All In

Because Christ gave so much for us and calls us into a relationship with Himself, He gives us the capacity to love others and to be generous toward Him and toward churches and ministries.  Luke 6
states:
30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.
31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

Later in the chapter, we read, in verse 38:
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."

We have been given much by God - He sent His Son to redeem us and to bring us into a relationship with Himself.  He calls us to walk with Him daily and to enter in to His holy presence.  He wants us to be devoted to service in and through the body of Christ.  And, that includes how we give - as an act of love for Him and for other people, as an expression of our thanksgiving for who He is and what He's done, and as an issue of stewardship, recognizing He grants us resources for which He has specific purposes.

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We look to God as our provider, and recognizes that as He provides for us, He calls us to be generous
toward the work of His Kingdom. 2nd Corinthians 9 presents the cycle that occurs in God's economy:
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.
12 For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God...

Our lawmakers in Congress are continuing to debate how to reform the tax system or rewrite the tax code in America, and there has been discussion centered around what could or could not be deducted under the revisions.  There is talk of increasing the standard deduction while eliminating other deductions, such as the tax credit for adoptive families, which has raised concern among some Christian, pro-life organizations.  And, so far, from what I can tell, the deduction for charitable contributions remains intact, and that, of course, can be an incentive for people to give or give more of their income.

A Christianity Today story highlights what some Christian leaders are saying about the way tax reform could affect giving to charities.  Dan Busby, president of the Evangelical Council for 
Financial Accountability (ECFA), points out:

• Lowering corporate tax rates and the pass-through rates for small business are pro-growth elements, placing more dollars in the hands of those who support churches and ministries. That is good for ministries, but the impact will tend to be long-term. 
• The elimination of the personal deduction reduces available resources to make charitable deductions. 
• The repeal of the death tax removes the significant incentive for many to make charitable contributions to avoid this tax. 

The story says, according to Busby, "...the change that is likely to make the biggest impact on middle-income taxpayers is the doubling of the standard deduction."

The CT story continues:

Raising the standard deduction puts money back into taxpayer pockets, but also means those who itemize their charitable contributions on their IRS 1040 forms would drop from about 30 percent of the population to about 5 percent, said National Christian Foundation president emeritus David Wills. If that group of people is no longer able to write off their charitable contributions as tax free, they may be less inclined to give.

The article refers to a study commissioned by a group called Independent Sector, and projects that people making between $50,000 and $100,000 a year will give less under the proposed system.

Representative Mark Walker from North Carolina told CBN News that he has positive response to the initial bill, but adds: "We've been pushing for what we call the universal charitable giving act, that allows people making less than $200,000 who don't itemize to continue to get deductions for charitable giving. As a former pastor that's very important to me for people who give to their local ministries, local churches, local shelters..."

It is true that the tax deduction can be a motivation to give, but I think that the chief motivation is our love and devotion for Christ and our love for His work.  And, a new study affirms what intuitively we would expect: the more faithful someone is in church attendance, the greater propensity he or she has to give.

Religion News Service has a report on a study by Giving USA, and states:

Most strikingly, those attending religious services once a month or more make an average annual religious contribution of $1,848, while those attending religious services less than once a month donate $111,” says the report from Giving USA.

The report, released Tuesday (Oct. 24), draws on data from the University of Michigan’s Philanthropy Panel Study.

“Giving to religion,” as defined by the Chicago-based Giving USA Foundation, includes contributions to congregations, religious media, denominations and mission organizations.

Some faith-related organizations, including schools or hospitals, are excluded from that definition.

The story relates that, "Overall, giving to religious causes amounted to close to a third of all charitable giving in 2016, Giving USA says. Religious institutions received $122.94 billion that year, or 32 percent of charitable donations."

Former Meeting House guest Rick Dunham, a board member of Giving USA, is quoted in the article: "(Y)ounger generations do give to religion, and do so at a rate that is similar to earlier generations,” adding, “It is reasonable to expect that as younger generations mature, they will be similarly engaged in charitable giving as older generations are.”

The study indicates that adults between 40 and 64 are the "peak" givers.  Protestants comprise the largest religious group of givers.  And, "African-Americans give a greater percentage of their donations to religion than other groups – 74 percent, compared with 66 percent among Hispanics and 58 percent among whites."

Some takeaways for us today:

I think this study actually confirms how our level of devotion to Christ affects how we give.  I believe that our greatest motivation should be that we give because He gave.  The Bible teaches that God's economic principles are predicated on giving.  The work of the Kingdom continues because His people are devoted not only to the teaching and fellowship of the local church, but to seeing that work proliferate.  And, I believe that you can make the case that the more we give, our capacity to give increases as He responds to our faithfulness.

