For those of you who don’t attend Hope Pres, I wanted to at least give you the opportunity to hear my sermon on patience and the Lord’s Return. At times I feel guilty about preaching on patience, since I have so little of it-and it often shows both in public and private settings. And I hate my lack of it. I really do.

But when you preach through books of the bible, you preach through topics that you normally wouldn’t preach through because they are hard (election/tithing/Hell) or because you feel too guilty to preach them (patience, the tongue, mercy-all of which are present in the book of James).

So I’m glad that the Reformers have set a good example for me by preaching verse by verse through entire books (instead of bouncing around from topic de jour to topic de jour) so that whatever congregation I’m in, they’ll hear God’s Word-even the sections I don’t like to read or struggle to apply. Worst case scenario for the hearers (and the preacher as well!) of God’s Word is that they have to repent more and cling more deeply to Jesus. And that isn’t too bad, eh?

Anyhow, if you want to listen to that sermon, click here and then click on “When Soon Isn’t Soon Enough” James 5:7-11.

One thing that I appreciate about football season is that it gets guys together talking. I walked into the dungeon (the back room of the gym where they put all the free weights) yesterday and two guys were shooting the breeze and arguing over which football team was better. It was fairly friendly banter, I think. There was however great disagreement on how good the Bucs and Colts and Raiders really were.

Arguments are most fun when there is no way to actually prove your point. It just leads to more arguing and you can’t possibly lose. And you’ve already won in your mind, so why stop? I guess that’s the thinking.

Well the argument never stopped the whole time I was in there! But at least a little headway was made: it was better than trench warfare (how bad of an idea was that!). In order to slow down the arguing, a bet was proposed. If the Bucs give up fewer than 30 points, one dude owes the other 50 dollars and vice versa. So I guess the argument will end in a week. Not too bad.

I think the game of football gets more BS going than any other sport. I have no way to quantify my findings; its just been my observation over numerous years. I guess it’s because coaching seems to be involved more so in football than baseball. In baseball, you have one bad managerial mistake, but with football, every play is subject to question. Or maybe its because football is only played once a week?

But it just makes me laugh, this phenomenon of football. I mean, one dude who doesn’t know my name (and probably doesn’t care), is like best buds with me because we both pull for FSU and talked about it one day for 20 minutes. Isn’t that crazy? I think they should do more sociological experiments with football fans. I know the best place to start the experiments!

On the way to the church this morning, I was listening to sports talk (big surprise, I know-but I did read the ‘ticker’ at the bottom of the screen during Good Morning America so I did get some ‘real news’). Anyhow a baseball commentator was being interviewed about the New York Mets’ tragic and historic collapse: they were up 7 games with 17 games to go. The Sports talk show host questioned if the manager’s job was at stake.

They went to the playoffs last year, and barely missed them this year. But each year comes the question: “What have you done for me lately?.” How quickly we forget. And it happens in every major sport. Now I’m realizing more and more that things which are perfectly normal to think about regarding mundane everyday stuff often get transferred over to our view of God.

For instance, the coach’s job is to win, and they are obviously subject to being fired based upon a lack of wins; I understand that, and they understand that when they enter into this profession. But don’t we tend to have a “What have you done for me lately view of God?” If He’s provided graciously for a period of time, and then for reasons unbeknownst to me, I hit ‘a rough patch,’ I wonder what the deal is. He’s not performing how I would like Him to perform. I can’t fire Him, so I complain.

I look back and see all the wonderful things God did for the Israelites, and they immediately forgot and started complaining. Ultimately they had a “What have you done for me lately” approach with God. However, I’m just glad I wasn’t in their shoes. Looking at my track record, I don’t know that I would have distinguished myself like Joshua and Caleb with great faith.

One thing I do know is that I look at God like a football coach (by the way-I was ready to fire Gruden, and still am if the Bucs don’t make the playoffs). But instead of looking at the most recent of my “wins” and “losses,” I really ought to reflect more on the past. He’s delivered before, and that’s all I need to go on. He’s done plenty enough to deserve “His job” and my respect for it.

I’m preaching on patience this Sunday, and so have reflected some on God’s timing. He seems slow to answer prayers some times. While other times He seems really quick. I mean some of our prayers are very ‘time sensitive.’

When God is slow to respond to our prayers, what goes on in your head? Is He on “Hispanic” or “Island Time,” where He’s just so laid back and never in a hurry? Does He delight in being slow, kind of like people who cross the road purposely walking slow and don’t speed up because they know you have to slow down (those folks drive me up a wall-pun intended)?

