Houston Demands That Pastors Turn Over Sermons

At first I thought a post I saw regarding this matter was a joke but it appears to be true.  The city of Houston is demanding that pastors turn over sermons and other communication related to a city legal matter that is called the “bathroom bill.”  I’ve attached a link to this post which provides additional details regarding this story.

Part of me thinks: I wish people at City Hall wanted to go over my sermons. I’d be mildly excited at such a development.

But another part of me thinks about these questions: Does the city government of Houston believe it has the authority to control what a pastor says at the church?  What leads them to believe they have the authority to control what a pastor says at the church? Is this how governments begin to exercise control over churches?

I know this is fairly obvious to point out and there are many potential situations in which this would be much easier said than done, however, I’ll say it, anyhow:  A pastor is called by God and the first priority of the pastor is to be obedient to God. This involves—among other things—lovingly, honestly, responsibly preaching and teaching the truth of God’s word.

If being obedient to God gets the pastor in trouble with the government—and I do not say this with bravado, I say it with deep concern and seriousness—then the pastor must be willing to deal with those consequences.

Click on this Link for article with further details.

A Fall Harvest Adventure

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It's Not A Cop Out To Trust God

I realize it can sound like a cop out to say, “Trust God.”  But I don’t use the phrase to suggest we should quit trying or quit thinking about solutions to problems.  However, there are things we can do and things we can’t do.  There are things we can control and a whole bunch of things we can’t control.

As I was watching the news this morning there were two key stories receiving a lot of attention.  One story had to do with ISIS, which affects many people under the broad category of terrorism activity.  The other story had to do with the Ebola virus, which seems to have the potential to affect more people than might have otherwise been reported. As you know, it is already classified as an epidemic in West Africa.

Both of these front page news stories are a good example of issues over which most of us have very little control.  And there are many other issues of life we do not control, as well.

I’m not writing this to make us feel hopeless or scared and I am definitely not trying to make us feel like victims.  I do not like the tendency of our culture to encourage a victim mentality. I’m just pointing out basic realities of life.

So, for me this statement is not a cop out.  It has to do with a fundamental truth of my existence:  I choose to trust God.

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

Hebrews 13:5&6

We Are Not Properly Prepared To Handle Ebola Virus

The errors we have seen with the handling of Ebola in Dallas suggest that U.S. hospitals are not properly prepared to deal with the virus.  Meanwhile, Dr. Frieden of the Centers for Disease Control continues to insist that things are under control and there is no serious threat.

Really?

This is sounding more and more like the kind of talk we are supposed to hear from someone in his position who has been instructed to make sure people do not panic.

Preventing panic is a good idea.  But honesty along with wise and careful response is a good idea, too.

The response of our government should be to put procedures and protocols into place that will provide the best level of protection for our health care professionals.  If this means that travel into the U.S. from certain areas has to be more carefully scrutinized then this may have to be what is necessary, at least until this threat is better understood, prepared for and contained.

Oh The Fun of Getting A Pie In The Face

Several hours ago I took multiple whipped cream pies to the face along with a few of our loving and courageous youth leaders as part of a youth fundraiser at the Oktoberfest picnic.

(I now know that whipped cream smashed into both ears does affect the ability to hear. So there was some important scientific data that was obtained from the experience.)

Even though hours have passed since the event, I still have a lingering smell of whipped cream all over along with the feeling of sugar in my hair.

Even though hours have passed since the event, I still have a lingering smell of whipped cream all over along with the feeling of sugar in my hair.

…Good thing I’m planning on taking a shower on Wednesday, that's for sure!

Come Out To Oktoberfest! ...And Bring Your Beard

Yesterday, I began working and concentrating very hard and the good news is I managed to grow a

beard like the one in this photo for our Oktoberfest today!  Whew!!! I didn’t know if it was going to be possible, or not, so I’m pretty happy. 

(Some people get very nervous about the things that make me happy.)

If you’re saying, “Oktoberfest?!?  What Oktoberfest?!?”

It’s the Oktoberfest at our church today, Sunday, October 12^th.  And you’re invited!  Come on out and join us.  The Oktoberfest happens following the 11 o’clock service.