We can be challenged to examine the level of generosity that we possess.  And, I think that generosity is related to thankfulness.  If we appreciate the work of the local church, into which we bring our tithe, our firstfruits, as well as the work of ministries, which supplement and complement our congregations' work, then we can enthusiastically be committed to their sustenance and growth.

Faith Radio is devoted to strengthening the walk of individual believers in Christ, and I believe that stronger Christians make for a stronger Church.  On our website, we have displayed five reasons why churches support the ministry of Faith Radio.  Those are: evangelism, growing disciples, encouraging church attendance and support, support for the Christian community (an element that Billy Irvin and I discussed on the air yesterday), and ministering to ministers and the homebound.

As we approach the end of 2017, would you consider partnering with us, as an individual or family? And, we encourage local churches to also become a financial partner with Faith Radio, as we are ministry partners in growing the Kingdom of God.

One further note on tax reform: we, as engaged citizens, can be engaged in the process and communicate our concerns to our lawmakers.  And, we can select leaders in the electoral process, voting as an act of worship, supporting candidates who are sensitive to our Christian values and our religious liberty.

Wresting with Fame

We find a passage in the 4th chapter of Ephesians that draws the contrast between the old person, who we used to be (who all too often we still think that we are), and the new person, our new identity
in Christ:
22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

We cannot save ourselves, that is why we need a Savior.  But, as Paul challenges the Galatians, we have to make sure that we are still not trying to live the Christian life according to our own power. We have to have a mind transformation; shifting our thinking to align with the principles of Scripture and who the Lord says that we are.  We are brand new, and we can choose daily to not be ensnared by the regrets of the past or the patterns that we developed outside of Christ, allowing Him to live through us.

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In 1st Peter 2, we can read some words that describe our identity in Christ, brought about in our hearts through His great love:
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

I don't think a whole lot about professional wrestling, but there was an interesting juxtaposition of documentaries that were available last night about two wrestlers who followed similar paths.  A colleague of mine made me aware of the movie, The Price of Fame, which was in theaters last night, featuring the story of the famous wrestler, The Million Dollar Man, Ted DiBiase.  And, on ESPN, a 30 for 30 documentary aired featuring the famous Nature Boy, Ric Flair.

There are some similarities in the men's lives, and you might say that the "price of fame" affected both of them.  A Bleacher Report story on the Flair documentary stated:

Flair's career, though, has not been solely defined by his successes. From his legal issues and his sexual affairs to nearly 20 years of heavy daily drinking, Flair has been riding a roller coaster of a career that makes him one of the most fascinating athletes in the world.

The review said:

As he put it, wrestling "became a disease." To combat his nagging loneliness, he took to drinking, making every day a dangerous proposition.

Flair's life could best be described as troubled, even after he left the ring.  The story states:

Even once his career had ended, the demons persisted. He was bogged down in debt and continued drinking. It only grew worse with the death of his son, Reid, until friends finally intervened to save him and his daughter Charlotte, now one of WWE's top female performers.

The death pushed them both to find themselves.

The story says, "...he paid the price for such an amazing rise to glory."

A chilling review at the SBNation.com website stated: "...after 90 minutes you get the point: Ric Flair was ready for his closeup, and after 90 sometimes hilarious minutes of looking at it, the face looking back after a lifetime of hard-lived wheelin’, dealin’, and kiss-stealin’ can be a terrifyingly empty one."  The life of Flair, in this reviewer's estimation, illustrates "the impermanence of humanity’s greatness, and...the hollowness of fame writ large on a single man rendered incapable of taking care of the ones he loves through ego-driven self-deletion and alcoholism."

Ted DiBiase learned about the price of fame, and it wasn't a pretty sight.  In an interview with FoxNews.com, he describes himself as "a minister," saying, "I travel all over the United States basically in evangelism, speaking in churches, speaking in prisons, speaking in rehab centers wherever I can basically sharing my story of redemption and the turnaround in my life.

He adds:

That’s why this film was titled “The Price of Fame." Now I want to be careful with saying the price of fame is whatever you make it. We all make individual decisions, but it’s like a lot of the things that come a long with being famous. You got to build accountability into your life or it’s very easy for it to take you down.

 When asked about what he hoped people would take away, DiBiase said:

The really important things in life, and I found out the hard way because I found all those things at the end of the day to be empty. Because if I don’t have a wife and a family who loves and respects me, if I don’t have their respect and if I’m not living my life in such a way that I’m being open and honest with them than what do I really have.

