Books, Culture and the Gospel

New Year, New Blogsite

2006-12-30T13:51:00.000-08:00

This will be my last post I suppose on this site. I am, with the help of a gifted student named Glenn, moving my website, blog, everything except facebook into one website under the name alvinreid.com. It is not quite finished, but I figured I would go ahead and mention it here since I have already started posting on it.
I am excited about this as it is a site I can manage with my own technologically challenged skills. I can also add podcasts, which is something I have wanted to do for some time.
Here's to 2007. A new year. A new blog. A renewed life.

Books Are Wonderful

2006-12-17T12:17:00.000-08:00

I had in mind to write this extensive post concerning recent books I have read. As the semester has ended, I am reflecting on some amazing and wonderful times with students, along with a concomitant and complete disinterest in writing. But I am enjoying reading. So, instead of posting the article I planned to write (I am sure it would make the top ten posts for the Blog Oscars in the non-controversial category--the one no one reads), I will do a little annotated bib for those seeking a different look at culture than the standard tomes written from the Christian subculture. Here are a few, and I would love to hear suggestions for my reading pleasure over the break from you.
1. Naomi Schaefer Riley, who's spent time at NR and the Wall Street Journal, writing for both, as well as writing for the Boston Globe, New York Times, and others, is author of the book God on the Quad: How Religious Colleges and the Missionary Generation Are Changing America. An unbeliever, she calls the current generation of college students the missionary generation.

2. BODY PIERCING SAVED MY LIFE: INSIDE THE PHENOMENON OF CHRISTIAN ROCK
by Andrew Beaujon, a professing unbeliever who writes for Spin magazine. Beaujon looks at the rise and influence of Christian Rock music. Although I am curious both by some of his subjects and those he omits, this is an interesting introduction into the influence of Christian music in the youth culture by someone outside the Christian culture.

3. The most intriguing is the book I just read over Thanksgiving break: Lauren Sandler's new book, Righteous: Dispatches from the Evangelical Youth Movement. This overview by an unbeliever (and NPR reporter) of the emerging 'disciple generation' introduces readers to our nation's leading evangelical youth leaders and their followers. From the recognized to the bizarre, Sandler (no relation to Adam!) believes the current generation of youth will change America, comparing what is happening today in the youth culture spiritually to a new Great Awakening. I am not sure impressed by her historical analysis. What does get my attention is how her book, like those above, all say a similar thing: something is happening in the youth culture. Sandler is ticked about it, being a card-carrying liberal. I have been saying watch the youth, so of course I like books who make me look correct haha.
Read these for ourself and see what the reporters outside our little world of the Christian subculture say about youth. You may be surprised.

4. I have to include one other book not exactly related to the above, but one I have wanted to read for some time: Freakonomics. Just google it. From the authors' website note this quote: "Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? What kind of impact did Roe v. Wade have on violent crime?" Intrigued? Get the book and read it for yourself.

Time for a Change

2006-12-07T19:23:00.000-08:00

Fort Worth, Texas. I spent the day in the city known as Cowtown speaking at an event at my alma mater, SWBTS. I have not been here since 1996. I am staying in campus housing that did not exist back then. Forgive the personal nature of these comments, but this is my blog :-).
Nostalgia hit quickly. I saw the little apartment complex where Michelle and I lived as newlyweds in 1982. We drove by the street where we lived in a little cracker jack house in 1988 when Josh came home from the hospital. I walked the halls on campus where I walked for years and learned a lot.
This year has been a bit odd for me. I have been more distracted than I should. So here, alone, spending time with the Lord as I did day after day in the 80s as a student, I spent time in reflection. Some thoughts...
--I want to renew my commitment to read the Bible annually as a centerpiece of my devotional life.
--I want to spent more time with Michelle. I am going to watch some chick flicks with her in 07. Some, not all :-).
--I want to cherish more than ever my time with Josh and Hannah. I want to be very intentional in teaching certain spiritual truths.
--I want to pray more on my knees. Humility is too often lacking in my life, so I will humble myself physically.
--I want to be more active in sharing my faith.
--I plan to be more available than ever before to my students whom I love so.
--I want to prepare messages for Epicenter that challenge and inspire and teach those who come. I want to see God move there.
--I want to stop fretting over finances. God has provided too well for that.
--I want to do something about the fact that those of us like myself who are in positions of leadership tend not to be real enough, admitting our struggles and failures. We are not perfect, nor should we act like we are.
--I want to reclaim the passion for God I had when Michelle and I moved to Texas 25 years ago this January. That is what I seek. God give me the hunger, the yearning for You like I had then, or take me somewhere else so I will not pollute my students with a passionless ministry.
--I want to have more wisdom. So many come to me for advice, God give me wisdom!
--I want to know how to schedule times of ministry off campus that will: not hinder my teaching, involve my family some, be honoring to God in the use of my gifts, be useful for the Lord.
--I want to be thankful for the little things--my dachsunds in my lap, my car faithfully cranking, my family loving me.
--I want to see marked improvement in my health--eating better, exercising more. I want to live a full life for the glory of God and the good of my family.
--I want to inspire students, challenge students, and love students. Give me wisdom as a mentor, Lord.
--I want to look back a year from now and stand in amazement at the goodness of God.
God is good.

Being Like Jesus, Part 2

2006-11-30T04:24:00.000-08:00

Being like Jesus can be a bit tricky in a culture like ours, so filled as it is with cultural Christians, so absorbed with institutions, so obsessed with position, so given to experience over truth. John's Gospel offers a plethora of personal encounters between Jesus and individuals, some named and some anonymous. Each one opens a portal into what it means to be like our Lord.
Take John 4, for example. Following John 3, where the religious leader Nicodemus came to Jesus by night (call it "Nic at Night" if you will), Jesus HAD to go to Samaria. You know, Samaria--the place Jesus mentioned specifially in Acts 1:8--Jerusalem (where you live), Judea (your region), SAMARIA--people you really don't like, and so on. Jesus seemed to have to go places other religious people seemed to have to avoid. Where is the Samaria in your area? Who are the Samaritans? Who is being Jesus to them?
Jesus had to go there. Tired, thirsty, he sat by the well. His disciples went into town, maybe holding their noses as they went, seeking food. Read John 4 to see only the attitudes and actions of the disciples and you will observe how not to be like Jesus. They missed the point completely. How often do we mimic them?
But Jesus shows us how to love people. The Samaritan woman came to draw water at an odd time, as she lived her life ostracized from other women. When she came, this Jewish stranger graciously asked her for a drink. This anonymous woman had three strikes against her: 1) she was a woman. There were rabbis in the day who said "I thank thee God that I am not a Gentile, a dog, or a woman." Jesus apparently did not ascribe to that theory.
2) She had Samaritan blood. A half-breed, facing centuries-old prejudice, she stood before the Lord.
3) She lived an impure life. Her life story: married, divorced; married, divorced; married, divorced; married, divorced; married, divorced; shack up! She lived with a man (one would think in that culture after so many failed marriages she might just avoid men).
Yet Jesus did not see that. Compare John 3 to John 4. Nicodemus came to Jesus, a religious leader, and how did Jesus respond? Very directly: "You must be born again." On the surface one might assume Nic stood close to the entrance of the Kingdom when he encountered Jesus, yet Jesus assumed no such proximity. He came to Jesus and Jesus confronted him directly. In John 4, Jesus approached a broken, Samaritan woman with kindness, compassion, and patience. He did not so much as bring up her marital situation until well into the conversation. He sought not to condemn but to redeem; with Nicodemus, and with the self-righteous, Jesus did confront.
Jesus built rapport with the lady, using water as an analogy of salvation. Oh that we would be so secure in our doctrine AND so aware of our culture that we could translate the gospel as easily into daily conversations.
Jesus would not get sidetracked. When the woman chased the rabbit of worship location, contrasting Samaritan worship at Mt. Gerizim with Jewish worship in Jerusalem, our Lord told her worship had less to do with geography and more to do with intimacy. "The time is coming, and now is, when those who worship the Father will worship Him in Spirit and in truth." Timely words for contemporary worship as well.
As the conversation continued and the woman grew more interested, Jesus did confront her. Make no mistake, at some point when you share the gospel you must confront. Facing people squarely with issues of eternity, of heaven and hell, of knowing God or rejecting Him, can hardly be done without being confrontational. But Jesus simply confronted her in a kind and benevolent way. "I know Messiah is coming," she said. This woman sought God. She desired truth. So many unchurched do today, but are we like Jesus in our witness?
Jesus replied, "I who speak to you am He." I am the Messiah, He told her. Sounds pretty confrontational. She had to decide. Her decision was both swift and broad. She went into the city telling all the men (after all, she had been married to most of them!) about this Man. So many became followers of Christ. She became one of the first missionaries in the New Testament. Can we see the missionaries in our culture who, once meeting the One Who alone can redeem, become more effective than preachers at reaching the unchurched? After all, Saul of Tarsus hardly qualified as the missionary of choice when he went across the ANE killing Christians.
I want to be like Jesus. I want to love the Samaritans, the people I do not like, the people I am not naturally drawn toward, the people for whom Christ died. I want to know when to confront boldly, and when to confront kindly. I want to see the Samaritans in our land become missionaries in a lost culture.
I believe we are more like Jesus based on the lost people we influence than the saved people we impress. God help us to sense a Divine compulsion that we MUST go to Samaria.

A Dose of Perspective

2006-11-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

I love what I do, but sometimes I am tempted to feel a big guilty. After all, I get to teach the most amazing students how to tell the most amazing news in history, and I get paid to do it. And, due to the kindness and efforts of evangelist Bailey Smith, who secured the funding for the chair I hold named in his honor, I am not much of a financial burden to the school or the convention (don't worry, I am sure I am a burden in other ways).
I have been a pastor. I love pastors. I teach many. I used to say "those that can, do, and those that can't do, teach." But some folks can teach. That is my calling, and my passion, and I get up most every day amazed that God lets me do what I do. Beyond my teaching, some of my students hang out with my kids, providing great examples to them, and Michelle has times to meet with and be a blessing to some of these precious young ladies here.
Last Saturday night and Sunday I enjoyed the fruit of my labor as a teacher. I spent time with Barry Murry, a former student who has, with his family of five, labored six years in Maine. I rejoiced to see about 200 people gathered as I preached Sunday morning, meeting in an elemntary school.
I just read the report on the "50 most influential churches in America." I thank God for them overall. But I have personally been more influenced by Lakeside Community Church in Maine than that 50, and I have preached in some of them. Something wells up within me about a man who plants his family of five in a foreign culture, builds a strong ministry (if not economically then biblically, which after all, is the point). In our utilitarian culture I am refreshed to see a family serving the Lord for the simple reason that called them to a place to stay until God moved elsewhere. Refreshing and sometimes rare.
I met people with amazing conversion stories. I heard a testimony of remarkable answered prayer. I got a little glimpse of the Acts again. Maybe we spend so much time grinding an AX that we forget about the ACTS. Or maybe that was really cheesy :-). But my heroes are my students who have gone to the tough places, the uncharted mission fields overseas, the off-the-beaten path places in the US, and those who have taked stagnant or dying churches and led a gospel revolution. Praise be to God that number is niether small nor declining.

This picture shows from left to right, the son of the couple on the right, pastor Barry, me, and a precious couple named Tina and Bruce. Bruce has more piercings than a pin cushion. Bruce met Jesus this past spring. Bruce and Tina had attended Lakeside a couple of years back. Like a pastor should, Barry visited them and led Tina to Christ. Bruce was none too happy. Still, they attended for about a year. All this time, and time previously, Bruce had been in an affair and used illegal drugs. They stopped coming to church for some time but appeared one Sunday last spring. Tina knew about the affair and planned to divorce Bruce. Barry set up an appointment to visit Bruce once again. The night before their 5 year old daughter asked Bruce to read a book to him for the first time in a long time. Bruce had never once opened a Bible. The book was a children's version of the Prodigal Son. As Bruce began to read it his pager went off, the signal from his lover to meet her. For the first time, he cut off the pager. He read the story and began to weep. The next night Barry spoke to Bruce, who was now a broken man. Barry asked him if he had ever heard of the Prodigal Son. At this point in the story if you do not see the hand of God at work you must believe in evolution or some other knuckleheaded theory :-).
Barry led him to Chrit. Last Sunday I met one of the most changed men I have seen in a while. His wife Tina deserves an award for longsuffering. She is a precious, helpful, kind woman, and finally Bruce sees this. Their kids have a new dad without having their mom go through with the divorce. That is the power of the gospel. It will take the power of the gospel to reach the Bruce's of this world. And, it will take the Barry Murry's of this world to be their pastor. Pray for Barry and his wonderful family. They are heroes to me.