First Church of God

4600 W. 111^th Street

Oak Lawn, IL

Service times: 9am and 11am.  Oktoberfest follows the 11am service.

Sometimes Minor Issues Are Not Worthwhile

It’s easy for people who take their faith seriously to get into arguments about minor religious issues that are not worth fighting about.  Obviously, it is perfectly acceptable to debate certain issues.  And if the issues can be discussed without unnecessary anger it might even be helpful.  Also, it is important to remain committed to the truth. 

But when minor issues that are not essential to the faith tear apart relationships and genuine love for each other is compromised then arguments about minor issues have become unhealthy, unproductive, and not worth it.

The Greater Contribution Comes From The Development of Gifts and Talents

I believe it will be of greater benefit to focus more on the development and utilization of our strengths than trying to improve the areas in which we are weak.  This is not to suggest that weak areas should be completely ignored it is simply recognizing that our greatest contributions are more likely to come from those areas in which we can genuinely excel.

“Never, never ever no matter what, give up on mining the gift and talent you’ve been given. These are qualities that will open the doors to the infinite possibilities of your life.” Ron Rubin & Stuart Avery Gold

Someone Treated Me The Way Jesus Would Treat Me

Many years ago, I made yet another dumb mistake and hurt a friend I care about.  Sadly, my mistake could have been interpreted as intentional.  It was not.  I was simply acting in a thoughtless manner.  (By the way, I realize thoughtlessness does not involve any virtue, but I’m trying to indicate that what I did was not malicious.)

I was embarrassed, angry at myself and just plain weary of doing foolish things. 

The person’s extraordinary response to my foolishness?  Kindness and forgiveness.  This is, obviously, much nicer than what I deserved.  It is humbling—in a good way—to have a human being treat you the way Jesus would treat you.

God's Love Alive In Us

Jesus says something that can be very hard for us to live by.  He says, “Love your enemies!” And, “Pray for those who persecute you!”  The capacity for anyone to love in this extraordinary way has to do with God.  This kind of love is only likely to happen when God is alive in us.  So then, it is His love at work in us and through us.  In a way, what Jesus is saying is that we are called to the privilege of being agents in this world of the unfailing love of God.

Rachel Is Willing, At Age 25, To Come Out of Retirement

Rachel just told me she would be willing to come out of retirement to work in the modeling industry.

I said, “Do you want to be a model?”

And she said, very emphatically, “No way!”

She would, however, be willing to work behind the scenes.  She would help the models apply their make-up and make costume changes.  She would even be willing to play video games with them during their down time.

Since she doesn’t drive or take public transportation on her own, they would have to arrange things in such a way that they would come to her but, come on, that seems like a fairly minor inconvenience.

So, I just wanted to keep you folks in the loop on these recent developments.

Cultural Churches or Counter-Cultural Churches?

The following is excerpted from an article by a man named Ed Stetzer. Ed is an author and is President of an organization called Lifeway Research which is a consulting organization for churches.

What is written is his opinion—based on polls and other research—regarding Christianity in our culture. I found what he wrote to be interesting and so I’m sharing it here. The rest of what you read is quoted from the article written by Ed Stetzer:

“It is beginning to cost something to be a Christian in America—not as much as in many places in the world or in much of history, but more than it used to. And, as living for Christ costs more in our culture, it will mean more in our context.

Churches that are preaching the Gospel and are focusing on biblical truths are going to become more clearly distinct from the culture around them. The end result? Robust Christian communities are going to get stronger.

These gospel-preaching churches will have members who are more, not less, committed and these committed churches will have less nominal Christians [Christians in name only] in the years to come. Christianity will become more of a minority in culture, but more refined, more biblical, and more missional churches will be the result.

Where From Here?

The lasting effects of these shifts will force churches to make a critical decision. They will either become a cultural church that allows the societal trends to dictate their ever-changing beliefs. Or they will become a counter-cultural church that faithfully adheres to Scripture and proclaims the gospel in a carefully considered way. The latter church will offer real hope in the midst of an adversarial culture and is the only real future for the American church.”