And, an interesting angle: DiBiase and Flair were contemporaries; they actually wrestled one another.

Last night, in a sense, their two stories were squaring off against each other.  I watched neither one, but I think the two stories can tell us a lot about two concepts: identity and regret.  And, also how you deal with the regrets you experience.

So, let's talk about who you are.  In professional wrestling, the stars have a certain persona.  And, DiBiase's persona, the "Million Dollar Man" was in conflict with his personal faith.  As the Fox story says:

When cameras stopped rolling and millions of viewers weren’t watching, the former football player was at war with himself. While his character personified “sex, drugs and professional wrestling,” DiBiase was a devoted family man of faith.

He decided to stop playing that role, retired from pro wrestling, and later went into the ministry. Flair also had a persona, the "Nature Boy," and as his ex-wife states in the ESPN documentary, according to the SBNation piece, after a near-fatal plane crash, "the persona of Ric Flair took over, and Richard Fleihr ceased to exist."

There are a couple of quick thoughts about identity:  for one thing, we have to make sure that we are not living a double life; that the person whom people see is inconsistent with our private lives - feigning devotion to Christ or the church while inwardly harboring rebellion against Him, determined to go our own way.  We must set our course toward wholehearted devotion to Him, living in the Spirit and not fulfilling our human desires.

We also recognize that our identity, as a born-again believer, is in Him.  We are weak in ourselves, but strong in Him.  We are sinners incapable of saving ourselves outside of Christ; but in Christ, we are redeemed saints who have the power to triumph over sin. 

That transitions nicely into a discussion of regret. We can become so full of regrets in our lives over what we have done and who we think we are, but God calls us to a deeper, fulfilling life in Him - a life that is determined not by past things we have done, but by what He has done to redeem our past. We can truly be apologetic for our past mistakes, but we can allow them to define us.  We can wallow in self-pity or drown in our regret.  Without Christ, there is not an effective way to offload those regrets that hold us captive.  But, through repentance and restoration, the Lord will give us the means to be set free through His power. We can make a change in Him, our lives can experience a different direction.

Family

God has ordained the institution of the family, predicated on the marriage relationship of husband and wife, as a strong foundation of a properly functioning society.  When the family is in trouble, it is
reflected in the culture at large. Joshua 24 says:
14 "Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!
15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

He made that bold declaration that not only would he serve the Lord, but his "house" would do the same.  He dedicated his family to the service of God.  God has ordained family relationships as a means of loving, supporting, and providing structure and security.  And, where those relationships have broken down, I believe that the Church can provide an alternative unit of support for people. We can be thankful for our families and depend on the Lord to have His way in those important relationships.

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So many can be thankful for the strength of their families, and we can be encouraged to remember how God has worked in the lives of those closest to us.  But, there are some that do not have a strong family, and can rely on the resources of a loving church family.  God has a purpose for families and
communities. In Psalm 68, we read:
4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name Yah, And rejoice before Him.
5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.
6 God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

It was a scene replicated at churches across America, the point in the worship service when the preacher would go to the pulpit and deliver a sermon, to proclaim God's Word.

Bryan Holcombe, the associate pastor of his church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, was designated to preach this past Sunday. As he approached the pulpit, though, little did he know that his life would soon be taken from him.  Because, at that moment, according to reports, a black-clad man with an assault rifle began to shoot...

USA Today reported that Bryan was killed.  So was his wife, Karla.

Their son, Marc, dead.  His one-year-old daughter, Noah, taken, although his wife, Holly, survived.

The gunman took the life of Bryan and Karla's daughter-in-law, Crystal.  And, four of her children - Emily, Megan, and Greg, plus her child with whom she was pregnant, due to be born in April.  Crystal had been widowed and married John Holcombe, who was wounded, but survived, along with her two other children - Evelyn was also taken to the hospital, but released.  Son Phillip was not at church that day.

A total of nine lives were taken that day, spanning three generations, including Crystal's unborn child, in one family, died that day.  They comprised one-third of the victims. 27 total.  Thanks to WORLD for actually reporting the accurate death toll - many media outlets say 26, not taking into account Crystal's unborn child.

Bryan and Karla Holcombe's niece Holly Maddox Elliott, told USA Today that the family was "tight-knit."  Her aunt and uncle “had hearts full of love for everybody.” She said, "They didn’t judge anyone,” adding, “They had hearts of gold. They helped anybody and everybody they could.”  The couple had been married 40 years.

The USA Today article stated:

Crystal Holcombe’s Facebook profile painted a picture of a woman devoted to her family, describing her husband in a post several weeks ago as “the love of my life.”