Being Like Jesus, Part One

2006-10-30T05:18:00.000-08:00

It has become fashionable in our Americanized version of Christianity to say things like "I want to be like Jesus." Todd Agnew recently challenged the understanding of the phrase with a song. I particularly noted this line: "But my Jesus. . . would not be welcomed in my church. The blood and dirt on his feet would stain the carpet." We tend to think being like Jesus means being cool, or hip, in a religious sort of way, or most often, we think of being like Jesus because it gives us a certain feeling of security.
I believe the Bible clearly teaches eternal security. I am not so convinced it teaches temporal security for the follower of Christ. I also think we confuse the two. But more on that later. I want to look at the simple concept of being like Jesus as a leader in regards to a statement made early in His ministry in John 1:35-39. Jesus asked two curious disciples of John following Him, "What do you seek?" "Rabbi, where are you staying?" They replied. Jesus' answer is the point: "Come and see."
Jesus invited people to hang out with Him. Not unlike his Lord, Paul did the same thing on his missionary journeys, taking people with him.
When I was in seminary I learned a lot of things. It seems fashionable for ministers today to be down on seminaries; after all, we have developed a culture of saying three or four negative things for every nice thing (resembling more the noise of the 24 hour news networks than men of God), so why should seminaries be left out? So I will resist the urge to join the movement of whining like a mule and choose to recall a very significant moment in my training. You see, I look back on my time with great memories, and with great joy, and with gratitude for all I learned. One of the most profound things I ever heard came from a pastor who spoke in a class. He simply commented about how he had learned the importance of taking people with him when he traveled. Now that does not sound too profound, does it?
That statement changed my philosophy of ministry. I became a pastor soon following the day I heard that statement. I made a commitment to take laypeople with me every time I went just about anywhere, unless I wanted to take only Michelle with me.
It did take a little while (I am from Alabama and I am slow) to figure out the importance of this as a professor. But learn it I did. This fall has been amazing. Over the years I have taken hundreds of students with me on trips. This fall I have taken many students on trips with me, including:
A couple of students to Statesville all the way back in August
Four students to Rocky Mount on a Sunday
More recently:
Walter went with me to a local church in Raleigh
Seven--Lauren, Alie, Kyle, Ron, Shonica, Tyler and Rachel, went with me to Hilton Head (see their picture)

Five--Vanessa, Vlad, Steve and Beth, and Skip joined me when I spoke at East Carolina U
Not to mention Barry and Brett joining Josh and me for the debacle known as the UNC football game.
Today Barry will accompany me to Liberty U where I will speak in five classes over two days.
I am certain I left some out, but my point is this: so far this fall I have been able to spend quality, rich time with almost two dozen of the finest students on earth. Away from class. Talking about all kind of things. It cost me no time away from my family, it added excitement and joy to my traveling, and all along the way I got to teach (I am always teaching). Before the semester is over I will have taken over 30 students with me on various outings. That doesn't include the weekly group I meet with or the many times on campus I visit with students.
My point is a simple one. I want to be like Jesus. And Jesus liked to hang out with people. His approach to discipling was less about a class with a curriculum and more about teaching in the midst of ministry. I want to be like that. If teaching were merely being a talking head imparting facts to memorize, I would find something else to do. The classroom is a part of teaching for me. But teaching must be more. In fact, tonight at Liberty I will meet with a group of students I know for coffee and fellowship. I guess I have the spiritual gift of hanging out. If so I got it from my Lord.

Blogging at Its Best

2006-10-27T05:40:00.000-07:00

I have to tell my friends who frequent my little corner of blogdom about what has become my favorite blog. Just go to nathanfinn.blogspot.com. Now there are others I read with various levels of agreement, encouragement, perplexity, or even disagreement. But this is my favorite.
Nathan is a brilliant PhD student at SEBTS and our archivist. Most importantly he is married to Leah and is a new Dad to Georgia.
I had the privilege of learning from Nathan and his peers (I learned more than I taught) in a recent PhD seminar. Nathn's blog demonstrates all the best a blog can be. He deals with real issues in a convictional way. But he has certain traits I find of great appeal in a blog:
He is humble (some blogs seem to me to be hinting as if they were God's gift to the world in solving all issues--too much hubris, too little humility)
He has a sense of humor (check his blog on Russ Moore--okay most blogs have a sense of humor, but the humor is often intended for a certain subgoup of readers in agreement, and does as much jabbing at others than actually providing humor).
He is brilliant but doesn't flaunt it (check out some of his posts on Baptists in history)
And most vital to me, he deals with real issues in an angaging and helpful way. His original article and responses to his post "Why I don't want to be a Southern Baptist sometimes" are in my view the best I have read related to the SBC. I can say that this is the only place to this point I know I will be quoting in a forthcoming book. Wow, quoting a blog in a book, that is something I never thought I would do!
And by the way, Nathan is an unashamed Calvinist and I am not. Yet we are friends and colleagues and have wonderful respect for one another. I value Nathan as a friend and brother. We are simply adults, which is why we can get along.
I understand there are those who want to write off the blogs as unhelpful or irrelevant. I disagree. However, I also think no small amount of narcissism exists in the land of blog. I firmly believe as more and more get into the blog, world wise judgments will be made by readers about various blogs, just as wise readers of newspapers know the slant taken by the NY Times, etc, and wise readers of books know the prejudices of authors and publishers, and learn how to eat a good fish and spit out some nasty bones. In other words, I think over time the cream will rise to the top. And Nathan's blog will be some fine cream for a long time.
By the way, Nathan did not know I was doing this, so if you read this Nathan, you cannot control everything in the blog world, now can you? :-)

25 glorious years

2006-10-23T06:31:00.000-07:00

I realize blogs sometimes get a little cheesy when they become obsessed with sharing personal information very few people give a rip about outside the closest friends of the blog's host. I also realize I am one who falls victim of that too. But after all it is my blog lol.
So in the spirit of the above I want to say just a few words about my wonderful bride of 25 years on tomorrow. Michelle Elizabeth Stidham stepped into my life in August of 1979. The moment I saw her big brown eyes I told a friend next to me, "I have to get to know her." And boy did I!
Our first date was September 29, 1979. An Amy Grant concert at our school, Samford U. The next week we went to the State Fair and I won her a big Winnie the Pooh. Just after that I went to Six Flags and with the first quarter I flipped at a game there I won a ginormous Pink Panther we named Fred.
Michelle and I are opposites in personality. We are alike in conviction. God has blessed us beyond measure, from the days of endless Cream of Chicken Soup when we were dirt poor in seminary, to the wonderful little churches God let us serve, to her determination to pray without ceasing when Josh was born and we were told he would not live (he did) and if he did that he would not be normal (he is--except that he is the son of his father). She has graciously followed as I yanked her from state to state--Alabama to Texas, to Indiana, back to Texas, and many moves within those treks, and finally (so far) to NC.
So today I thank God for Michelle. We are about to go drive around looking at the fall leaves, something that has convinced Josh and Hannah we are sad, middle aged duffers, but something we enjoy.
God is good. We have both had more than our share of physical problems, of dealing with change, and have enjoyed times of poverty and times of abundance. But in all God has been glorious!

Urban Crawl

2006-10-21T05:34:00.000-07:00

This Tuesday marks my 25th wedding anniversary with my lovely and godly bride Michelle. I may write more about that on the day, but I am glad that on that day as we reflect on so many wonderful years of ministry together I am speaking in chapel at Southeastern. Michelle has always loved ministry, and we have always considered ministry something we do, not just something I do. And, we so love these students God has given to us!
I will preach on I Thessalonians 1. No, I will not give you my sermon here so don't worry. But I do want to highlight one thing from my study. Paul in this passage is explaining, beginning in verse 5, how the gospel came to the Thessalonians. You can go back to Acts 17 to read about it. This was the place where they said, "these that have turned the world upside down have come here too." I wish they said that about believers in the US.
In Acts 17:1 we read that Paul passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia to get to Thessalonica. Leon Morris said Paul apparently did not preach in the first two cities as Paul desired to get to Thessalonica, the chief city of Macedonia. We see a similar pattern in Acts 19 when he planted roots for a time in the important urban center of Ephesus. We also see Paul's desire to get to Rome. Paul understood when one reaches the key city, one reaches the nation.
If only we understood that today. The cities of America influence the entire nation and the world. The entertainment centers of LA, NYC, and increasingly Nashville, have much influence. Other world cities like Chicago wield great influence as well.
But one does not reach a world city in our time in a year or a decade. One must look at a generation, or maybe two, to see real change.
Boston is the major city of New England. When the Great Awakening hit Boston and New England, the colonies and ultimately the young nation reaped the benefit. As secularism and its impact have spread in Boston, one can see its growing influence. San Francisco comes to mind when one thinks of the homosexual agenda, but we make a mistake if we underestimate the impact of Boston. Massachusetts, after all, has been in the headlines as much as any place on the issue of gay marriage. A student of mine who plans to go to Boston and has studied the city told me this week that from kindergarden on, public school children are taught the homosexual agenda. Just think about the impact of that one reality on a generation.
We are too like politicians looking for a quick fix to solve issues that may take a generation to change. Are we who call ourselves Southern Baptists willing to say, for example, that we will go after the five most influential cities in America for a GENERATION? Or maybe just NYC, Boston, and LA, for example.
I just read a report NAMB produced on the fifty largest cities. Published in 2002, it has a wealth of information that is telling. The executive summary says in part:
58% of the US lives in the largest 50 cities (162 million).
Probably 100 million of these do not know Christ.
One out of every 7.5 Americans live in NYC and LA. (Maybe we should approach those two cities as two unreached nations)
Las Vegas, Austin, and Phoenix are the fastest growing cities.
80% of the population lives in metro areas, but ONLY 50% of Southern Baptist churches are there. 80% of the population lives in metro areas, but ONLY 50% of Southern Baptist churches are there. Yes, I typed that twice so you wouldn't miss it. I tell my students if God did not call you overseas please go to the great cities of America.
58% of the population is in these metros, but only 37% of SBC baptisms came from them.
In large, Southern metro areas there is a Southern Baptist church for 6700 people. In NYC there is one SBC church for 138,000 people.
Paul understood that as the cities go so goes the culture. This is not only because cultural elites are there. Much of the influence of cities comes from the street and sometimes originates among the urban poor before becoming embraced by the elites (heard of rap music?).
While the United States has experienced what some call urban sprawl, the church has exhibited an urban crawl. We have been slow to respond to the influence of the cities.
In 1906, San Francisco was hit by one of the most destructive earthquakes in history. In his book on the earthquake, Simon Winchester argues that San Francisco was the major city on the west coast, much more influential than LA, for example. But after the earthquake, the City of the Angels soon began to grow in influence. One hundred years later, the media capital of the world, which arguably exerts more influence in popular culture than any city on earth, is Los Angeles. If we took a century-long look into the future and seriously sought to reach the major cities of the US, it just might change the whole world. And we may not need an earthquake to see it happen.

Volleyball news

2006-10-18T17:24:00.000-07:00

That is my Hannah on the left with Missy and rachel. they just finished a great season--winning record, lots of fun, and they beat the one team these 3 have never beaten from grades 6-8. What fun Michelle and I had cheering for the mighty knights!

Funerals and Comfort Zones

2006-10-14T05:56:00.000-07:00

Today I will do something I rarely do although I am a minister. I am conducting a funeral for a friend. This friend is my age, 47, taken entirely too quickly. He leaves behind a wife, a son who is a senior in high school with my son, and a daughter just younger than my Hannah.
This is a hard day. In part this comes from the fact that I have lost a friend, and I grieve with the family. In part that stems from the burden I have for his children left behind so young. Perhaps the primary reason I struggle today grows out of a realization that I am confident in many things in ministry, but conducting funerals is not one of them.
It has been a long time since I was a pastor, when conducting funerals came with the territory. The only two funerals in which I have participated in the past fourteen years have been my mother-in-law's and my grandmother's.
If I were asked even at the last minute to speak to a gathering of college students or a great crowd of youth, I would greet that with excitement and enthusiasm. But I am not so comfortable at funerals. Will I be able to help the family with their grief? Will I do well both in the giving of honor to this man who has died and in challenging the hearers with the gospel? Will I be able to help in comforting the family? Will the crowd of youth there be helped to sort all this out, and yet be challenged to consider the brevity and fragility of life?
I am out of my comfort zone here. But I know the main reason is my limited experience in funerals. This is a humbling thing, to be reminded that all of us, no matter how much "expertise" some may think we have in a given arena, have areas of geniune frailty. There is a lesson here for those who struggle in areas of faith--tithing, witnessing, showing mercy, and so on. The more we do those things that honor God and encourage others, the more comfortable we become.
I want to be like my friend in many ways--he always smiled, and he encouraged others. And, he died the way he lived. My friend died in a hospital waiting for a lung transplant. Yet even in his death he gave, for he was an organ donor. This week my friend stepped from life here to life beyond, but before he left he gave life to three people due to his organ donation.
I want to die the way I live. I want to be pushed out of my comfort zones. I want to remember the brevity of life. I want to share the gospel boldly, and preach to young and old with conviction. I want to become better at helping people grieve. I want to be more compassionate. God keep pushing me to become more like Jesus.
I want to have the perspective of eternity. I want to remember the way Sarah Edwards responded when Jonathan, who had died of a smallpox vaccination at the age of 54. She penned a letter to her daughter, which read in part: "What shall I say? A holy and good God has covered us with a dark cloud. O that we may kiss the rod and lay our hands on our mouths! The Lord has done it. He has made me adore His goodness, that we had him so long. But my God lives; and He has my heart. O what a legacy my husband, and your father, has left us. We are all given to God; and there I am and love to be."

foto time

2006-10-09T13:36:00.002-07:00

I just returned from a wonderful weekend of ministry near Hilton Head, SC. I loaded up a trailor with gear, these seven wonderful students, and drove (well they did most of the driving) 5.5 hours to the church. We had an amazing time together. I so love students! Other than my family, hanging out with students is the best.

Acts Revisited

2006-10-06T07:41:00.000-07:00

If we could simply recover the passion, the power, and the practice of the church in Acts we just might reach America as effectively as the early church reached the Empire. How did they do it? In a book every church leader simply must read, Michael Green in Evangelism in the Early Church observed not only how the church in Acts spread the message, but how she continued for over a century. I will note his quotes and then my comments.
p. 194: “Christianity is enshrined in the life; but it is proclaimed by the lips. If there is a failure in either respect the gospel cannot be communicated.” The gospel rightly shared is like a great song—both lyrics and melody come together to make a thing of beauty. If the lyrics (our message) are unclear, or if the melody (how we live) is distorted, the song fails, and the gospel cannot be shared as effectively as it should.
p. 194: “When we think of evangelistic methods today, preaching in a church building or perhaps a great area readily comes to mind. We must, of course, rid ourselves of all such preconceptions when thinking of evangelism by the early Christians. They knew nothing of set addresses following certain homiletical patterns within the four walls of a church. Indeed, for more than 150 years they possessed no church buildings, and there was the greatest variety in the type and content of Christian evangelistic preaching.” In other words, they were advancing a movement, not maintaining institutions.
p. 172:“The very fact that we are so imperfectly aware of how evangelism was carried out and by whom, should make us sensitive to the possibility that the little man, the unknown ordinary man, the man who left no literary remains was the prime agent in mission.” He quotes Harnack: “the great mission of Christianity was in reality accomplished by means of informal missionaries.” If preaching alone, or programs alone, or events alone, would reach America, she would have been reached. We do not have 5000 North American Missionaries, we have millions. Most just don't know it.
p. 173: “But as early as Acts 8 we find that it is not the apostles but the ‘amateur’ missionaries, the men evicted from Jerusalem as a result of the persecution which followed Stephen’s martyrdom, who took the gospel with them wherever they went. It was they who traveled along the coastal plain to Phoenicia, over the sea to Cyprus, or struck up north to Antioch. They were evangelists, just as much as any apostle was. Indeed it was they who took the two revolutionary steps of preaching to Greeks who had no connection with Judaism, and then with launching the Gentile mission from Antioch. It was an unselfconscious effort. They were scattered from their base in Jerusalem and they went everywhere spreading the good news which had brought joy, release and a new life to themselves. This must often have not been formal preaching, but the informal chattering to friends and chance acquaintances, in homes. . ., on walks, and around market stalls. They went everywhere gossiping the gospel; they did it naturally, enthusiastically, and with the conviction of those who are not paid to say that sort of thing. Consequently, they were taken seriously, and the movement spread, notably among the lower classes.”
They went everywhere gossiping the gospel. Reminds me of what Edwards said during the Valley Revival of 1734-35 in the early years of the Great Awakening. He said for a season the conversation on every street corner was about spiritual things. I believe a reason we do not speak of Jesus to lost people is that we speak little about Jesus to other saved people.
Read Acts again. See that over ten times it says "daily." See that some of the most remarkable advances were not made by apostles. Our paradigm is in need of a realign.