As we look back over redemptive history (God’s ultimate plan of salvation through Christ unfold in time), we see a God who was never in a hurry. He had his own time schedule, even though it didn’t match up with what people wanted.

Take for instance the Israelites being enslaved in Egypt. It was like 400 years! And how many of those years were people crying out to God? Probably a number of them. Did He hear them? Of course. But he didn’t respond immediately. He did however sustain them, so He did respond.

God not responding to prayers in a timely fashion is one of the top 3 reasons (I’m guessing) not to believe in God, or that he does answer prayer at all. However looking over biblical history, it seems that He does have a plan for everything. And He does “love it when a plan comes together.” And we will too, as we see our prayers being included in that plan. Even when we can’t see them right away.

The other day when OJ was busted in Vegas, he uttered the pithy maxim “….I thought what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” Of course he was wrong. Breaking and entering, gun brandishing and threatening, apparently don’t ‘stay’ in Vegas.

But that is an interesting concept: what happens here, stays here. No one else is affected, right? But do we live in a vacuum? Do we sin in a vacuum? Aren’t our lives more relationally connected than this? Even the movie Crash depicts that. Even more than that, our most personal and private sins actually influence our present relationships.

For instance, if I look lustfully upon another woman, then I’m devaluing, and not being captured by the beauty of my wife. She will inevitably receive less of my love and attention when I’m at home.

If I harbor anger in my heart against another, I may be unable to listen attentively to another. I’ve had this happen plenty of times. If I’m regularly deceitful to another (as you see in the Vegas commercials), I will begin to deceive others and be more prone to deceive those I love.

Even if the smell of smoke, Herpes, or a huge gambling debt doesn’t follow you back from Vegas, what happens there certainly doesn’t stay there. In the same way, our ‘personal’ or ‘private’ sins never stay that ‘personal’ or ‘private.’ They actually have big relational and communal ramifications.

Today I had breakfast with one of the survivors of the USS Indianapolis disaster. It was truly an awesome blessing to have a meal with a brother in Christ who has done so much in his life. As he reflected back on his life with me, he recounted several acts of God’s providence which he would not have wished changed for anything. Now he didn’t use that term, but clearly Providence is the theological truth in which he rested.

For instance, he tried to get in the Naval Academy, yet was unsuccessful. But on the second go around, he passed. After three years, most of his classmates went on to flight school, while he was put on the USS Indianapolis. But he understood that God used him greatly during that time in saving many lives, nearly 150-similar I guess to the way God used Joseph in Gen 50 (though he didn’t draw that parallel). There were several other events which seemed hard, but he believed that they were all part of God’s plan.

When I look back upon my personal history, or even world history, particularly WWII (numerous events transpired such as Hitler’s gaff at Dunkirk or his being tricked in the D-Day invasion by a spy), I can see God at work. There were many times in which I couldn’t see Him at work in the present. But in the past, well, that was a different story altogether. After I looked back, I could see the One who authored the events of my history. Even in the darkest parts, I could be reminded of some little glimpse of hope.

That is why I believe it so necessary to reflect upon God’s faithfulness in the past. That’s what David did in the Psalms. Even little things that which played themselves out on a bigger scale. If we don’t, it might be quite hard to see, or at the least be reminded of His presence in the present.

Our church had a bible conference yesterday. I’m sure everyone has an image of “bible conference” in their minds, so I don’t know what you envision when you read that. Basically some dude name Bill Mills from Leadership Resources came and spoke on “Living in the Father’s Blessing” for a few hours over 3 sessions.

He touched upon a number of different passages (we were flipping pages like IHOP flips pancakes), but camped out briefly on Psalm 91. What did this Psalm really mean? In case you’re not familiar with Psalm 91 (easily my top 3-and where I turn when anxiety hits), we find some lofty promises recorded there: no disaster will befall, protection from the “fowler’s snare,” only observing the destruction of the wicked, to name a few.

But what did this mean for an actual soldier? A soldier’s mother? That he would return home?
Bill told a story of a son who didn’t. In fact he was the only one in his company who died and just a few weeks before he was supposed to return.

Where was this blessing, this refuge, this shelter, these lofty promises? Could they be taken literally, seriously, or simply as the best option among others? The day before the young man was killed, he requested one of his commanding officers to print out his personal testimony of how he trusted in Christ. It was read in their chapel service the morning he died. Everyone was moved and his story was shared, and people even came to know Jesus at his memorial service.