“Excited to celebrate another birthday with you in my world!” wrote Holcombe.

In her last public post Saturday, she glowingly described her daughters’ achievements, accompanied by photos — one girl posed with what appeared to be a plate of quesadillas and the other with a yogurt parfait, both garnished.

As usual, John Holcombe posted his Sunday school lesson online a day ahead. It was about an Old Testament miracle.

But the following morning, his family would bear an unspeakable burden: nearly a third of the fatalities in Texas’ worst mass shooting.

Joe Holcombe, described as the "family patriarch" on the People Magazine website, is quoted by the site from Floresville, TX, speaking of son, Bryan: “He’s a Christian so we know he’s in Heaven. It’s not as hard on us, because we know we’ll be together again and it will be for a long time this time.”

The People story says: "Wrote Cristopher Foster, in a fundraiser set up on behalf of Bryan’s daughter Sarah Slavin, 'This is one of the most [truly] loving and kind-hearted families in our nation.'"

What a wonderful picture of a family knit together, attending and serving the church together, apparently a pillar of the congregation.  They will have tough times ahead, but they have the strength of a family structure that will serve them well in the days to come.

The family - it's an institution that serves humanity and our country well - an institution through which the Lord works mightily.  And, even though there are pressures on modern-day families, God can use that family to provide love, nurturing, structure, security, and to provide a means through which His Word can be taught to future generations.  There are broken families and fractured families, and those who have no family - and the Church can even play a role in making sure that people are supported.

Now, contrast the cohesion of the Holcombe family with that of the shooter, Devin Patrick Kelley. This is apparently someone who had some difficulties in family relationships and did not seem to have the structure to hold him accountable and provide help in his struggles.  He is certainly responsible for his actions, but he operated outside the realm of family.  The Daily Mail has a list of some of Kelley's disturbing actions and attitudes:

Devin Patrick Kelley had a violent history and a disturbing history of dating teen girls

In 2012, Kelley was court-martialed for abusing his then wife Tessa Kelley and his infant stepson

A former Air Force chief prosecutor said that Kelley admitted to beating his son so severely that the boy's skull fractured

Kelley was sentenced to 12 months confinement and was reduced to the lowest rank possible

Soon after being released, he remarried to 19-year-old Danielle Lee Shields

The two moved to Colorado that year, when Kelley was arrested for beating their pet pit bull puppy

Authorities said Monday that the couple had become estranged sometime after moving in with Kelley's parents in New Braunfels, Texas earlier this year

He was also on bad terms with his wife's mother, Michelle Shields, who attended First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas

His mother-in-law was not at the church at the time of the massacre, but her mother was and died...

The story says that, "At an afternoon press conference, police revealed that Kelley had 'expressed anger towards his mother-in-law' and sent her 'threatening texts'."

The same website, in another article, stated that, according to those who knew him, he was an "outcast" who "preached his atheism" online.  The article says that former classmates described him as "creepy," "crazy," and "weird."  It reports that one classmate wrote on Facebook: "In (sic) in complete shock! I legit just deleted him off my fb cause I couldn't stand his post." She added, "He was always talking about how people who believe in God we're stupid and trying to preach his atheism..."

What a contrast!  And, I think there are numerous principles that we can consider.  One is, as I have alluded to already, the strength of the family.  Life in families has changed in our culture, and you may have a strong family structure, or perhaps a broken one, or you may have very few, if any, family members that are still around.  If there are areas in which you need to reach out to family members, the holidays can provide a great opportunity.  There may be some issues that need to be confronted and hopefully healed, rather than allow conflict to deepen.  We need each other, and God has given us a family.  If those relationships are no longer existent or intact, the church has the opportunity to step in a provide security, stability, and support.

The church family was obviously a big part of the Holcombes' lives and the church will provide support and structure for them in the days to come.  We all need structure for our lives - we can get that in our families, and we can receive and provide it in the body of Christ.  God has provided each of us with gifts that we can contribute in order to strengthen the church - to serve, to grow, and to enjoy quality fellowship.

Within the culture of family and community, there may be an opportunity to identify those who are weak in their faith.  Devin Kelley had rejected the church, although there are indications that he may have served earlier in his life.  He had some serious domestic issues and even threatened his mother-in-law.  This was a troubled individual.  And, this goes back to the church, as well - we may have people whom God will direct to us who are struggling, even facing mental health issues. By remaining sensitive to the Holy Spirit, we can help bring to light people in crisis, perhaps referring them to a pastor or pastoral counselor - but I think we have that responsibility not to remain silent when we suspect troubled individuals in our midst.