Venting One's Spleen

2006-10-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

We are on a much appreciated break this week. Whew. So I have just a little while to think and reflect. Here are a few random thoughts:
On our Christian subculture: I suppose it is inevitable to have one, but have we ever had such a developed and simultaneously detached-from-the-rest-of-culture (how's that for poetic license) community as seen in American Christianity? We have Christian mints called "Testamints." We have Christian perfume. I have seen Christian soap (I think the cross eventually washes away). How do we know it is "Christian"? It costs more and doesn't work as well. Seems to me our subculture should spend more time trying to impact the rest of culture and less time trying to be the most cheesy in history (just check out the sayings on church signs--that will bless you).
On the arts: our minister of worship and drama at the church where my family worships has noted that much of "Christian art" simply refers to ripping something off crom culture and sticking a cross in the middle of it. Can we develop a mindset that can recognize art at its best and see the beauty in it, even if it does not always explicitly give the gospel or some other Christian message? And regarding music: it has fascinated me that a businessman or policeman or schoolteacher can be a Christian and serve Christ through their particular vocation, but if a Christian wants to be a musician or song writer but does not sing exclusively "Christian" lyrics, that person is considered by some believers to be a sell out. Seems to me when you do not honor Christ in your daily life by your work ethic, your words, and your character, you are a sell out, whether you are a songwriter or a bricklayer.
On tradition: I love what Jarislav Pelikan wrote: "tradition is the living faith of those now dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of those now living." We need to preserve a heritage, a tradition of the timeless and of those things that were timely for a given time in history. But sometimes we act live museums more than a movement. Check this out:
Choir robes, choirs, special music, organs, piano, drums
Business meetings monthly, graded Sunday school, church council, brotherhood breakfast
Youth group, childrens choir, midweek prayer meetings
Coat and tie, church buildings, pews
All these things named above have been helpful in the life of the church. They are not evil at all. But the church has also had many wonderful, lengthy times in her history where she did just fine without any of them. I did not name the preaching of the word, the regular gathering for corporate worship, and other essentials. But so many think of the things above as vital. Have we become like the Alamo--first a mission, then a battlefield, and finally a museum?
Neighbors: I read this week from Richard Baxter's The Reformed Pastor, where he said in part, "if the saving our our neighbors. . .be our duty, up and be doing!" I wonder whether there are more believers in America today who do not know their neighbors names than there are those who are burdened about reaching them for Christ?
So I resolve, after finishing this post of course, to whine less and to spend more time on living a life set on honoring Christ.

Phriday Photos early fall

2006-09-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

This is a Mojave Rattlesnake. Yep, a rattler. These things pack the most deadly venom of any in the species, more deadly than the most insecure, virulent blogger haha.

This is one of my many excellent students, Melissa, who is also fearless around serpents. Boldness!

Books on Culture from Writers Who Are Believers

2006-09-27T06:09:00.000-07:00

In an earlier post I listed a group of books I had read recently that in my mind helped with understanding culture today. The previous list came from "secular" sources, i.e. not professing believers. This list comes from writers who are followers of Christ. Many related to the "emerging church movement" or "emergent" or some similar name.
Of course I do not agree with everything each person wrote; that is not the point. I don't even agree with everything I wrote! But I believe these are helpful. I do not include all bibliographical info because I am in a hurry and you have google :-).
They are in no certain order.
Driscoll, Mark. Radical Reformission. I particularly love what he says about the different ways we combine church, gospel, and culture in ways that do not help. And, his chapter on evangelism sounds like some things I say in class. He is often hilarious, normally edgy, and not afraid of controversy.
Driscoll, Mark. Confessions of a Reformission Rev. One of the best books I have read in a decade. Humorous, poignant, and helpful. A must read for all pastors.
McLaren, Brian. A Generous Orthodoxy. I found this to be fairly generous, except to evangelicals, but not too orthodox. But one must read McLaren to get to know one of the more popular writers and speakers of our time.
Kimball, Dan. The Emerging Church. I loved this one overall. He makes some particularly insightful statements, like the real measure of your preaching is how your people live during the week. He is much into the arts and thus has helpful info for people in Arts districts, but his model would not be one to reproduce everywhere (nor does he suggest that).
Carson, D.A. Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church Movement. An evaluation of the movement, or conversation. Points out well the protest nature of much of it. Carson deals too much with McLaren and Steve Chalke, but otherwise I found this a helpful critique.
McNeal, Reggie. The Present Future. I do not know Reggie personally, although he is a denominational employee in the SC convention. But reading his book made me think we have had a number of conversations (we haven't). So much I have been thinking and saying I read. Even some of the same phrases. Maybe I have ESPN or something. I don't agree at all points but I found this to be profound in places. He is right: the church in America is in denial.
Bell, Rob. Velvet Elvis. Hmmm, how shall I describe Rob Bell? An enigma I suppose. At some points I was moved by his words, at many I was puzzled. His famous trampoleen example has one significant and glaring flaw. Did you see it? If you read it you did, but I am curious as to why he did not. I guess I would call this provocative, but after reading it and all the other books above, I would say it definitely had the least impact on my thoughts on culture.
Sweet, Leonard, ed. The Church in Emerging Culture. An interesting look at the church via a dialogue with an interesting collection: Andy Crouch, Michael Horton, Frederica Mathewes-Green, Brian McLaren, and Erwin McManus.
Stetzer, Ed, and David Putman. Breaking the Missional Code. A fantastic book in my view. The authors do not jettison healthy churches in the past in their desire to help churches move into the future. This one will likely become a required text.

I am sure I am leaving out others. Soon (hopefully) I will add a list of classics in spirituality and must reads on spiritual awakening. I might even do a list of books on evangelism.

Reaching the Unchurched

2006-09-13T18:38:00.000-07:00

Radically changed aptly depicts the impact of the gospel on young Bill. His combination of wild hair, torn jeans, shoeless feet, and tie-dyed T-shirt manifests how recent was his conversion to Christianity. His appearance belies his unusual intelligence.
On a particular Sunday soon after his conversion, Bill determined to attend a local congregation for fellowship and nurture beyond his college Bible study. Across the street from the campus sat the college church, filled weekly with well dressed and conservative members. The church earnestly desired to develop a ministry to the students, but so far, failed to initiate such a ministry because of uncertainty about just how to go about it. One day, Bill decided to go there.
Picture the scene as Bill enters. He has no shoes. He is clad in his jeans, T shirt, and that wild hair. The service has already started, so Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat. The church has outgrown her worship center; so he keeps walking. By now, people are looking a bit uncomfortable; but no one says anything. Bill continues down the aisle, looking for a seat, but finding only perplexed gazes. When he realizes there are no seats, he simply squats down on the carpet. After all, at the college fellowship, this is perfectly acceptable behavior. The problem is that no one had ever done that at this church!
By now, the people are increasingly nervous; and the tension in the air is thick. About this time, the pastor notices a deacon rise from his seat and slowly make his way toward Bill. This particular deacon is in his eighties, has silver gray hair, a three piece suit, and a pocket watch. Known as a godly man, elegant, dignified, and courtly, his gait is accompanied by the tapping of his cane. As he walks toward this boy, everyone is thinking, “You can't blame him for what he's going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor?”
It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy. Silence reigns, except for the clicking of the man's cane. All eyes focus on him. You can't hear anyone breathing. The people are thinking, “The minister can't even preach the sermon until the deacon does what he has to do.”
Suddenly, the elderly man drops his cane on the floor. With great difficulty he lowers himself and sits down next to Bill to worship with him so he won't be alone. Everyone chokes up with emotion. When the pastor gains control he says, "What I'm about to preach, you may never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget."
Sadly, in 90% of churches, the above account is not how most deacons or churches would have responded to young Bill. We have lost a sense of compassion for the radically unchurched in America; and this is why so few lost people, or even new believers like Bill, can be found in most of our churches. To state it simply, most Christians in America see the church as a hotel for saints, rather than a hospital for sinners.
What would stand as the single most pressing need for the church as it relates to evangelism at the dawn of the third millennium AD?
I would submit the answer has less to do with political clout or economic might, less about numbers and more about influence. And it certainly has less to do with a program that compartmentalizes evangelism and more about a passion that creates a missional culture. Does any other entity have as much visibility with a corresponding lack of influence in the culture today than the church? Could it be that many local churches could disappear from their community today and few people outside their fellowship would miss them?
I would argue the church needs a fresh passion for reaching the hardcore
unchurched. What do I mean by radically unchurched? I define them as people who live in the United States and who have no clear personal understanding of the message of the gospel, and who have had little or no contact with a Bible-teaching, Christ-honoring church. An analogy can best describe them. In the first century, the apostle Paul was called of God as a missionary to the Gentiles. The Jews were Paul’s people. They had a heritage of faith, a Scriptural underpinning, and a common cultural background. However, the Gentiles in the first century were those who for the most part knew nothing of the gospel message until someone like Paul told them. They had no heritage of Scripture as did the Jews. Some were religious, some were not. They are analogous in our day to the millions of people in our country who have almost no real knowledge of Christianity. Oh, they know what a clerical collar is, and they recognize a church building; but they have no functional knowledge of the gospel.
Whereas the “Jews” in our day could be described in this analogy as nominally churched, the “Gentiles” can be called the radically unchurched. They may be devoutly religious, as were some first century Gentiles; they may be irreligious. They may be Muslim or Hindu or New Age or Mormon; or they may be agnostic. The difference between them and the nominal Christians, the "Jews" to use the analogy, is that any idea they have of Christianity is obscure or totally flawed. Some of them recognize the golden arches of McDonald's much more quickly than a cross as a symbol with meaning. It seems to me the church has been fair at reaching the “Jews,” but sadly ineffective at reaching the “Gentiles.”
Today I had lunch with a group of church planters at Vintage21, a new church plant in Raleigh connected with the Acts29 Network. The pastor, Tyler Jones, shared the story of the church’s birth and growth in only a few years from a few to now over 400 in three services. Unlike far too many trendy, postmodern churches I have encountered, this one actually has found a way to reach many unchurched people, not to mention that fact that about 30% of those attending currently come from that demographic. The thing that struck me about Tyler, in the midst of an obviously contemporary, contextualized ministry setting, was his constant reminder that all we do must be biblical. Now there is a novel thought: to consider that the best way to reach an unchurched culture today directly relates to our ability to understand how the early church reach out in an unchurched culture.
Here is how Michael Green in Evangelism in the Early Church argues the first believers spread the gospel in an unchurched world (p. 173): : “But as early as Acts 8 we find that it is not the apostles but the ‘amateur’ missionaries, the men evicted from Jerusalem as a result of the persecution which followed Stephen’s martyrdom, who took the gospel with them wherever they went. It was they who traveled along the coastal plain to Phoenicia, over the sea to Cyprus, or struck up north to Antioch. They were evangelists, just as much as any apostle was. Indeed it was they who took the two revolutionary steps of preaching to Greek who had no connection with Judaism, and then with launching the Gentile mission from Antioch. It was an unselfconscious effort. They were scattered from their base in Jerusalem and they went everywhere spreading the good news which had brought joy, release and a new life to themselves. This must often have not been formal preaching, but the informal chattering to friends and chance acquaintances, in homes. . ., on walks, and around market stalls. They went everywhere gossiping the gospel; they did it naturally, enthusiastically, and with the conviction of those who are not paid to say that sort of thing. Consequently, they were taken seriously, and the movement spread, . . .”
May God help us to catch the same passion to see the same impact on an unchurched culture today.
(this article is adapted from my book Radically Unchurched: Who They Are and How to Reach Them. Kregel Books)

Death of the Crocodile Hunter

2006-09-04T09:20:00.000-07:00

Dan Breeding, the owner of this python from creaturesofcreation.com, with me and a big python. Dan had worked briefly with Steve Irwin in the past.

I just saw this newsflash at FoxNewss.com:
'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin Killed by Stingray on Great Barrier Reef
Monday, September 04, 2006
CAIRNS, Australia — Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and conservationist known as the "Crocodile Hunter," was killed Monday by a stingray while filming off the Great Barrier Reef. He was 44.

Folks who know me know my love for animals, the bigger, the badder, the better. I also enjoyed watching the Crocodile Hunter. Sadly, his many adventures came to an untimely end. I have no certain knowledge he ever knew the Creator of the very creatures he defended.

A few years back I wrote an article on lessons we can learn from a guy like Steve Irwin. I offer it here as a tribute of sorts to a lover of creatures from one who loves both the creation and its Creator.

