believe that God is calling each of us to a fruitful life, which flows from our remaining centered on the presence of Christ.  Jesus said in John 15:
5 "I am the vine, you are the branches ; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing .
6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Life is full of opportunities, and while we are not attempting to work our way into the kingdom or work for our salvation, I believe that the Bible teaches that the life devoted to Christ will be a productive life.   And, we have to guard against those influences or activities that would keep us from being all that He desires for us to be.  For example, there is a plethora of choices available to keep us entertained, and if we become so immersed in those that our view of the circumstances of life becomes distorted, we could retreat into a state of idleness, unable to break free and unmotivated to press in to Christ.   Paul encouraged that attitude of "pressing on"...and we have to guard against retreat in our Christian walk.

Proverbs 22:13 is one of those verses that can serve as a warning to us about giving in to idle live, held
captive by an unproductive state of mind:
13 The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside; I will be killed in the streets!"

Proverbs 6 also presents a picture of someone referred to as a "sluggard" in the New American Standard, a lazy man in the New King James, and someone who is slothful in the King James Version.
6 Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise,
7 Which, having no chief, Officer or ruler,
8 Prepares her food in the summer And gathers her provision in the harvest.
9 How long will you lie down, O sluggard ? When will you arise from your sleep?
10 "A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest ,
11 Your poverty will come in like a vagabond And your need like an armed man.

It's been said that it's OK to have things, or possessions, but for things to have you is not good.   That presents a great dividing line for us.  And, I believe it applies to our entertainment choices - what we look to for amusement can ensnare us if we allow those things to divert our attention from the presence of and the work of God.  The word "amusement" is derived from an Old French word amuser, meaning "to stupefy, waste time, be lost in thought”).

And, I enjoy good entertainment.  Through technology, we have the ability to access more options, through our cable television or video streaming services, through our smartphones, and through the wide range of gaming systems and software on the market.  And, this week in Los Angeles, the E3 conference demonstrates for us the importance of the latest and the greatest to manufacturers and consumers.   Sony has unleashed - finally - its new PlayStation 4, while Microsoft has unveiled its Xbox One.   Home computing could take another step forward with its cylindrical Mac Pro.   And, the software manufactures lure gamers with cutting edge graphics and a social media component - so you can now play games and build virtual relationships through the click of a mouse or the pressing of a button on a game controller.

It's quite mind-boggling, and can be quite entertaining, if exercised in moderation.   But, if our amusement leads to the construction of a cocoon around our lives, then it ceases to be funny.   And, as we see from Proverbs 22 about the lazy man, a person can construct an alternative sense of reality - the Scriptures doesn't say there was a lion outside, only that the sluggard says there is.   And, I think that we can become so isolated sometimes that we distort what is going on outside our lives.    Fear of imaginary lions can keep us from getting out and reaching out.   

Contrast the picture in Proverbs 22 with the illustration of the ant, who is self-motivated, highly responsible, and diligent in its pursuits.   The ant is intent on being productive - and I believe the follower of Christ should be motivated to bear fruit for Him.   If we allow entertainment to restrict us to the sidelines, if we're immersed in activities that steal our motivation and cause us to be idle, then we miss what God has in store for us.   We have to stay sharp and focused on what God would intend for our lives.

Read Any Good Movies Lately?

In Hebrews chapter 4, there's a verse of Scripture that relates to us about the power of God's Word - in the pages of the Scriptures, we can see ourselves and recognize not only God's story, but how we fit into His
overall narrative, and how He is actively at work, writing, if you will, the story of our lives:
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

This verse tells me that God is at work - He has given us His Word, in the Bible, and as we engage with it, the Spirit of God brings to light what is contained in its pages - we begin to see ourselves in light of God's perfect plan, we gain a greater sense of the activity of God around us, and we can see personal applications of the Scriptures to the way we live our lives.   It is quite incredible that God has not only told His story in the Bible, but He wants to bring us into His overall story - where our natural lives intersect with our supernatural God, great things take place and we find our place in His magnificent plan.

There is a great summary of the overall story of the Scriptures found in 1st Timothy chapter 3.   We recognize that God has crafted an incredible story, and He has chosen to include us:
(15) I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. 