Hiding Place

King David was beset by his son, Absalom, who had the intention of wrestling the kingdom away
from his father. David was on the run, and felt the weight of trouble. In Psalm 3, we read his words:
(1) Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me.
2 Many are they who say of me, "There is no help for him in God." Selah
3 But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.

Do you sometimes feel that you are in trouble?  Well, we certainly live in a troubled world - a fallen world, where evil is present and assertive.  But, in the midst of our trouble, we can turn to God as our hiding place, our shield, our protector.  That's not to say that our lives will be free from adversity or tragedy, but we can be anchored in Him, who brings us security and peace even when there are challenges all around us.  We are weak in human strength, but strong in the Lord.

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We are reminded of the troubled and fearful world in which we live - and even God's people
encounter tragedy; yet, we are instructed in Scripture to hide ourselves in God.  He will protect our spirits and help us to confront fear and challenges.  Psalm 32 says:
7 You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.

Terror came to church - again - yesterday in Sutherland Springs, Texas, which is a small town about 30 miles southeast of San Antonio.  CBS News described the man who walked into the First Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist church, and opened fire - at least 26 people are dead and over a dozen wounded.  The news report stated that authorities...

...said he was dressed in all black and tactical gear when he opened fire at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs. After a car chase with police, the suspect was shot and declared dead. It's unclear if the suspect shot himself or if he was killed by a resident.

WORLD Magazine reported:

The gunman crossed the street firing a Ruger AR rifle, according to Freeman Martin, a regional director of the Texas Department of Safety, and continued firing after entering the white wood-frame church. As he left the church, a man who lived nearby who heard the gunfire confronted the shooter and chased him. A short time later, the suspect was found dead in his vehicle at the county line, Martin said. It was unclear if the attacker died of a self-inflicted wound or if the man who chased him had shot him. Investigators weren’t ready to discuss a possible motive for the attack. Martin said 23 of the dead were found in the church, two were found outside, and one died after being rushed to a hospital. The dead ranged in age from 5 to 72 years old. Among those killed was Annabelle Pomeroy, the 14-year-old daughter of the church’s pastor. Pastor Frank Pomeroy, and his wife, Sherri, were both out of town in two different states when the attack occurred. President Donald Trump, who was in Japan, called the shooting an “act of evil” and said he was monitoring the situation.

The suspect has been identified as Devin Patrick Kelley, 26 years of age, who had been dishonorably discharged from the Air Force three years ago, according to CBS, which said that, "Investigators will look at his social media posts made in the days prior to Sunday's attack -- including one that appeared to display an AR-15 semiautomatic weapon."

Christian leaders have been swift to respond, including Texas church leaders.  First Baptist Dallas senior pastor Robert Jeffress said:

Today’s horrific church shooting is every pastor’s worst nightmare and is proof of the reality of evil. Although the Bible never diminishes the pain of evil, it does promise that one day when Christ returns, evil will be defeated forever. Until that time, we pray that the members of First Baptist Church, Sutherland Springs, will experience the promise of Psalm 34:18: “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted.”

Tony Evans, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, tweeted:

Our hearts and prayers break for those in #SutherlandSprings May God give a peace beyond understanding to all affected.

Max Lucado from Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, tweeted out:

Our hearts are saddened at the news of the shootings in Sutherland Springs....Our first response is prayer.

Interestingly enough, the front page to Max's website has a link to a blog post or devotional in the aftermath of the Las Vegas shooting last month.  He writes:

Where the Bible may not tell us the why of the tragedies, it is quick to tell us who.

Our fight is not against people on earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness, against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world (Ephesians 6:12 NCV).

The Bible names a real and present foe of our faith: the devil. He is not just a symbol for evil, he is the source of evil. He doesn’t live in myths and fables, he is an actual being who stalks our planet. He knows his time is short so he seeks to wreak havoc on every occasion.

Former Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd commented:

“When attacks of hate and terror happen in our places of worship, they shake us to the core. We must beg God for His mighty hand of protection on our nation and the world. May God be with the victims of this shooting. Only God is our refuge in these times of trouble.”

Faithwire reported that the attack got the attention of NFL star Benjamin Watson, who posted on Facebook after his game: “An attack in a house of worship is an attack at the very core of America. Are no places sacred? Have we descended this far?” He added, “On a Sunday dedicated to global unified prayer for our persecuted brothers and sisters we are once again brought to our knees as tragedy strikes again and the very real presence of evil is seen and felt with our own eyes and hands.”

Yesterday was the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, and the mass shooting of Christians in a place of worship does seem like something that you would hear about in a country somewhere else in the world.