Snake Hunting And Soul Winning:
Lessons On Evangelism From The Success
Of "The Crocodile Hunter" (written in 2001)

I have always had an interest in snakes and other reptiles. I have a python in my office, my son has a corn snake in his bedroom, and my daughter loves to play with her snake who dwells in her room. My wife has no reptiles, but she does possess a great amount of patience! I am most proud of my newest addition, a five-foot-long, black-throated monitor lizard named Goliath. We like to take him for walks on a leash — he does draw a crowd! I often quip that as an evangelism prof who likes herps (that is, reptiles), I actually teach soul winning and snake handling. Don't worry, we do not handle serpents in church!

With this in mind, you might guess my favorite television show — you got it — The Crocodile Hunter. It has been a long time since I was as excited about a television show as I am about The Crocodile Hunter, or the shorter Croc Files for kids.

Whenever I speak to young people, I ask how many of them know who the Crocodile Hunter is. The response is telling. Nearly every one of them knows who he is, although his primary show, The Crocodile Hunter, appears on the cable network Animal Planet. The show's star, Steve Irwin, has jumped from "just another host" of a little known program on this smaller market cablenetwork, to the host of primetime specials on network television and an occasional appearance on movies and commercials.

Steve Irwin's incredible rise in popularity can teach us some things. The enthusiasm of young people from age 5 to 25 for the show is obvious. They know his sayings: "She's a beauty!" (I have to admit even a snake lover like me has a hard time calling a salt water crocodile beautiful!) If a particular python attempts to bite him, you will hear him say, "Oh, you're being grumpy, mate!" "Danger! Danger! Danger!" is another of his popular sayings.

Believe it or not, I think Steve Irwin's rise — from a man running a zoo in Australia to internationally known figure — can teach us some things about how to make an impact on this culture.

First, he is passionate. Have you ever seen anyone so incredibly zealous for a bunch of lizards and snakes? On several occasions he has said, "I would give my life to save this crocodile!" Now that is passion! Oh, that we as believers would have such a passion for Jesus, who is of infinitely greater value than a reptile! Our lost culture desperately needs people who will live for Jesus with a passion. Great movements of God in history, from the First Great Awakening to the Jesus Movement, have been led by people ablaze with a passion for God.

Second, he is real. His videography is inferior to what you see in National Geographic specials, but no one cares! We live in a society today where reality is in, and synthetic is out. Look at the popularity of shows like Survivor, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and The Weakest Link, all of which feature everyday people rather than phony Hollywood actors. The primary way The Crocodile Hunter has grown to reach the masses is not through marketing. Rather, it has touched a chord in the lives of many in the culture, especially the coming generation of young people, who are sick and tired of slick approaches to push a product.1 That is why the fastest growing soft drink among the youth population is Sprite, with its "Obey Your Thirst" reality message. This culture wants real, not slick.

The best way to witness in this postmodern, increasingly radically unchurched culture is to be just like the early believers. They did not make an impression by their background, or their position, but by their genuine, obvious, and deep love for Jesus. Acts 4:13 gives one of many examples of this: Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant, they marveled; and they realized that they had been with Jesus. The most remarkable aspect of the early believers was that they were unremarkable. That, and they were real.

Third, Steve Irwin takes risks. No, that is inaccurate. He loves risks. He is crazy! His first show that put him on the map concerned his adventure to capture the ten most venomous serpents in the world with his bare hands. It seems he spends his life trying to get as close to being a crocodile dinner as possible. He would not be happy unless he were chasing down a wild pig by foot, or grabbing a cobra with his bare hands, or jumping in a river on the back of an alligator. He will make sacrifices to save an animal. Oh that we would make sacrifices for the salvation of the lost! Could God even use a Crocodile Hunter to spur us to take risks to reach the unchurched at any cost?

Examine yourself: what are you doing for the sake of the Kingdom of God that could compare to the zeal shown by Steve Irwin for the sake of a pile of snakes?

(belated) Phriday Photo

2006-09-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

Whew! Life is so crazy with classes starting so I again forgot a photo. Here we have me with my lovely daughter Hannah (L) and the daughter of one of my buddies, Michelle Landry (R). Well, Michelle is the daughter, Mike, pastor of Sarasota Baptist Church, is my buddy. Michelle is my buddy too as is her sister, Beth. Beth is about to get married to Steve, a new student at SEBTS. So, a daughter of a buddy is coming here soon.
Now that I have taught a long time, one of my joys is to teach the children of my friends. Exciting!
And again, I won't be blogging much now that I have a life. I am spending more time on facebook where I can communicate regularly with college students and seminary students. Loads of fun! There is a buzz on campus. God is at work. I am hopeful.

Say Grace, but Be Gracious

2006-08-28T18:50:00.000-07:00

Note: Alot of people today are talking about being missional. Being a rather bottom-line kind of guy, I thought this article I wrote a few years back for Home Life might add a little to the conversation in a very practical manner:

I'll never forget the first time I went to England. My college choir went for a tour immediately after the spring semester. Dr. Gene Black, director of the A Cappella Choir at Samford University, gave his standard speech about being gracious in each home where we would be staying. In particular, he said to eat everything set before us, whether we liked it or not. "No big deal," I thought. Well, the baked beans with breakfast seemed a little odd, but I loved the tea and scones each day. One thing I couldn't stand, however, was the steak and kidney pie. Well, I liked the steak just fine, and I never met a pie I didn't like. The sheep kidney part was (forgive me) hard to swallow.

At the end of our tour we stayed in the same home in London we did when we arrived two weeks earlier. The father asked me how I enjoyed my time in England. "Oh, I loved it!" I exclaimed. "What was one thing you did not like?" he asked. Without thinking, I said, "Sheep kidneys!" His smile turned to a frown. About that time his wife set my breakfast plate before me. There sat two perfectly shaped, freshly cooked . . . whole sheep kidneys.

I have had better days at being gracious at the dinner table. Being gracious is always necessary, but not always easy. Which leads me to the subject of how Christians behave in restaurants.

Recently I went to lunch with a group of church leaders in Asheville, N.C. As we sat down at a local restaurant, I greeted our waitress Kim, and asked her how she was doing. "Well, I am OK," she replied in a less-than-enthusiastic tone. As we prepared to say grace before the meal, I asked Kim if we could pray for her. While she gave no specific request, we asked the Lord to give her a better afternoon than she had experienced in the morning.

After a lengthy meal (you know how ministers can shoot the breeze while filling our faces), Kim began to talk with us. She told us how she and her fiancé were looking for a good church in the area. We told her of a good church, and spent several minutes visiting with her. When we left, she was beaming! We had made her day.

I wish I could say that is the effect Baptists have on waiters and waitresses across the country. I wish I could say that is the effect I have had every time I was served at a restaurant. Sadly, that is not the case. In fact, as I have talked with those who wait tables, and with believers who eat out a lot, it seems that those who serve our meals in restaurants have a pretty clear opinion about us - especially when we come to dine following Sunday morning services.

Three subjects typically come up when a waitress honestly describes why Christians eating out on Sundays are among the least favored customers. First, we are rude. We may have made a joyful noise at church, but let our menu order be wrong and we lose our joyful song. It is one thing to discuss being a servant in Sunday School; it is another to be served undercooked chicken!

Second, we church folks have the most unsupervised kids on earth. Okay, so they have been cooped up in church for most of the day - does that give them the excuse to turn the local cafeteria into playland? It may be cute to us when little Johnny throws his beans across the room, but those who clean up after him miss the humor.

Finally, and worst of all, we believers have the reputation of being the cheapest tippers on the planet. I suppose it is because we have just given so sacrificially to support the Lord's work. Yeah, right. Maybe some of us are just cheap.

The next time you go out to eat, consider the following: 1) If you are a cheap tipper, or are otherwise simply not an example of how Jesus might treat a waiter, please don't pray before your meal. To paraphrase Lincoln, better if they think you are not a Christian than for you to open your wallet and remove all doubt. 2) If you are going to leave a gospel tract, please, please, please, leave a good tip. I once had a fellow hand me what appeared to be a $20 bill. I unfolded it to discover it was not money at all, but a brief explanation of the gospel. Clever, huh. No, pretty stupid actually. The waitress will not see it as clever when she tries to buy diapers for her baby with a $20 bill that won't spend! I try to leave a 20 percent tip as a minimum. If that means eating out less to tip well, so be it. And by the way, I am not Miss Manners, but in the new millennium 10 percent is CHEAP.

Okay, perhaps you are not sure at this point if you will ever go out to eat again. Let me encourage you with some simple, positive steps you can take when eating out.

First, if you are going to show Christlike love to the waitress, and tip well, by all means do pray before your meal. You might say to her, "We are about to ask God's blessings on our meal. Is there anything for which we might pray for you?"

Second, make an effort to speak to her about the Lord. However, remember R. A. Torrey's rules of witnessing in public: never embarrass the person and obey the Holy Spirit. If she is busy doing her job, respect that. Still, I have found it takes almost no time to ask, "Has anyone told you today that God loves you?" as a means to encourage her. Then, if she responds to you, and if time permits, share as much of the gospel as you can.

Third, by all means, do leave a tract with a good tip. I have seen people come to Christ this way. You may also!

A few years ago three ministers were eating in a restaurant in southern Indiana. They were breaking from a national witness-training seminar. As they fellowshipped together, their joy was contagious. The waitress was encouraged by them, so she brought them dessert on the house. A pastor said, "Let me tell you why we are so happy. It is because of what Jesus did in our lives." Another pastor began to share. She stood there, listening. As the pastor got to the place of asking her to receive Christ, she was called to another table. "Another seed sown," they thought. But she soon came back, pulled up a chair, and sat down! Another in the group actually got up and began to pour tea at the other tables. And the waitress gave her life to Jesus! You never know if the next waiter you meet is a divine appointment from God.

Imagine this scene: next Sunday, across America, thousands and thousands of believers stream from churches into restaurants. In little diners and large cafeterias, smiles are the expression of the day. The patrons are courteous, even if the corn should have been beans, and if the tea was sweet instead of unsweetened. Along the way, thousands of prayers are offered for the servers, thousands of conversations bring up the name of Jesus to waiters and waitresses, most of whom really need an encouraging word. Just how many lives would be positively influenced for the kingdom of God? How many discouraged people, working a second or third job - that single mom, that struggling college student, that weary grandma - could be encouraged with the love of Jesus. Multitudes could be affected if we not only said grace, but demonstrated it as well.

Phriday (Animal) Photos

2006-08-25T05:08:00.000-07:00

I love animals. Always have. So it was a really great day when I met Dan breeding of creaturesofcreation.org. Here is a big gator he let me hold one day (very carefully as it is big enough to kill me). I use big gators and snakes to help students overcome their fear of witnessing :-). After all, if you can handle a wild animal that can kill you, why should you fear man?

This is tootise the owl. Pretty cool huh.

What's in a Name?

2006-08-24T04:47:00.000-07:00

One day a friend recounted to me a sad but true story from his childhood. It occurred in the late 1960s, when David was about eight years old. On a Sunday night service at his church, a hippie family came to their church. The husband had a scruffy beard, and they were all wearing beads. Some of you remember those days. They obviously stood out in the congregation. The pastor got up, looked across the auditorium, and said, "It is so nice to see everyone clean shaven and well bathed this evening." By the time David turned around to see the hippie family's response, he saw only the back door flopping back and forth. They got the message, and left.
I don't know the name of that church, but it should have been called the "Clean-Shaven and Well Bathed Only Baptist Church," because the hippie family was not welcome there. This story made me wonder about church names, and the testimony of a church when compared to its name.
In the Bible a name often described the character or something unique about the person--Abraham means father of nations, Amos means Burden, and Jesus means God is Salvation. Just think for a minute--what if we named churches based on how they acted? What if we gave churches names which represent their real convictions? Have you ever noticed how churches that come out of splits often call themselves Harmony Baptist Church or Unity Baptist Church? Have you ever noticed the variety of names we have for churches? Well, of course there are lots of First Baptists, and more than a few Calvary Baptists. But think of all the unique names. Some are geographical, named for roads or rivers. My parents attend Duck River Baptist in Alabama, although I have never seen the Duck River. Biblical names abound as well--Shiloh, Bethel, Ebenezer, and Canaan come to mind.
Imagine just for a moment that a church was given its named based on the character it reflected in a community. In the eighteenth century the Holy Club was a term of derision given to the band of John and Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, and a handful of others, because of their diligence in the study of Scripture and desire for holy living. They were later called Methodists because of their, well you guessed it, methods.
Our Baptist progenitors, the Anabaptists, were so dubbed because they "re-baptized," or baptized adults following conversion. What if our church names reflected our character? Here are some church names I have observed:
The "You Ain't Our Kind" Baptist Church--refers to those churches who particularly refuse to allow African-Americans to attend. Better name: The Racist Club.
The "If-You-Aren’t-Kin-To-Me-Get-Out" Baptist Church--the church where everyone is related. Better name: The Weekly Family Reunion.
The "We-May-Be-in-the-North-But-Will-Do-Church-Like-Rural-Kentucky" Baptist Church--the church that refuses to reach anyone but folks just like them. I saw some of these when I served in Indiana. Better name: The Geographically Challenged Church.
The "I-don’t-Care-What-the-Bible Says" Baptist Church--the church with the convictions of a wet noodle. I have met a few of those. Better name: The My Way is Yahweh Church.
The "Dinner-On-the-Grounds" Baptist Church--the church that considers Homecoming Sunday the most spiritual event of the year. Better name: The Fellowship and Gluttony Chuch.
The "I Don’t Have That Gift" Baptist Church--made of members who do only what they want to do, which is mainly nothing, and use spiritual gifts as their excuse to ignore the Great Commission. Better name: The I'm Special Church.
The "We've Never Done It That Way" Baptist Church--the church that will probably not be in existence in twenty years. Better name: The We Will Soon Be Closed Church.
The "Best Dressed Baptist" Church--the church whose members like GQ magazine more than the New Testament. Better name: The Easter Is for Fashion Church.
The "First Baptist Church of Insomnia"--the church that is so dead, if the Holy Spirit left they wouldn't know it for six months. Better Name: ZZZZZZZZZ.
The "Anti-Praise and Worship Chorus" Church--the church that sings only songs written before 1700. Better name: The We Will Not Change Church.
The "Only Praise and Worship" Baptist Church--the church that loves its music more than its Master. Better name: The Musicians Church.
And finally, the "If the 1950s Come Back, We Will Be Ready" Church--the church who looks like a time warp into a previous generation when you enter the services. Better Name: The Institutional Church.