16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

Have you read any good movies lately?   No, I didn't misspeak.   There's some new Barna survey information that caught my eye regarding books that have been adapted as movies or television shows, and the results show us that, well, books are still quite popular, especially those that have been or are being made into movies.   Christianity Today reports that The Barna Group examined the demographics of readers of popular books that have become (or are becoming) movies and TV shows, and found the following percentages of readers that are practicing Christians, according to Barna's definition:
Life of Pi: 37%
Twilight: 22%
The Hunger Games: 21%
50 Shades of Grey: 19%
Game of Thrones: 18%
The Hobbit: 16%

Notably, the erotic novel, Fifty Shades of Grey, enjoys the same percentage of readership among practicing Christians as the percentage of all Americans who have read the book, which has at times been described as "mommy porn."

The survey also shows significant crossover between readers of books and the movie or television adaptations of them.

There's also research about the amount of Bible reading among those surveyed.   One in five of all American adults have read the Bible from start to finish. While it might not be shocking to discover well over half (61%) of evangelical Christians have read the Bible from start to finish, it may be surprising that nearly one in six (18%) of people with a faith other than Christianity and about one in eleven (9%) people with no faith claimed to have done the same.

Nearly one-third (29%) of black adults say they’ve read the Bible from start to finish, greater than the percentage of Hispanic adults (22%) and white adults (19%).   Baby boomers are the group with the highest likelihood to have read the Bible from start to finish, with nearly one-quarter (23%) reporting they had done so.

David Kinnaman, president of Barna Group, pointed out several implications of the research:

1. Americans are increasingly craving a multi-media way to enjoy their favorite stories. The large crossover between those who have read and seen The Hunger Games, Twilight and The Hobbit suggests that movies and television propel books and vice versa. 

2. Despite the emerging digital landscape, the research also suggests book reading is not dying out. Especially surprising from the data is that young adult readers—generations that Barna Group labels Busters and Mosaics—make up the primary audience for most of the books assessed.

3. Another unmistakable pattern in the research is the power of stories—namely, fiction—in propelling the publishing industry.

4. Finally, the level of engagement with the Bible is enlightening.  While it is not surprising that so many practicing Christians report reading the Good Book all the way through, Kinnaman notes it is surprising that nearly a fifth of people who claim another faith than Christianity and nearly a tenth of people with no faith claim to have done the same.   It suggests Christians should not assume non-Christians are categorically unfamiliar with their sacred scripture.

Meanwhile, Bible engagement is seemingly on the rise in Norway, where it's reported that only 1 percent of the country’s 5 million residents attend church, according to Lutheran leaders. A new Washington Times piece says that a new Norwegian-language version of the Bible has become the country’s No. 1 best-seller, The Associated Press reported.  The Blaze reported that the version has been in the top 15 best-seller list for 54 of the past 56 weeks.

Meanwhile, Norwegians are taking their faith to the stage, too. A six-hour play called “Bibelen,” which means “The Bible” in Norwegian, has been drawing thousands. In a three-month span, more than 16,000 people saw the production, The Blaze reported.

Biblical scholars, say the furor is over nothing — that Norwegians are traditionally quiet followers of the faith who don’t necessarily need to go to church as part of their belief system. But the sales are significant, nonetheless. If nothing else, they show the mindset of the nation.

“Thoughts and images from the Bible still have an impact on how we experience reality,” said Karl Ove Knausgaard, one of the Norwegian authors who helped translate the popular Bible version.

As believers in Christ, we are people of the Book, and our level of engagement with God's Word determines  how are beliefs are shaped and the degree of our practice of His principles.   And, we recognize from the Barna research that people are searching for meaning and are attracted to the power of story.

The Bible contains God's story - the amazing account of a creator God who made humanity to serve Him and have dominion over the earth, a humanity that fell and experienced separation from God, who made a way for us to be reunited with Him through the sacrifice of His Son, who demonstrated the ultimate expression of love so that we could know Him.   And, in reading the big picture story, we also see the stories of people with whom we perhaps can identify.   We also acknowledge that God is writing our story, and as we immerse ourselves in the Scriptures, we can see how our personal story intersects with the big story of God's sovereign plan.