Earlier this year, it was announced that the group International Christian Concern added the U.S. to its list of "new and noteworthy" nations in the 2016 “Hall of Shame Report," according to World Net Daily.  Russia and Mexico were also on that list.  The WND report said:

While ICC notes “there is no comparison between the life of a Christian in the U.S. with persecuted believers overseas,” the group noted a number of “worrying trends as an alarming indication of a decline in religious liberty in the United States.”

ICC President Jeff King explained: “We felt it was very important this year that we highlight three countries where religious discrimination and persecution are deemed unusual but have reached a certain threshold of concern. These are Mexico, Russia, and sadly, the United States.

A few thoughts for us today in response:

The words, "hiding place," have come into my mind.  And, in a time when we might feel like we want to run and hide, we can remember to run into the arms of Almighty God.  We can hide in the security of His arms and His Holy Spirit.  We can also recognize our lives are hidden in God, and we can be clothed in the armor of God.

As Max Lucado points out, there is the presence of evil in this world.  We recognize the devil for who he is and that he will use people to carry out his wishes. Max reminds us of the shortness of his time.  We can certainly think that his effort is intensified.  We know that God will not prevent human suffering, but we can have peace in Him and continue to testify to His greatness, even in the face of tragedy.

Finally, and this was evidenced on social media last night, we live in a time where the culture of hate is seemingly increasing.   It's hard to imagine why someone takes the life of another, period. Why a man decides to open fire in a church, a sanctuary, thought to be a "safe space," and takes the lives of dozens, is beyond me.  But, we have to be careful that we do not allow the flames of hate to burn in our hearts.  This is lived out on social media posts, in which people are calling one another names and engaging in inflammatory comments.  The rancor rages, and people are no longer equipped, it seems, to settle conflict in a civil manner.  Why, even on Saturday, a U.S. Senator was attacked at his home in Kentucky - Sen. Rand Paul suffered 5 broken, or at least fractured, ribs in a conflict with a neighbor.  We must do what we can, whenever we can, to overcome evil with good.

Radiate Hope

As he closed up his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote these words, in chapter 15:
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
14 Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.

God desires to produce hope - abundantly in our lives.  And, that stands in stark contrast to the hopeless world we see around us.  When there is disappointment, there is the potential to inject hope into the situation, to allow the Holy Spirit to produce a way forward, to enlighten hearts and minds to see solutions rather than insurmountable obstacles.  When hopelessness has set in, we can depend on the Lord to invade our minds and to infuse a situation with His love and power.

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In Romans 5, we gain some insight into how we can respond in the Spirit to suffering and to develop hope:
3b ...we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

A New York City pastor witnessed the deadly terror attack in New York this past Tuesday afternoon.  On his Twitter feed, Michael Rudzena, Pastor of Trinity Grace Church in Tribeca, the area of Lower Manhattan in which the attack took place, recounted events of that dreadful afternoon:

He said:

I heard gunshots as Lucy and I were walking out of the store toward Jack’s school. We ran back in ducking.

My son walked out of school and saw kids running. At first he thought it was a prank. But then began to run and as he ran he heard shots.

As he turned the corner he found a friend hiding behind a box on the phone and grabbed him and ran to our building across the street.

Today my son, daughter and I witnessed the terrorist attack in #Tribeca. We’re all ok but shaken. So proud of police, responders & neighbors

The pastor went on MSNBC's Morning Joe program the next morning.  The headline said: NYC pastor describes scene, calls for hope after attack..."

Rudzena also tweeted out: "For parents of kids who faced the tragedy: invite storytelling, question asking and be sure to point out the light in the face of darkness."

And, an NBC program host spoke out recently on the faith perspective of the situation.  According to CBN News, Kathie Lee Gifford told CBN's Studio 5: "God is sovereign in all things..." She added: "His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts. We have to trust that He has it in control, even when it seems that everything is out of control."

Gifford also said, "He is a loving God, terrorism did this, not God," adding, "People say to me, how could a loving God allow this to happen? 'I always say, well a loving God loved us enough to give us freedom of will.'" She said the attack was the "antithesis of Jesus."

In our desperate times, we can be challenged to seek hope.  I like what the pastor had to say about encouraging kids to open up and for parents to share light in the face of darkness.  In the course of our interactions, we can project a sense of hope in Christ.  The love of Christ can become such a powerful force to help provide clarity in uncertainty and comfort in the middle of confusion.

We are living in a world in which we need voices to give that hope.  And, true hope comes from the knowledge of God.  We can be prepared to share that hope...