Well, you probably can think of others. Of course, I could also name many churches whose character does reflect Christ in a wonderful way. I am simply trying to illustrate that the most important word in our name is church--and we ought to resemble the Body of Christ we are.
We need to examine the ministries, the convictions, and the practice of our churches regularly to see if we can honestly be called a church. The one word that should be removed from some church names is church, because that is NOT what they are. A church is a group of saved, baptized believers who honor Christ in their beliefs and their practice. Some think the church is the building (that is the edifice complex). Across the nation there are 350,000 churches, but how many are really a New Testament Church?
After all, the name Christian was given to the early believers in Antioch (Acts 11:26) because they reflected the Christ they followed. Can it be said that the church you attend, regardless of its particular name, is a reflection of the Head of the Church, our Lord Jesus? It will only be so as you and I, the members of a local body, reflect Christ in our lives.

Thoughts on Blogging...

2006-08-23T17:02:00.000-07:00

Academicus is the publication of the PhD department at SEBTS. Nathan Finn recently composed an article dealing with scholarship and blogging. Nathan interviewed several faculty including yours truly. You can read it online at: http://sebts.edu/PhD/Academicus/

Phriday Night Lights

2006-08-18T21:06:00.000-07:00

Our son Josh is playing football his senior year for the North Raleigh Christian Academy Knights. He is the strong guard, playing next to a 300 pound giant tackle (Josh is not in this picture). As a typical, proud father, I screamed like a fool the whole game (all positive, I am a veteran of Upward Basketball), and now I hope I can do the seminar tomorrow night at a church in High Point (oops).
Josh played very well. We started slowly and fell behind 14-6. But we roared back and won 38-28. Guards don't get a lot of pub, but Josh played great. On one play he plastered a dude, and the guy had a hard time getting up. Now, I don't enjoy injuries, but I do like the fact the football is one of the few places left where a young man can actually be a man in our feminized (including in the church) culture. So my son may not be perfect, but he is a man, no doubt about it.
I am proud of you son, for playing your heart out and giving your best for the team.

The Thrill of Teaching....

2006-08-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

I confess I was born to teach. Today I welcomed over a hundred students--eager, excited, and some a bit apprehensive--and tomorrow many more. After my family, teaching turns my crank more than just about anything.
That is why my presence in the blog world, such that it is, will soon diminish dramatically. I have to choose between sitting in my office and looking an eager student in the eye or typing words on a screen. Well, I have two books to finish so I will be typing, but you get the point.
I think blogging serves a useful purpose. I am not as down on it as some. Nor do I think it is suddenly the answer to all issues in the SBC or elsewhere. I actually enjoy my Facebook now more than anything online, but that is because of those wonderful students...
Pray for me. Pray for my colleagues. It is an awesome thing to teach students who will shepherd the churches and go to the mission field. I do not take a day of it lightly. The stewardship given to those of us called to teach is a weighty one, and I feel its tug daily.
But I also confess how cool it is that I get to spend my life with these amazing young men and women. The Providence of God is amazing.
E. Stanley Jones was once asked how he helped so many young people become effective ministers. His reply: "I put a big crown over their heads, and help them to grow into them." That summarizes teaching I think. So if I blog less, it is because I am lifting up some hefty crowns more.

200 years ago this month...

2006-08-12T06:18:00.000-07:00

I have always had a love for studying (and even more being a part of) movements of God, from my childhood when our small church erupted in the Jesus Movement to teaching courses on the subject today. Santyana said those that do not learn from history are doomed to relive it. I think those who do learn from history can best deal with culture today.
This month I begin my 12th year teaching at SEBTS, and my 15th teaching fulltime (3 years at Houston Baptist University). This month, 200 years ago, an event happened that still affects the students I teach today. That is whay happens when God moves. Let me give just a snapshot of what God did two centuries ago:
Samuel Mills' father was a pastor in Torrington, Connecticut. A revival there in 1798 made a strong impact on young Mills as a teen. Williams College in Massachusetts experienced an awakening (as did many campuses about that time--Yale, Hampden-Sydney, etc) in 1804-06. Samuel Mills came as a student, and not a very good one, during that season. Mills began to meet with a group of students twice weekly for prayer. On a warm August day in 1806, a rainstorm drove the group to seek shelter at a large stack of hay. Sheltered from the wind and rain at the side of the great haystack, the men continued in prayer. While there Mills proposed a mission to India. Subsequent historians have referred to the meeting as the "Haystack Revival." In 1808 the group organized to study and pray for missions. After seminary graduation, Mills and others of the "Brethren" (their group's name) asked the General Association of Massachusetts to send them to India as missionaries. This Association formed the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions on June 28, 1810. This was the first official foreign missions organization in the United States. The first missionaries include familiar names: Adoniram Judson, Samuel Nott, Luther Rice, Gordon Hall, and Samuel Newell. Mills stayed behind in part because of his ability to promote the cause of world missions in America.
Just a bunch of college students. Mills was such a poor student he was not allowed to participate in graduation ceremonies! Interestingly, the valedictorian, also named Samuel, missed his speech because he was drunk. God took a mediocre student with a radical passion for the nations, and we are debtors to him. This year, 2006, there are more teenagers than at any point in US history. Colleges are about to swell like never before in numbers, and the most rapid growth is in private schools including evangelical colleges. Do we believe God could take a handful of students and change the world? I do. And that is one reason I teach.
The next time you see a raindrop fall this month, take a moment and thank God for the haystack revival, and for young leaders who would risk all, not for fame or influence, but for the gospel. May God give us more like that!

Phriday Photos August 11

2006-08-11T07:23:00.000-07:00

One of the awesome blessings of teaching at SEBTS/SECWF is the fact that some of the sharpest young adults hang out with my kids. This is Melissa (right) and Hannah, our 13 year old. Melissa is a college student who loves to do stuff with hannah and hannah with her.

This is Jeff Capps, who just graduated from our college. Jeff has played with our band a lot and has really been a mentor to my son Josh, the drummer. Jeff is moving to Texas, but we are already lining up camps next summer and events during the year, either in Texas, or flying Jeff to join us, so we can continue to minister together. Go to Jeffcapps.com to find out more about him.
This Lauren and Hannah. Lauren is in the seminary and is way cool. She and Hannah go to the mall to shop till they drop.
I am so grateful for godly young ladies like Melissa and Lauren who show Hannah by their lives the things Michelle and I are trying to teach. And I thank God for guys like jeff who encourage Josh both musically and as a young man of God.

Everything I Need to Know About Ministry I Learned Playing High School Football*

2006-08-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

This past week I got to meet Chris Mortensen, NFL expert on ESPN and a believer. His football stories were only surpassed by his testimony of salvation, which was quite encouraging. It made me think of this article I wrote a while back, adapted a little for now...

Football has had an enduring affect on my life. Maybe it stems from the matching scars I have on both knees from surgical repairs brought about from my gridiron days. Maybe it is the joy I get from watching Josh this fall hit the field for the Knights, his school team. One thing is certain: every fall I experience a strange phenomenon. I find myself looking for someone to tackle, or at least to hit with a forearm! Something about playing high school football, although in my distant past of over twenty years ago, has never left me.

Now I have fought the urge to tackle a colleague or try to convince the secretaries in my office to lead a pep rally. But I have discovered that nothing in my adult experience causes me to reflect on my teenage years more than my annual habit of football nostalgia. And I am convinced that in a day where too many men act like pansies (or metrosexuals I suppose), football is still a place where men can be men.

Football gave me a lot. Oh, I was not the all-star player on my team. Like most guys, in my mind the older I get, the better player I was! But I have observed that being on a football team over four years taught me practical lessons about life that have helped me ever since. And, many of these same lessons have been especially helpful to me in ministry. Ministry is to team sports (like football) as painted lines are to a highway — not the same, but a pretty good parallel. Just look at the times Paul used athletics in the New Testament to teach spiritual truth (I Cor. 9:24-27, Phil. 3:14, I Tim, etc).

I look back all the time on the lessons I learned from football. Some of these may actually apply to blogging as well.

The team is first
The more you focus on helping others the better it is for you. If you are a pastor or staff member, helping the whole staff honor God should supersede any personal goals. When the team wins, everyone gets the credit, but when the team loses, individual achievements really don't matter.

Sacrifice is a good thing
If all being on a football team involved was showing up and playing a game every week, half the guys in school would want to play. No, to play the game, you have to pay the price. Hours of sweating in the August sun, off-season conditioning, grueling drills, wind sprints, on and on the sacrifice goes. Afternoons in the fall are surrendered to practice. Ministry is not about finding your niche so much as it is pursuing godliness. This involves great sacrifice over time. Just look at the analogies Paul uses for leaders that relate to sacrifice.

Keep your eye on the prize
Our team's goal, make no mistake, was to WIN. Our coach never began a season saying, "Our goal this year is to be 0 and 10." We never started a week of practice with the goal of losing. Excuses were never allowed. In ministry we have to be careful about how we define "winning" by overly focusing on some things to the neglect of others. But let's be clear — the goal of a team is never mediocrity, and neither should being average satisfy a minister. And winning souls should remain our priority.

Evaluation helps
Every Monday we watched film as a team. Our coach loved to say, "the big eye won't lie." If an assignment was blown, all could see. If a great play was made, all observed. Effective ministry requires ongoing evaluation. But the evaluation should always be focused on making people better rather than tearing them down.

Be a good sport
Learn what is important and what isn't. In football hustle, preparation, and teamwork rule - personal feelings do not. The coach has the right to ride a player's back if he loafs. In ministry, we tend to take ourselves too seriously, but fail to take the gospel seriously enough. We need to reverse those two and lighten up!

Leave nothing on the field
A good football player never quits. Too many ministers spend more time preparing for retirement than reaching the lost. Too many Christians seek security more than glorifying God with our lives. I still apply this mentally when I preach and teach. When I am finished, I am exhausted, but it is a good feeling to know I have given my best to communicate the Word of God.

A good coach sure helps
Great football programs on any level are marked by great coaches. The "coach" of a local church is the pastor. Everything rises or falls on leadership.

Be agile, mobile, and hostile
OK, I am getting carried away a bit — that's how my coach described a linebacker. At my age I am fragile, docile and senile! In ministry we should never be hostile, but we must be agile and mobile, or flexible.

Football and ministry obviously are not exactly the same. Ministry matters a lot more. Ministry is not a game — it's life and death. But, just as Paul used a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer to describe a minister, football can teach us a lot.

Now, go out there and give it all for the — no, not the Gipper — for the Savior!

* With apologies to Robert Fulghum, author of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten: Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things.

The Power of Prayer

2006-08-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

Last fall a student named Joy sat way up in the back of my class, no doubt nervous about taking evangelism. As the semester went on, Joy came by the office and shared with me her burden for Desiree, her coworker and friend back home near Asheville, NC. Joy so longed to see Desiree come to Christ, but Desiree's life was heading the opposite direction. She was what I call a radically unchurched young lady.
Then Christmas break came and class was over. Joy called me at home, very emotional. The reason? Desiree had met the Master!
So this past Sunday I preached at Joy's home church. And I met Desiree. And I heard some of her story. She is an amazing picture of grace. She told me she had become so angry because of the prayers of Christians--they made her miserable! But now she so rejoices in them. Pray for Desiree. She is still a baby believer, but has such a refreshing, wonderful passion for Jesus.
Oh, Joy is on the right, Desiree on the left.

Phriday Photo 3 (a day late)

2006-07-29T11:03:00.000-07:00

Okay today is Saturday. But after the day I had yesterday, adding a photo to my blog hardly seemed a priority. This is also a photo from last year, since my Delta (which stands for Doesn't Ever Leave The Airport) flight kept me from saying more than hi to Shane and Shane at the conference where I spoke (I missed the entire Friday night session). I am thus using a photo from a conference in Florida last year where I also served with these guys. Shane and Shane are easily some of the finest, most gifted, yet humble, biblically focused musicians with whom I have had the honor to serve.
I am not such a great youth speaker I think so whenever I get the opportunity to speak to thousands of students it is a blessing. I am probably a better teacher than a preacher anyway, which is good since I do a lot more of the former. You can read about the conference at http://www.sbtexas.com/default.asp?action=publication&pub=1&issue=8/10/2006 (yes I forgot how to do the hyperlink, Nfinn help me).
Have a great Lord's day all.

The Barbarian Way

2006-07-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

Back in my seminary days at SWBTS my wife and I were members for a while at Wedgwood Baptist (Jerry Sutton was pastor). I volunteered with the youth on Wednesdays with others students, including George Guthrie, now at Union University (and can he play a piano), and Erwin McManus, now at Mosaic in LA.

Erwin has been a guy out of the system in the SBC, while I have been an old fuddy-dud, living in the denominational structure...okay, I actually have been amazingly blessed to serve the Lord in all the ways He has granted. But Erwin and I thought alike back then, and in some ways still do now. But this book has moved me. It has taken me back to my early years, when I met Jesus and just wanted to pour out my life for Him. It took me to my early years of marriage and seminary, when Michelle and I were dirt poor (praise God for .38 cans of chicken soup)but we just wanted to do everything we could to help others know the Jesus we know.

The following is a series of quotes from Erwin's book. I am not attempting a formal review, just pulling some quotes that encouraged me, so maybe you will be blessed and challenged as well...