To be shielded/blessed does not mean to be showered with health and wealth. To be shielded, blessed, protected, ultimately means that we WILL experience the full glory which God has prepared for us one day. We experience it in part now, but not in full.

Bill shared a number of stories, almost all of them being ‘sad’ stories. And they were hard to hear-pastors losing kids to Islamic terrorists, a newlywed dying of cancer, and even the recent loss of his sister. I actually almost cried 3 times, but ‘held’ myself together. It reminded me that life is precious, sweet, but short; nevertheless-everything pales in comparison with the glory He has reserved for His children. This is a deeper blessing. That’s what Romans 8:18-ff says.

But even now I can live with the blessing of the promise of God’s approval, of a partial experience of glory, and the comfort that He is Good and He is Powerful. These are what Bill called our “shoulders.” Everything happens in between these two shoulders. The Why we don’t often get, but at least we know The Who (and I’m not talking about the band). And to quote Aaron Neville, “that may be all I need to know.”

Our last community group someone invited a neighborhood couple to come and participate. It wasn’t their first time in the house: they came to a potluck community group dinner two weeks before. This was my dream come true: visitors feeling welcome in a community group setting, even before they come (or even think about coming) to church.

Our group did a good job of making them feel welcome during our hang out time beforehand. So the first concern would they feel welcome? was answered. But what about the common objection would their presence make the group less intimate? That could only be answered through the actual experience of in depth, personally interactive bible study.

Well, we had our most in depth, honest, intimate, repentant study so far! People were actually confessing their own idols at the end of our time. I can’t tell you what they are (besides mine being Respect from others) due to our Las Vegas style community group confidentiality clause-what is said in comm group, stays in comm group. Even one of the visitors actually joined in confession.

When visitors from the outside see an honest struggling person who has the freedom to express/confess, they will eventually express that “God is really among you!” (I Cor 14:25). It need not make the group less honest, provided the environment already is an honest environment. At the very least, visitors will see that Christians, or at least Christians from this church are not as weird as seen on TV (either through TBN or sitcoms) . At the most, they may someday confess that God really is at work here.

The Rev. Al Sharpton (I’m not totally sure how he gets that title), in my opinion, plays the race card in places it shouldn’t be played. And it is not just me who gets tired of him being the black spokesman, but a number in the black community do not feel he often helps their cause (says Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star).

And so when he came on TV this morning, I rolled my eyes, and said, “Oh boy, what’s he going to say now?” Well, he actually had some good things to say. He didn’t affirm that the beatings that these young black men gave the white lad were a good thing. But to call it attempted murder? Was that not race motivated?

He raised another point about the hanging of the nooses a year ago. Why was this not considered a hate crime to be tried? To say that race has nothing to do with anything here is obviously not the case.

I guess what I learned is that even though people cry ‘wolf’ (in my opinion) when there is no wolf, sometimes there just might be a wolf. So I probably need to hear people out better, even though I’ve disagreed with them in the past. Who knows, they may be right, even if only on occasion or blue moon.

I read an interesting article today in Christianity Today, called “Attack Dogs of Christendom.” Prominent Atheist Sam Harris wrote a bestseller called The End of Faith in support of his claims, and received some extremely hostile messages. Most unfortunately, but not surprisingly, came from Christians, not Muslims!

Even more unfortunately the article chronicled further scathing rebukes against prominent evangelical leaders. Now I must say, regarding some of the names mentioned, I would have a problem reading their books, or honestly, believing what they teach. But the acidic reviews via websites regarding such leaders really exposes a lack of grace, and frankly, a lack of scriptural understanding. If Peter instructs us to be prepared to give a defense for the hope that we have, but to do it, with “gentleness and respect,” (I Peter 3:15-17), then I believe that is probably what God means.

Now I often struggle with both, but I have to affirm both and repent when I don’t. The goal is that outsiders would see our character and be put to shame. Do they? I think some names mentioned like Joel Osteen and Pat Robertson (those being bashed by the websites referenced in the article) are often wrong in their claims. However, I can respond to them without calling them names like “whitewashed tombs,” and “one of the greatest deceivers in the church world today.” Some campus minister from RUF at USF actually posted a gentle, respectful response to what Joel Osteen’s Your Best Life Now. The writer disagreed CLEARLY, and gave support for his disagreement, but did not resort to name calling. He even commended that which was commendable, and did that first.

Those who choose the “Attack Dog” route (as the article refers) often inadvertently put themselves to shame, rather than the other way around. If you want to read the article from Christianity Today (and its really short!), here it is. You can also check out what I believe to be an example of a gentle, respectful, but disagreeing critique, and here that is.