...And to apply it in our own adversity.  We are residents of a fallen world, but we are also aliens and strangers here.  Our response to trial is greater trust in Almighty God, knowing that He is producing more of His nature in us through what challenges us.  God does not promise us a sanitized, suffering-free life; rather, He wants to guide and strengthen us in the trials we encounter.

Finding the Happy Place

In 2nd Chronicles 9, we read the comments by a visitor to King Solomon, the Queen of Sheba, who
made some observations about the happiness of those who served the King:
5 Then she said to the king: "It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom.
6 However I did not believe their words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You exceed the fame of which I heard.
7 Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!
8 Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you, setting you on His throne to be king for the Lord your God! Because your God has loved Israel, to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness."

The Bible speaks in Psalm 37 about "delighting" in the Lord.  God has a life in store for us that is centered on Him, in which we can experience His love, peace...and joy.  Jesus told His disciples that even in times of tribulation, they were to "be of good cheer."  Our joy is something that is long-lasting and authentic, that is not governed by the external circumstances, but abides in our hearts - and that is evidenced by the way we live and the attitude we display.

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In Isaiah chapter 12, we read a passage that indicates that we can be joyful in the Lord:
2 Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; 'For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.' "
3 Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation.
4 And in that day you will say: "Praise the Lord, call upon His name; Declare His deeds among the peoples, Make mention that His name is exalted.
5 Sing to the Lord, For He has done excellent things; This is known in all the earth.

Well, during this week when way too much attention is focused on the macabre, why not talk about a city pronounced "eerie," as in Erie, a city in Pennsylvania.  According to the latest Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index, things in Erie are apparently rather unhappy. Realtor.com reported on the survey and listed the top 10 cities in America that are considered to be the "Happiest," and the top 10 "Unhappiest."  Erie was #2 in the unhappy column.

Says who?  And why?  Let's turn to an explanation on the survey's website:

The Well-Being Index measures Americans' perceptions of their lives and their daily experiences through five interrelated elements that make up well-being: sense of purpose, social relationships, financial security, relationship to community, and physical health.

So, apparently the #1 "happy" city placed high in several of these categories.  Realtor.com states:

Chalk it up to the area's killer combo of great weather, wealth, and health.

"Collier County, where Naples is located, has the highest per capita income in the state," explains real estate attorney Bob Tankel. "Keep in mind that boxer Joe Louis once said, 'I don't like money very much, but it calms my nerves.' Collier County also ranks second in health outcomes and third in length of life. So money may not buy happiness, but if you have money and health, there's little reason to be unhappy."

I'll address that comment a bit later.  The story also says that the top 3 happy places are: Naples, Barnstable, MA, and Santa Cruz, CA, which are all vacation destinations.  Rounding out the top 5 are Honolulu, HI, and Charlottesville, VA.

Now, let's go to that "unhappy" list - the "top 5" or "bottom 5," depending upon how you look at it are 5) Flint, MI, 4) Chico, CA, 3) Beaumont, TX, 2) Erie, PA, and 1)...wait for it...Montgomery, Alabama!

You could definitely say these survey results are up for debate.  And, as Realtor.com points out: "if there's a silver lining to living in an unhappy place, it's that real estate there is a deal! Case in point: The median listing price for a home in "happy" Naples is $400,000; for down-and-out Montgomery, it's a mere $129,000."

Realtor Cara Armeer says that: "The better climates drive job growth due to tourism or businesses that want to relocate there," adding, "This draws newcomers to the area, who are open to meeting new people and hence want to bring their time, talent, and energy to the community instead of looking for a way out. One factor continues to feed the other and so on..."

OK, so it can be hot in Montgomery - today's high in the 80's in November.  But, to rate the desirability of an area, it seems that you have to consider the moral and spiritual climate of a community, and we find that Montgomery and surrounding areas rate highly, at least in my book. The home cost reflects the cost-of-living, I would say, which contributes toward financial security.  We have top notch health care, and great economic engines in the military and state government sectors. We might not have an abundance of tourist attractions, but with regard to relationships, our churches, a strength of the River Region, provide great opportunities for fellowship.

Seems these ratings of well-being might indicate that people need to be educated about what true happiness actually is.  Contrary to what the gentleman said about money and health providing little reason to be unhappy, our happiness is composed not only of the externals, but the internals as well. We have to ask, what satisfies us?  What produces the Biblical concept of joy in our lives?

I believe people are seeking for fulfillment, for purpose, as that first criteria suggests.  The believer in Christ can be rooted in the purpose that comes from knowing that he or she is a child of God. Our happiness should be determined by our relationship with God, Who provides the foundation for our decisions and our relationships.  And, we can discover the fruit of the Spirit, the spiritual concept of joy in our hearts as He is put in the primary position in our lives.  Because, the externals cannot give us that joy and the loss of material possessions cannot take that joy away - it's fixed, rooted in Christ.