Erwin Raphael McManus, The Barbarian Way. Nelson, 2005.
“But then the worst thing happened that could happen to any fighter, you got civilized.” Mick to Rocky, Rocky III. P. vi.

p. 5: “The invitation of Jesus is a revolutionary call to fight for the heart of humanity. We are called to an unconventional war using only the weapons of faith, hope, and love. Nevertheless, this war is no less dangerous than any war ever fought. And for those of us who embrace the cause of Christ, the cost to participate in the mission of God is nothing less than everything we are and everything we have.”
p. 6: “This is the simplicity of the barbarian way. If you are a follower of Christ, then you are called to fight for the heart of your King. It is a life fueled by a passion—a passion for God and a passion for people.”
“When Christianity becomes just another religion, it focuses on requirements. Just to keep people in line, we build our own Christian civilization and (p. 7) then demand everyone who believes in Jesus become a good citizen.”
“It’s hard to imagine that Jesus would endure the agony of the Cross just to keep us in line.”
p. 12: “Perhaps the tragedy of our time is that such an overwhelming number of us who declare Jesus as Lord have become domesticated—or, if you will, civilized. We have lost the simplicity of our early faith. Beyond that, we have lost the passion and power of that raw, untamed, and primal faith.”
p. 13: “The barbarian way is about love, intimacy, passion, and sacrifice. Barbarians love to live and live to love. For them God is life, and their mission is to connect humanity to Him. Their passion is that each of us might live in intimate communion with Him who died for us. The barbarian way is a path of both spirit and truth.”
“If I know nothing else about you, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, I know this without question: there is within you a raw and untamed faith waiting to be unleashed.”

My thoughts: this last statement is what I see again and again as I speak to youth, to college students, to my students. May God give us a generation who will live with this passion, and spend more time on living for God than swapping our opinions...

Phriday Photos 2

2006-07-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

See my new toy. I have wanted an acoustic bass for years. I got to play it Sunday PM at Epicenter, and it was a treat!
It was also great to have Matt Lytle, PhD student and musician, to lead us, and to have Josh giving some rhythm with the djembe and Daniel Moore adding a sweet sax to the mix. I think David might play a sax today...Or maybe a Les Paul?

Phriday Photo 2

2006-07-21T07:47:00.000-07:00

I love teenagers. This is a group from Longview Heights Baptist Church in Mississippi just south of Memphis. The band and I did a DNow there in February. This is one of the greatest groups of students ever. The two fine looking students in the front are our Hannah and Josh.

harry carey video

2006-07-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

Get this video and more at MySpace.com

Laughter is good for the soul. Here is a spoof from SNL of Harry Carey. Sometimes we just need to lighten up :-)

Caught more than Taught

2006-07-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

This past Monday I sat down in my office for a meeting of the minds of some individuals burdened about the sea of unchurched college students in our nation. Actually we were more concerned about our ineffectiveness in reaching students.
I sat with the new head of collegiate evangelism at NAMB, officials from SEBTS, and a couple of the sharpest college ministers I have ever met, Brad O'Brien from Summit Church in Durham, and Dave Owens of Providence Baptist in Raleigh. Dave had been my student about a decade ago, and sadly we have had little time for fellowship since.
As we visited Dave made a comment that stuck with me, not because of its profundity, but because another former student had said the same to me not a week prior.
Dave said something like this, "I appreciate the things you taught me in class. But the thing that stuck with me, the one moment I remember most about you, comes from outside class. You went with a few students to lunch, and we watched the way you shared Christ with the waitress. That meant more than anything in class."
I recognize sharing this incident makes me the hero, so I will have to add a post one day about the many times and ways I was a pathetic model of a Christian, let alone of a witness. I am not sure the web has enough space for that one.
My point in sharing this is to demonstrate a simple point I have observed over the years: evangelism is caught more than taught. So much of the talk today revolves around being missional, or reformissional, or a barbarian, or leading a revolution, or whether we should pull out our velvet Elvis picture, jump on a trampoline for inspiration, or start microbrewing for the glory of God. We hear of theotopical preaching, narrative, expository, maybe even suppository preaching (jk). We are implored to be friends of sinners, to celebrate our freedom, to hate legalism, on and on. And so much of this I affirm (okay I will brew only coffee).
But there is a bottom line to all this rhetoric, important as it all may be. People still need to hear about good news. And believers need to be equipped to share it: not only in words, but in how we serve our employer, offer hospitality in our community, and how we demonstrate changed lives and changed families. That being said, so many Christ followers need an example on how to do Christiniaty as much as a teacher on what to believe.
So take a little quiz (I am a prof and love to give them):
1. The last time I shared Christ with a lost person in the presence of a younger believer was ______________.
2. The last time I had an unchurched person in my home was ______________.
3. The last time I was invited to (and went to) and unchurched person's home was ____________.
4. The last time a believer thanked me for demonstrating (not telling) how to share Christ was _______________.
Years ago I figured out how to work a crowd. Not necessarily a good thing I suppose, but as I speak at a lot of evangelism conferences and pastors meetings, audience analysis is likely helpful. I spoke in a state to a group of pastors. I admit, I set them up. I gave about five consecutive examples of deplorable conditions in the SBC regarding evangelism, things like decisions not disciples, the huge number of baptismless churches, the apathy of believers, only in more flowery terms so people just had to AMEN if they loved Jesus. Then I said, "I can tell you how to change that in your state, and it won't cost you any money" (which always communicates to cheap Baptist preachers). They were sitting up, ready for the most AMEN-able punch line.
"Every week starting this Sunday, simply mention a time the previous week you shared Christ with someone," I said. "Do this every week for a few months, and I believe you will see more people get the importance, and as you tell how you shared, insights on how to share Christ than any program would ever accomplish."
The room grew strangely quiet. I literally saw dozens of heads drop as pastors gazed at the floor. Why? They knew. You cannot speak weekly of sharing Christ if you are not sharing Christ.
The good news is I have shared this with students who have testified to a remarkable increase in effective witnessing (not just Tuesday night-style, but sharing consistently) in their people. It is caught more than taught.
Richard Baxter, the great Puritan who wept for the souls of men, said it like this: "Your people can tell when you have been much with God; that will be most in their ears, that is most in your heart."
Those you lead are catching a perspective of ministry from you. What in your life is most contagious?

Epicenter

2006-07-15T05:33:00.000-07:00

Beginning Super Bowl Sunday this year I have had the joy of working with a great group of college students, some seminary students, and young professionals through a ministry called Epicenter. I am convinced most of our churches have created a culture that essentially kicks people out once they hit college age. Our church for one is trying to do something about that. We have a new site, which is just getting started and will be much more cool once I get some students who are cool (unlike crusty old me) to work on it some. But I wanted to get the word out here and elsewhere about the ministry. It has been a phenomenal thing so far, but we are only getting started. Check out
www.epicenterfbc.wordpress.com.

PHRIDAY PHOTOS

2006-07-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

These men have been my accountability group since my PhD days. This year at the SBC we met. We marked our 20th anniversary from the time we started being serious about holding one another's feet to the fire.
They are L to R: John Avant, now VP for evangelism at NAMB; Doug Munton, pastor of a great church in Illinois and NAMB trustee, and was VP for the pastors conference this year in Greensboro; Dr. Fish, our mentor and hero in whose seminar we all met; Steve Gaines, new pastor at Bellevue in Memphis and former pastors conference prez; yours truly, prof at SEBTS; and Preston Nix, our hero who is now prof at NOBTS, but who lost everything in Katrina 3 weeks after moving there.
This group started meeting 20 years ago. We began then to scheme to find how to shake the right hands and move in the right circles so one day we would all be leaders of the SBC. We studied all the ins and outs of cronyism and nepotism to become great in the eyes of men...
Okay after typing that I need to go take a bath or something, or at least dodge the lightning bolts. We actually met from then until now to try our best to discourage any ambition or goals (which is a constant battle for us all I think)beyond seeking to love our families, share the gospel, stand for truth, and just be obedient to the Lord. And here we are, all with some influence. Now if we had only really schemed, what could we be doing...
Okay enough of the sarcasm. I thank God for these men. They are my heroes. In a day of cynicism, of criticizing people (sometimes rightly) for seeking power, I can still look my children in the eye and say God still uses folks for His glory who genuinely seek to follow Him.
I tell my students every semester that the best thing I got out of seminary was not in class. It was these men, who have challenged me and pushed me to always seek to life a life spent for the gospel.

Creativity and Bureacracy

2006-07-12T03:43:00.000-07:00

I love speaking to and hanging out with young people--high school students, college students, etc. Back in the 90s as a college professor I made it a point to sit around the student center a couple of hours a week just to enjoy time with excited, vivacious students.
I am not so good with elementary school aged students. I find it much easier to teach undergrads and graduate students than a room full of 8 years olds (yikes). They are a bit loud for me, a bit unruly for my advancing years. But we can learn a lot from children.
In his fascinating book Orbiting the Giant Hairball, Gordon Mackenzie made an observation of elementary school children. MacKenzie worked for decades as a creative expert for Hallmark Cards. His book examines the problems of bureacracy, in particular the tendency of bureacracy to suck the creative energy out of people in an institution (in other words, it is must reading for pastors and denominational workers!).
In his role as an artist who sketched designs for Hallmark cards, MacKenzie regularly spoke to elementary school classes about art. He developed a simnple evaluation that provided a telling insight into how parents in particular and culture in general raise children to seek conformity over creativity. As he spoke to students in each grade he asked students to raise their hand if they considered themselves an artist:
--First grade: All the children jumped from their chairs, arms waving wildly.
--Second grade: About half the kids raised their hands no higher than their shoulders.
--Third grade: No more than one-third ever raised their hands, and those who did were cautious and self-conscious about it.
“The higher the grade,” he observed, “the fewer children raised their hands.” He called the pattern “the suppression of creative genius.” Our culture, he observed, categorically raises children to pursue a safe, secure, and sensible path to a career.
That has been more pronounced in the church. We have created a culture which celebrates the duty-driven church goer and raises eyebrows at the passionate witness on the streets. Every year I take a lot of teens out witnessing in various settings. How many times have I met condescending adults who see the enthusiasm of youth after spending time sharing Christ retort: "They are excited, but they will get over it." That is our problem; we have met Jesus and we have gotten over it. Certainly as we grow older maturity calls for wisdom, restraint, and even silence at appropriate times. But have we so anesthetized the church that outbreaks of creativity, even those consistent with Scripture, are considered scandalous?
I thank God that as a child about eleven years old, at the time caution begins to overtake enthusiasm, I saw young adults radiantly and unashamedly passionate about their faith. I was a typical good little church kid who knew the right answers in Sunday school and had ribbons for attendance at Vacation Bible School. But I did not know Jesus. Suddenly our church was invaded by the Jesus Movement. In 1970 I witnessed many hippie-looking youth become passionate for Jesus. Their passion became mine, for their testimonies helped to lead me to Christ.
Our church began creative ministries: a "One Way Christian Night Club" (a converted skating rink for unchurched youth to have a place to gather and meet believers off the church campus, serving only Kool Aid for strong drink), a drama ministry, and ministries at Panama City and other places. I recall one thing in particular about these ministries: they focused particularly on reaching the lost.
We have domesticated the faith. We have turned evangelism into a course, discipleship into a curriculum, and our devotional life into a checklist. Can we recover a Christianity that sees no disparity between biblical conviction and creativity? Can we say to the coming generation that following Jesus does not mean you have to surrender your creative energies and passions for the service of the institution, but that following Christ means unleashing all God has made you to be in service to the Most High?
Being creative does not mean always pushing the envelope. It means finding ways to honor God outside the norm, the path of least resistance. For example, a friend of man named Alan Quigley, evangelism director of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, showed me an evangelistc approach called the Most Important Thing. This is a simple website where believers can post their testimony. I did this some time ago. Then, you carry simple little cards to leave with servers at restaurants (with a good tip!), or with others you meet. Nothing very intrusive, a simple little card with instructions on how to go to a website (www.mostimportantthing.org) and with my name on it. Every single time I have given out the card over the past several months I have received an email in the next 24 hours saying my testimony was read. People actually read this. Go ahead. Check it out. Just type in alvin reid. A simple, creative way to communicate the gospel through a personal story tied to the internet.
Go do something creative for the glory of God. And encourage the coming generation to embrace, not to shun, the artistry, the imagination, the creativity our Creator has placed inside them.

Contextualization—with a Twist

2006-07-07T05:42:00.000-07:00

Coming to Alabama to visit my folks affords me the opportunity to escape—from the paperwork at the office I loathe, and from the students I love, or at least the myriad of questions they pose about life and ministry and communicating the gospel to this generation and howtheywanttochangetheworldanddoitnowand…
I love these students. But like the Southwest Airlines commercial, sometimes I gotta get away (and students definitely like to get away from professor types like me).
So here I am in Bama, and it is midnight CST and I cannot sleep. Why? I am laying here (sitting up now to type) with the thought resonating in my head that my dad is going to die, and sooner not later. I know he is a believer, and heaven is a real hope. But I will miss him…
Of course we are all going to die, but afrer 12 years of fighting prostate cancer (not prostrate, as in gospel tract not track), a continuously weakening heart, and approaching 76 years of age, my dad will likely not spend a fistful of years more on terra firma. So I came here to see him, to spend time with him, to milk a few more memories from him.
Visiting my parents is my time to forget about the issues that rage in my soul about life and ministry in the 21st century. Yet we hardly left the Birmingham airport headed for Cracker Barrel up I-65 before my dad, high school educated only but far beyond me in wisdom, gave me a lesson in contextualizaton. He and mom raised my brother and me at the edge of Birmingham with some sense of urbanization and its challenges, dad working in a steel mill over 35 years before he and mom retired back to Holly Pond. It is in Holly Pond where dad sits on the cutting edge. Just the other day their Baptist church had a vote on whether to sell the parsonage (no one lives there now). Dad enthusiastically supported selling it. But, it failed. “Let the old ladies who want to keep it, buy it,” he quipped.
In the context of rural Southern life in a town like Holly Pond selling the parsonage is pushing the envelope. They don’t need to debate whether to bring drums in the church (Southern Gospel works fine without them), or whether alcohol is acceptable (the county is dry). So one of the steps toward contextualization for this community would more likely be recognition that it would help the pastor to minister in today’s Holly Pond to live in a home he owns like most folks. A small thing, but something dad gets that others don’t.
But that marks only a tiny tidbit of the impact of my dad. In an effort to sound like the kind of 3 point preachers he loves, let me add a couple of “c’s” to the aforementioned contextualization. The second is conviction. My dad’s stature might not impress you (he is only 5’5”), but make no mistake—he is a man’s man, a man of strength and conviction. With all the discussion about alcohol consumption, it occurred to me that although I share a similar view to my president (Dr. Akin’s BP article on abstinence from alcohol is well rehearsed in blogs), I realize that for me personally, I have no interest in alcohol because my dad never did. And while I hate the status quo and despite it when local churches work hard to be spiritually dead (show up at 11 sharp and leave 12 dull, Havner put it), I learned from my dad’s life you never have to push the edge of issues for the sake of being different or new or profound. When I turned 21, I never had the urge to drink, and I never have since. I guess you can say I drink all I like (I do have a weakness for Starbuck’s dark roast and Bojangle’s sweet tea).
Save the lecture, I get that such a reason is not enough. I have read the Bible a few times on the issue as well. My point is to say that I have watched my dad for 47 years and can honestly say I really want to be like him when I grow up. Another thing: my dad showed me the importance of serving others and of making sacrifices, even painful ones, if it means being a positive influence to those he loves. My dad smoked cigarettes for most of his life. But when his grandson Josh began to mimic him smoking at about age 3 it nearly ripped out my dad’s heart. After about 3 or so years of agony, my dad quit smoking. It was very, very hard. We never asked him to do it. His conviction concerning his influence over Josh simply would not let him keep up a practice that he feared would become the most obvious way his grandson followed grandpa’s example.
His conviction showed me heroism when I was 15; he stood by a hospital bed with my mom in it, telling my brother and me she had cancer. Joyfully I can say 32 years later mom is still with us. Speaking of that, in October mom and dad will celebrate 55 years of marriage. That encourages me, when I see so many men around my age who claim to be Christ followers, and more than a few preachers, who leave their wife because of such reasons as “she doesn’t understand me anymore.” I spend a lot of time speaking to teens and college students. I really get tired of hearing stories of professing Christian dads leaving their wife and kids for someone or something. How many adult adolescents are there? Here’s a thought: maybe a band of brothers should take some of these pansies out and beat the crap out of them and tell them to zip up, shut up, and be a man…sorry, I got worked up. Maybe it would be better for some of them and us to find some role models like my dad who courageously and sacrificially live for the Lord and their families, and who will suck it up and be a man when it gets tough. That might work better.
The final C in my alliterative father-tribute is compassion. My dad just loves people. Everyone who knows him knows that. He is an uberhugger, an emo without a hint toward metrosexuality, a man’s man yet not afraid to cry. Michelle and I have never left mom and dad’s home, or they ours, without him crying at the goodbye. His compassion is visceral (which is what the word means when used about Jesus in Matthew 9).
The older I get, the more people who know both of us say I am becoming increasingly like him. I hope so, but I am not convinced. I hope my kids and my wife see me making sacrifices for them. I hope my students know I really love them, that beyond the vital work of education they see more—a brother in Christ who loves and believes in them. Because that is who my dad is, and I want to be like him. So when Hannah and I watch “What a Girl Wants” (a must see for dads and daughters in my view) for the third or fourth time I still cry at the end. Sad I know, but honest. Though I have lived in our new home over a year, I still walk by my neighbor’s homes each morning on my daily exercise jaunt with a hurt in my heart for their souls. I would like to say I got this from years of rigorous Bible study, which certainly helped, but I got this from my dad.
I will never be just like Jesus in this life. I will die trying. But I hope I can become like my dad, because if I do, I will be a whole lot farther down the road of being like Jesus. I love my dad—Austin H. Reid, Sr. I can only pray my kids will have half the dad I have.
Proverbs 20:7

For those who asked...Doc Reid's speaking...

2006-07-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

Some folks have emailed about my speaking schedule and other sundry things. It seems too self serving for me to post my speaking, as if what I am doing were any more important than anyone else (it isn't). But, since people ask, and I long to have more and more pray for me (and the poor souls who listen to me preach and teach), maybe the following will spur someone to intercede a bit. Besides, updating my speaking schedule on my website is painfully slow, so here is a look for the three or four who may care...
July-August
Sunday nights--Epicenter at Faith Baptist
Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Youth Evangelism Conference (Fort Worth)
Bethel Baptist Church (Asheville, NC)
Ridgecrest Baptist Assembly (NAMB meeting with evangelism leaders in states and seminaries)
Liberty Baptist Church, Hampton VA
Faith Baptist Church, Youngsville, NC (My home church)
CLASSES START YIPPEE!
South River Baptist Church, Statesville, NC
Equipping Teachers--High Point, NC
September-October
Kentucky Baptist Convention--Evangelistic Coaching Process (with NAMB)
BSU--University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
BSU--East Carolina University
Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Raleigh, NC
Dudley Shoals Baptist Church, NC
Weekend Event, Hilton Head, SC
Arizona--Evangelistic Coaching Event with NAMB
25th ANNIVERSARY :-)
Chapel, SEBTS
Guest Lecturer,
Liberty University
November-December
Illinois Baptist State Convention Pastors Conference
Youth Pastors Conference--SWBTS

Thanks for prayers and good sermon outlines and (okay keep your sermon outlines lol)...

Hiatus for the Soul

2006-07-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

Well after a few days of jumping deep into blogdom I will head to Alabama to visit my folks. In Alabama the tea is sweet and the days are hot, and at my parents' home the internet is dial up :-). So, I will likely not be spending much time on the net, instead soaking up mom's home cooking and spending time with dad, whose heart is not good and whose body is weary from over a decade of battling cancer. I like to tell folks my dad has a heart of gold, hair of silver, and a neck of red. He sure loves telling redneck jokes on himself.
Have fun in the blog world and I will have some nice family time in the real one. I need an academic break, and Holly Pond is the perfect escape.

Matt Lytle Jamming

2006-07-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

here is Matt Lytle leading us at a DNow in Arizona back in the day.

Josh Drumming in Florida

2006-07-05T05:40:00.000-07:00

Josh playing with the band at the Florida Youth Evangelism Conference 05

Why I Like Southern Rock Better than Southern Gospel

2006-07-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, this title is more provocative than necessary. First, I don’t hate Southern Gospel. I appreciate it and have come to know and love many who sing it. I have preached many times after concerts by some godly men in quartets. My roots are there. I grew up listening to the “Dixie Gospel Jubilee” every Sunday morning as a child. My parents are Southern Gospel groupies! They took me to all night singings as a little boy (I thought that was child abuse at the time). Second, I love so much of what I hear in music aimed at worship for believers today. We are blessed with both a heritage of great hymnody and a lot of well crafted songs for today (I love, for example, Charlie Hall's latest and hear the Casting Crown CD Lifesongs on my MP3 as I walk each morning). I must confess I’ve never bought a CD by a Southern Gospel group. I did recently (confession) buy Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Greatest Hits on CD, and every now and then I slip over to the oldies station (my generation) and listen to some 70s Southern Rock.
So, on the 4th I found myself taking a day off, channel surfing and discovered a show called “The Top Twenty Southern Rock Songs of All Time.” So I watched. I was a child of the 70s. My brother, the best guitarist I have ever heard, played a lot of these songs in a band back then. Skynard, Charlie Daniels, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, the Allman Brothers Band (my brothers favorite), and others. Somehow Creedence Clearwater Revival missed the cut which irks me (no Proud Mary?). By the way, the number one song of course was Sweet Home Alabama.
Of course most of rock music historically is depraved and encourages a world view other than that of Scripture. But the remarkable and enduring popularity of Southern Rock begs the question: did people love it only because it was depraved and gave them another outlet to chase youthful rebellion, or is there more to the story?
Some of the songs did encourage immorality. But there was more. There were serious artists who actually put more than a little thought into their unique genre. Dickie Betz, lead guitarist for the Allman Brothers after Duane’s tragic motorcycle crash (my brother mourned for days and still has his Eat a Peach vinyl), perfected a unique thumb pattern that skilled guitarists can pick out in a drop the needle test. The Marshall Tucker Band blended a blues-rock vibe with a flute (a flute?), while Charlie Daniels experienced great popularity across rock and country audiences while he played a fiddle (?). Makes me understand a little better why the Dave Matthews Band has such a giant following among college students—a rock band without an electric guitar, but with a violin and flute?
My observation is a simple one, made much more clearly by my drummer son than I have succeeded in doing in this post so far. Josh and I were sitting at the desktop a while back listening to a new ITunes song by the DMB (Josh loves the drummer, Carter Beaufort, and says he is the best one living except for maybe Neil Peart of Rush). Now let me make a disclaimer: at my house the overwhelming majority of music heard is related to the Christian faith—David Crowder, Charlie Hall, Casting Crowns, etc. But Michelle and I try to teach our kids a biblical mind doesn’t mean we do only exclusively Christian everything (that would be Monasticism)—it means we filter everything through a biblical lens.
Disclaimer in place, back to Josh’s comment: “Dad,” he observed, “The best music you can hear is not played by Christian bands.” I stumbled over a few exceptions like Phil Keaggy and quickly conceded he was right. I noted to him that the fundamental issue in Christian music (not sure “Christian” is a great adjective) is the message, so the words matter more than the skill of the musicians, which was his focus. But I had to admit that he was right. We do not value skilled musicians as we should. Nor do we give credit to the level of sophistication evident among many musicians regardless of genre.
As believers we rightly note the importance of lyrics when it comes to music. Let’s be honest, there exists a myriad of examples of pathetic songs credited as being “Christian.” We have been given the gift of language, and through this medium God has spoken clearly in the Bible. But when I look at I Thessalonians 1:5 I read where Paul observed the gospel came to the Thessalonians in word, but not only in word, but in power, and the Spirit, and conviction, and through their lives. In other words, the totality of who they were was used to communicate the message. Is there a more powerful medium that captivates young adults, churched or not, than music? Would it help the church to ask the question, what is it about ________ (pick a genre) that captivates the minds of youth? If it is a salacious message we can reject it; but if it has something to do with the music expressing the spirit of the age, maybe we can connect the dots for some with the genre.
I am not suggesting we start singing Bon Jovi in corporate worship; I just wonder if we need to rethink the categories. Well it is past my bedtime and I may regret writing this post so sleepy but here it is…

2006-07-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

Jamming on the bass

2006-07-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

Join the Movement, Part II

2006-07-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

This year my son Josh will be playing football. Every day last year he arrived at school at 6 AM to lift weights. Every week this summer he meets with teammates for workouts. This is his last year to play organized sports for a school, so he wants to make it his best.
About 30 years ago (gulp) I was at the same place. I remember my coach telling us a real football player had to be agile, mobile, and hostile! Now, after two knee operations and a complete hip replacement (a little too hostile I suppose) I find myself fragile, senile, docile, and in denial. I can talk about football a lot, but I don't play it too well.
Seems to me the American church has learned to talk well and play poorly. We love to focus on the issues at the edge, to debate our differences, and to point out inconsistencies. Some do that remarkably well. And of course we should intelligently, courteously debate vital issues. I have read many letters between men of God in the Great Awakening of differing theological persuasions: Whitefield to Wesley and Wesley back to Whitefield; Whitefield to Zinzendorf, Whitefield to Howell Harris, Edwards to his detractors. The courtesy shown by these men even when disagreeing vehemently is instructive.
Many are the issues that divide us: alcohol and Calvinism are a couple of current examples. But what are the issues that unite us? What are those issues that we can agree on which could provoke us to good works?
I confess that I am more of a Barnabas than a Paul. I would rather encourage than argue, although both matter (well encouragement and debate). I long to see a movement of God that would be evidently just that: a "surprising work of God," to use Edwards' term. What might such a movement look like?
--Perhaps we would all be broken and repentant when we hear Dr. Rainer tell us that in a recent survey of pastors 53% had shared Christ with no one in the previous 6 months. My reading of the Puritan Baxter, the Methodist Wesley, and the Baptist Spurgeon makes me conclude each would be provoked by such idleness.
--Perhaps we would all agree that preachers alone will never reach America, nor was that God's intention, but that like the Acts we could see a movement where regular folks cannot help but preach the good news (not from a pulpit) like the men of Cyrene and Cyprus in Acts 11. But preachers can set the example.
--Perhaps we would see that our institutionalism causes us to change the window dressing regularly while the house is falling down (like changing worship style without recognizing that we need to get out of the building and into the culture).
--Perhaps we could ask ourselves probing questions like just how many unchurched people do we know well enough to invite to lunch, or how many have been in our home over the last year? Maybe we would realize being like Jesus is determined far more by the opinion of lost people we know than saved people we impress.
--Maybe we would see genuine repentance over the gross godlessness in the lives of ministers. We have moved from preachers running off with secretaries (as if that were not bad enough) to ministers going to jail for being sexual predators. The sins of the priests are the sins of the people.
--Could we hear the thundering preaching of the Word of God that actually brought such conviction that people would be visibly, noticeably, eternally transformed? Perhaps we would be broken that people are leaving our churches to find God.
Whew. I have quizzes to write and syllabi to prepare. But one last thought: Jim Elliott, who 50 years ago this past January died in Ecuador,wrote in his journal:
"We are still utterly ordinary, so commonplace, while we profess to know a power the 20th-century does not reckon with. But we are harmless, and therefore unharmed. We are spiritual passivists, non-militants, conscientious objectors in this battle to the death with principalities and powers in high places. Meekness must be had for contact with men, but brass, outspoken boldness is required to take part in the comradeship of the cross. The world cannot hate us, we're too much like its own. Oh that God would make us dangerous."
I want to join that movement.

Join the Movement, Part I

2006-07-02T03:00:00.000-07:00

Note: I already realized I write too many books and other long things, making my posts maddeningly long (which is ironic as I don't have time to read long posts). So, as a novice I will try to embrace brevity :-). Thus, part one:

Do you see Christianity in its essence as a movement to be advanced or an institution to be maintained? Institutions matter. We need not choose one or the other. Some today have all but abandoned anything that smacks of institutions or the traditions they uphold. But Almighty God ordained institutions: the home, the government, the church. I would submit however that the form of Christianity most ascribe to in our day has overemphasized the institutional side of the faith and all but ignored Christianity as a movement.

Example One:
An institutional mindset says, "We go to church." A movement mindset says, "We are the church."