Responding to Evil

We live in a world where we need more clarity on what is evil and what is good - as yesterday's events in New York remind us, there are those who believe they are doing "good," in the eyes of their so-called "god," when they are in fact what is forbidden by our God, the One True God.  Isaiah 5
says:
20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!

The taking of innocent life cannot be considered to be good.  According to Townhall.com:

In the spirit of Halloween, Planned Parenthood sent out a truly ghastly tweet: they claimed it's "statistically safer" for a black woman in the United States to have an abortion than to actually give birth to a baby.

This is a clear example of calling evil good - abortion takes a human life.  Period.  How can that be safe for anyone, especially the child denied a chance to live?  Terrorism is committed to taking human lives - the young man who drove that truck on a bike trail yesterday thought he was doing good, but it was pure, unbridled evil.  Without a dependence on God's Word as a basis for our morality, confusion reigns, and we are seeing the fruit of that today.

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In light of recent events, we can be reminded about our clear Biblical direction to pray for our
leaders, as they exercise wisdom to keep our country safe. 1st Peter 2 says:
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.

Our hearts are certainly heavy in the wake of the terrible news out of New York City yesterday afternoon.  Fox News reports:

The man suspected of plowing a truck through a crowded bike lane in New York City on Tuesday is 29 years old, from Uzbekistan with a green card, Fox News has confirmed.

Police have identified Sayfullo Saipov as the suspect accused of driving a rented pickup truck into a crowd, killing at least eight people and injuring at least 11 more near the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan.

Newsweek reports that Saipov "was awarded a permanent resident visa in 2010 under the Diversity Immigrant Program," according to ABC New York. The report says:

The program is meant to increase the number of immigrants from countries with low rates of U.S. immigration. The program awards 55,000 green cards a year, a majority of which go to people in African and Eastern European nations, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Newsweek adds: 

Congress has tried to end the Diversity Visa lottery program five times since 2007.
The program's future most recently came into question when the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act, sponsored by Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), called for its elimination as part of a wider reduction in legal immigration.

In its statement supporting the bill, the White House called the Diversity Visa lottery program “outdated,” adding that it “serves questionable economic and humanitarian interests.”

In the aftermath of yesterday's attack in New York, the President tweeted out, according to PIX11 television:

“I have just ordered Homeland Security to step up our already Extreme Vetting Program. Being politically correct is fine, but not for this!”

This comes on the heels of the recent ending of the 120-day ban on accepting refugees from a variety of countries with ties to terrorism.  But, there are still stringent rules in place, especially with regard to selected nations.  Although Uzbekistan was not on the list, we can still expect to hear debate and discussion about our nation's immigration policies.

I have regularly discussed the balance between being compassionate in Christ and having a desire to keep our nation safe.  In a passage from a blog post in February, I included these comments, beginning with a quote from former Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd about a 2016 SBC resolution:

...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.

I continued:

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.

While we as Christians should seek to be welcoming, I think in the arena of policy, we have to recognize the costs and challenges of immigration.  I believe that a recent incident illustrates the type of  minefield that you can wander into.  A young lady who was an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala was being housed, at taxpayer expense, in a government shelter.  She was pregnant and wished to have an abortion.  The ACLU got involved and went to the courts on her behalf.  Ultimately, a Federal appeals court, in contradiction to the principles of the Hyde Amendment, preventing taxpayer funds from going to abortions, ruled that she could take the life of her child, and that occurred last week.  Tragic!  This is a dangerous by-product of the loosening of our borders.

I don't pretend to completely understand the underpinnings or the economics of the immigration system, but I think that if Christians advocate for a lessening of restrictions on immigration and then expect the government to pay for the relocation process, they are entering a dangerous area.  Or, even help to facilitate individuals to break the laws of this country in order to find homes here.  I think you can follow the Biblical directive to "welcome the stranger" or the "sojourner" without placing an undue burden on government. 

The debate will no doubt continue, even among people of faith.  We have to make sure that we are pursuing the Biblical agenda without compromising our faith by aligning with people and organizations that have an anti-Biblical perspective.   Here is yet another issue in which the Church can lead the way and speak with a balanced, reasoned, compassionate voice to people in power.  And, based on some comments of a guest a number of weeks ago, Jalil Dawood of World Refugee Care, I think we can also encourage our people to minister to the immigrants that God has already brought to us.  Christ called us to go in to all the world, and now we see that the world is coming to us - what an excellent opportunity we have!