We live in a day when the Sunday service has become almost synonymous with Christianity in the minds of many. Sunday corporate worship has great importance. The Bible clearly commands it (Hebrews 10:25). Sadly, many today have equated the window dressing of a church service with the foundation of a biblically-guided life. Because we have lost sight of Christianity as a movement, with no boundaries in terms of time or place, what happens on Sunday morning has become too much of a focus. Thus, we have worship wars over style and similar issues because we put so much of our Christian understanding into what happens an hour a week, with little emphasis on living out the faith daily. No wonder people get so bent out of shape when the pastor or someone changes the routine of the morning service! No wonder so much energy is spent giving announcements (to get people to the building) in a service supposedly for corporate worship. I am still trying to find the place of announcements in a worship service in the Bible!

Look at the book of Acts and see how the idea of a daily Christianity occurs over ten times. Notice how much time is spent describing the daily life of the believers versus the time spent describing their weekly worship. I am afraid that were we to write the book of Acts today, 90 percent of it would be a rehashing of our Sunday morning services. If every church building in Ameica burned to the ground today, the church would still be here (I am not advocating the burning of buildings)...

(This is adapted from an article by the same name. It can be found at my website alvinreid.com under articles).

Thoughts on Sharing the Gospel Today

2006-07-01T04:43:00.000-07:00

For most of my adult life sharing the good news and helping believers share the good news has been a passion. I have taught just about every kind of witness training there is: CWT, EE, WD40, ESPN,...well, you get the idea. I have taught one-day witnessing classes, taking people out to share in the afternoons after training (it is caught more than taught), I have done CWT in a local church, prayer evangelism, relational witnessing, you name it. I have knocked on more doors than a Fuller Brush salesman.
Like D.L. Moody, I may not like all the methods I have used, but the some I use are better than the none many use. I have observed a general trend:
Typical SBC evangelism--leave your home, go to the institution (local church), get names of people you do not know, and talk to them about Jesus for an hour, then go home. If you do that weekly, you are in the top 3% of witnesses. Now I am not opposed to this, and were I a pastor today I would employ some version of ongoing witness training as a PART (key word) of the evangelistic ministry of my church. I would also teach those involved in weekly outreach that their time of visiting is only PRACTICE so they can share Christ better in the workplace, neighborhood, and school.
But this lowest common denominator, path of least resistance attitude is sad. Our Lord is worthy of much more. In the Acts, the word daily is used many times. They never saw sharing Christ as an activity conducted once a week, they could not help but speak of Jesus (Acts 4:20). So here is a thought: what if we began to give fellow believers simple, practical ways they could begin speaking the good news (and showing it) on a daily basis? We will never reach America with preachers alone. We can reach America with saints equipped to do the work of ministry (Ephesians 4).
So last fall I began requiring students to ATTEMPT (not cram the gospel down people's throats) to share Christ every week and to report on those attempts. I also require them to give me two names of people they are building relationships with (so we don't just talk to strangers). The results have been amazing. This is probably the best practical advice I have given as a professor (I probably have given too little). Students have discovered more people are open to the gospel than we think, that people really respond when we actually CARE about them. I had one class where 3 different students led someone to the Lord who said at least 5-6 people had spoken to them about Jesus in the previous month.
What if believers actually liked Jesus so much they actually told their friends about Him? How can leaders help them do that? The simplest way I teach this is to be a good tipper, a servant in attitude, and ask for any prayer request from the servers when in a restaurant. (see my article on that at http://alvinreid.com/new/author/grace.php). What do you think?

The World Is Flat

2006-06-30T09:04:00.000-07:00

Here is my second try on my first book :-). A little long so sorry...
The World Is Flat
Thomas L. Friedman

A while back we had David Wells at SEBTS for a lectureship. He mentioned this intriguing book, so I got it post haste. This fascinating book examines how communication and information technology has flattened the world, giving individuals a level playing field in the global economy. [Note: my comments/analysis will be in brackets like this.]
The flattening began when money was put into broadband communications worldwide. TF gives a great e.g.: in Bangalore 500 yrs after Columbus sought to find India, he is now in Bangalore where he learned the world is as flat (the ground is level). India can compete with US.
[Application: Theology today is not only taught in the seminary classroom by PhDs, it is learned on blogsites by a variety of people from experts to novices. The downside is a danger of a sense of history and the big picture, focusing too much on the here and now. The upside: ideas are always challenged, and status quo will be decreasingly defensible.]
Computer geeks and technos now have more power than ever. But, Al Qaeda could also not have its success without the flattening. Techno-terrorism. P. 8: “The playing field is not being leveled only in ways that draw in and superempower a whole new group of innovators. It’s being leveled in a way that draws in and superempowers a whole new group of angry, frustrated, and humiliated men and women.”
[App: An amazing opportunity for the typically disenfranchised.]
3 eras of globalization:
1) p. 9 1492-@1800. Globalizaton 1.0, shrank world from large to medium. About countries and muscles (Reformation and Renaissance). Key agent of change was power, often driven by imperialism or religion. Your power depended on how much muscle), power you had or found (steam engine, power of pen, etc).
[App: He misses the obvious parallels with the Reformation, but he is with the NYTimes, not Oxford ]
2) 2.0 @1800-2000: size medium to size small: key agent of change was multinational companies. This began with falling transportation costs, with the rise of trains and steam ships, and continued with falling communication costs, with telegraph and telephone, then the PC, internet, etc.
[App: The 19th century was also the Great Century of missionary expansion worldwide. Again, one cannot understand the tremendous missions work accomplished without seeing the economic and technological advances. Question: what are the implications of this for the instances of modern, great awakenings?]
Almost no one had email when Clinton was elected in 92. The world has changed.
3) 2000 on: 3.0 from small to tiny flattening playing field. 1.0 countries globalized, 2.0 companies globalized, in 3.0 individuals are now globalized.
Now individuals can communicate globally. Also the West has far less influence as individuals around the world become empowered.
[App: paradigms must change: how denominations work, how churches work, how ministry happens. Jesus did this by switching the category on Messianic hope, on how to fulfill the law, on so much. I talk to people in England about the Jesus Movement and missionaries around the world.]

Ex. Pp.11-14 on how taxes are done. P 16 CAT scans to India. 16-17 Reuters downsizing.
Reuters requires higher level of journalism.
[APP: Denominational workers will require people skills and analytical skills more than ever. Less salesmen to promote programs, more ambassadors to represent Jesus. P. 19-20 how Reuters downsized.]
P 20 Reuters memo from David Schlesinger:
“Change is hard. Change is hardest on those caught by surprise. Change is hardest on those who have difficulty changing too. But change is natural; change is not new; change is important.”
[App: Might be a good point of contact for any denominational downsizing.]
P. 21f GREAT example of India call center. Longest a person stayed on one call—11 hours! P. 24 BIG: “I’ve had lots of customers who call in [with questions] not even connected to the product that we’re dealing with. They would call in because they had lost their wallet or just to talk to somebody. I’m like, ‘Okay, all right, maybe you should look under the bed [for your wallet] or where do you normally keep it,’ and she’s like, ‘Okay, thank you so much for helping.’”
Another: “One of the customers asked me to marry him.”
These call centers are 24/7/365. Better than church!
[App: Despite technology, advances, people are still lonely, still want someone to talk to, etc.]
p. 31: outsourcing power point with Brickworth.
p. 36f JetBlue’s use of housewives. “Homesourcing”
[APP: less conferences, more personal contact. (like coaching)]
p. 39 Ill of military drones. P. 40 McD’s in MO
p.45-6 implications for faith.
TWO: 10 forces that flattened the world:
1. 11-9-89 Walls Came Down/Windows Came Up Berlin Wall—unleashed forces that liberated most of E Europe. This opened way for a “global” policy. Now European Union, euro as common currency etc. @ same time Windows was emerging for PC technology.
p. 55-relates 11-9 to 9-11.
2. 8-9-95 Netscape went public. Move from PC base to Internet base, allowing individual, global communication. This made Bangalore a suburb of Boston.
Browser technology is “one of the most important innovations in modern history.” (p. 58)
3. Work flow software. Applications that talk to other apps, like using PayPal for internet orders, moving from paper transactions to purely electronic forms (that we take totally for granted now). This saves much time and resources.
4. Open-Sourcing. Self-organizing, collaborative communities. E.g.: a bunch of geeks talking online created “Apache,” an underlying web server that makes all sorts of normal internet apps work. While IBM, Microsoft, and others were spending millions trying to develop something like this, a group of people created it and made it available as a free download. So, IBM, Microsoft, etc use it. So, individuals can talk to other individuals and create technology without having to go through the layers of bureaucracy involved in major corporations [see the app for ministry??]. “Open source is nothing more than peer-reviewed science.” P. 83. This is seen now with Indie music via Myspace and many other ways individuals gain influence without corporate or media backing.
2-3ds of the Websites in the world now use Apache. Not because it was marketed well, but because it works and it is free.
E.g. in media p. 93: Dan Rather’s report on Bush’s Natl Guard Service was exposed not by serious journalists but by bloggers on the internet.
p. 94 e.g. Wikipedia online encyclopedia. Just went there yesterday on my smartphone .
5. Outsourcing (y2k). The Y2K fright caused every pc on earth to be reviewed, which opened the door for India to step up and become a technological player, using young computer techies to help. This jump started India as the player it is now in everything from computer repairs to new technology. Now much can be outsourced to them at a fraction of the cost in US dollars.
Pasteur (p 111) “Fortune favors the prepared mind.” India was ready.
6. Offshoring.
p.l114 African proverb:
Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up.
It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion of it will be killed.
Every morning a lion wakes up.
It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.
It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle.
When the sun comes up, you better start running.
Talks about China coming into the World Trade Organization 12-11-2001, and implications from that. We cannot sit around and be lazy as a nation anymore.
[App. Nor as a church! This is our problem—we are fat and lazy and act like we are entitled to people coming to Christ and our churches.]
Book: The United States of China by Ohnae. In 2001, 400 of Fortune 500 invested in China.
[App: we can learn from other nations and other ethnic groups as much as we can teach them @ reaching others].
7. Supply Chaining. Remarkable summary of Wal-Mart’s growth, impact, and red flags. Bottom line: collaborating suppliers, retailers, customers, in a massive, rapid manner (400,000 HP computers sold in ONE DAY at Christmas time through WalMart!).
Note: Corporate HQ are modest, a la Wal mart [Compare to my son’s reaction to looking at NAMB’s building: “missions is doing mighty good!”]
8. Insourcing. Again fascinating, this time on UPS. When they pick up your Toshiba laptop to get repaired, they do not take it to Toshiba. They take it to UPS HQ where trained techies fix it! Insourcing takes care of some needs in house without the need to send it elsewhere.
This dramatically changed inventory. P. 148: “When our grandfathers owned shops, inventory was what was in the back room. Now it is a box two hours away on a package car, or it might be hundreds more crossing the country by rail, …”
9. In-forming. Google, Yahoo, MSN search. How did we live before Google? This has really flattened the world. # 2 searched term on google: God. (First is sex). Third was jobs. Fourth was professional wrestling (yikes).
[App: Google is the total equalizer. My 13 yr old daughter can find things faster than her PhD dad on google. In-forming is an individual’s ability to find things for himself. App: How do we help pastors and others find for themselves what to do? This is where linking seminary education and NAMB can be vital.]
P. 156 BIG: “Companies like Google . . . have learned to thrive not by pushing products and services on their customers as much as by building collaborative systems that enable customers to pull on their own, and then respond with lightning quickness to what they pull.”
[APP: presenting the gospel, not merely giving info today (I Thessalonians 1:5 approach to evangelism). Helping people find for themselves how the gospel MATTERS where they live.]
p. 157: “It is the antithesis of being told or taught. It is about self-empowerment; it is empowering individuals to do what they think best with the information they want. It is very different than anything else that preceded it. Radio was one-to-many. TV was one-to-many. The telephone was one-to-one. Search is the ultimate expression of the power of the individual, using a computer, looking at the world, and finding exactly what they want—and everyone is different when it comes to that.”
10. The Steroids: digital, mobile, personal, virtual. Here is where we all live. The way blackberries, smartphones, etc have performed like steroids, juicing our ability to use 1-9 above. [I regularly google on my cell phone!]
[App: why doesn’t NAMB, for example, use videoconferencing more in relating to state conventions?]
p. 168: “your desk goes with you everywhere you go.” True that. I am sitting on a couch at my house. I have no office here. I gave my office to my wife (our 4th bedroom actually) so she could finally have her own craft room. I don’t need an office at home. I have a laptop, a smartphone, and a bag full of books. Office in a bag.
CHAPTER THREE The triple convergence:
1. All ten flatteners begin to work together.
2. The global, flat field created changed the way business works—less vertical, (i.e. silo) more horizontal.
3. At the same time billions from China, India, Russia, etc joined this movement.

NOTE: Most of the rest of the book gets tedious in my mind, focusing mostly on business and economics. I am merely henceforth pulling out a few gems:
p. 234 and following: we used to say “eat your food, people in China and India are starving.” Now: “people in China and India are starving for your jobs.”
Untouchables: people whose jobs cannot be outsourced.
[APP: we will ALWAYS need pastors. We will always need missionaries.]
4 categories of untouchables:
1. Special people: Michael Jordan, Bill Gates. They have a global market for their goods. Ministry: Graham, Warren, etc.
2. Specialized people: knowledge workers: brain surgeons, etc. [APP: profs who train ministers, catalytic leaders (hypothetically state convention leaders NAMB etc?)]
3. Anchored people: most people—jobs that will always be here: waitresses, plumbers, teachers, etc. We will always need them. But, we will need less of them (the key to downsizing).
4. Really adaptable people: constantly upgrading skills, growing to relate to a changing culture.

p. 250ff “The Quiet Crisis.” Uses USA Olympic Basketball to illustrate. We are the best, invincible. Now we don’t win the gold. Why? We have not improved, but the world has, and it has caught us.
[APP: Evangelism: we have not improved, we have lost our godly ambition for souls, while competing “gospels” have caught up.]
Talks about dirty little secrets: 1. the numbers gap—far less scientists and engineers today. APP: are we really challenging youth to call to ministry, etc). 2. The Ambition gap—poor work ethic of younger people. 3. The education gap.

2006-06-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

Stepping into a flattened world...

2006-06-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

This is a test of the emergency blogcast systems...