Out the Door

A bad week for pro-abortion advocates

Pro-abortion advocates must be pulling their hair out.  First the Supreme Court agrees to look at the federal law that bans partial birth abortions (FoxNews).  Then the South Dakota Senate has the audacity to pass a law that bans almost all abortions in that state and imprisons doctors who perform abortions (FoxNews).  According to the Fox report, Planned Parenthood Federation of America lawyer Eve Gartner said in a written statement the organization would do everything it could to ensure that women and their doctors, not politicians, made their health care decisions.

Since when is abortion a health care issue?  It has little to do with health and everything to do with convenience.  Oh, sure there are the rare cases when the physical health of the mother is at risk because of her pregnancy, but the vast majority of abortions are the response to lifestyle issues.  Having a child is a difficult thing to do.  It takes money and energy and love.  Most women who have an abortion just don't want to go through the hassle.  Since many Americans think people's lives should be free of annoyances, we kill 3-4,000 babies every day.  And to hide the fact of what's really happening, people like Eve Gartner call the killing of these children "health care."

Thank God that there are still people in our nation who are willing to stand against the immoral acts of those who are motivated by profit.  Abortion is big business.  Where would Planned Parenthood be if it didn't kill babies?  Out of business, that's where.  You can be sure, PP will never talk about that.  You can also be sure, that PP and their radical feminist allies will continue to throw hissy fits over any attempt to restrict abortions.  Abortion is their god, and the blood of the unborn their unholy communion.

When to say yes?

I received an email today inviting me to submit a speaking proposal for the 2006 Worship Facilities Conference and Expo.  I'm sure I'm one of hundreds, if not thousands of individuals who received this invitation.  What I'm trying to decide is if it's worth the effort to put a proposal together.  Part of me thinks that I have something to say, after all for a congregation our size we are quite technologically advanced and I've been directly involved in making that happen.  On the other hand, compared to large congregations with their full-time media and web staff, we small potatoes.  We just don't have the funds or the personnel to do the real high tech stuff.

We're a midsized church, about 150 in worship.  That means we are too big to have the close relational connections that small churches have.  This is especially true for us since we have very distinct two worship services.  In that sense, our worship is more like two small congregations who share a pastor.  Being a midsized church also means that we're not big enough to have all kinds of wonderful programs which attract a diverse group of people.

But back to the original question, what advice can you give me?  Should I take the risk and invest the time?  I've got an article coming out in the next issue of Net Results and I'm investing quite a bit of my free time trying to revise my Christian Lectionary Graphics site in preparation for that.  Then again, I believe God is calling me to share my knowledge and experience with others. 

What say you?

Sermon: Follow Through Is Everything

Just as in bowling how well you follow through goes a long ways in determining your results, so in life how well you follow through on doing what you say you're going to do goes a long way in determining if you will achieve God's purposes.

Listen to or Download "Follow Through Is Everything"

To listen on-line double click link.  To download, right click, then "Save Target As," choose the file where you want to save the message, then click "Save."

UM on ramp to the internet superhighway

I just concluded an on-line meeting with Andy James, Director of Digital Media for UM Reporter.  He was demonstrating for me the new United Methodist Portal.  I think it has great potential to increase the number of hits for any UMC's website. 

It's been a concern of mine that the time and effort and money that we devote to developing and maintaining our website is not the most effective use of these resources.  I never know who is visiting the sight or how often it really gets used.  Because of that I'm always looking for a way to increase traffic to our site.  The UM Portal appears to be means to accomplish that.  I'll be presenting this tool to my Ad. Council in a couple of weeks to get their input.

Here's a couple of links to congregations who are already using the Portal.  Check them out and let me know what you think.

Long's Chapel UMC, Lake Junaluska,  NC- http://longschapel.wnc.umportal.org/main/index.asp

Neodesha UMC, Neodesha, KS - http://neodesha.kse.umportal.org/main/index.asp

Boston Avenue UMC, Tulsa, OK- http://bostonavenue.okl.umportal.org/main/index.asp

A Response to "God is Still Speaking"

The following is from an enewsletter (with slight condensing) I recently received from a dear friend of mine who is a UCC pastor in Sioux Falls.  As much as I love and respect Walt, I think he and the UCC are off base here.  (More of my thoughts at the end.)

To clean or not to clean: That is the question!
Subtitle: God is still speaking,"

First: God is still speaking…

Jeanette and I recently attended a South Dakota Conference retreat for UCC clergy and significant others. We relaxed, enjoyed good food and best of all, we interacted with other pastors and the keynote speakers.  One of those speakers was Ron Buford, Coordinator and Team Leader for the national Stillspeaking Initiative. The Stillspeaking identity campaign is aimed at creating a brand for the United Church of Christ that will be readily recognized by people "out there."

The goal is to communicate with "un-churched, under-churched and de-churched people. The campaign promotes the "extravagant welcome" was practiced by Jesus as he taught and lived his life. The logo for the campaign is a comma. The advertising copy for this logo is "God is still speaking," along with a quote from Gracie Allen, "Never place a period where God has placed a comma"

Okay, Part Two: To clean or not to clean: That is the question! A very "conservative" Christian once said to me, "Jesus said our task was to go fishing and to "catch the fish." This man went on to say, "Nowhere in the Bible does it call us to "clean the fish."

Whenever we tell a person they "have to eliminate something "sinful" in their life, we’re "cleaning fish." To say it another way, When we start cleaning fish, we’ve forgotten a very important detail. In essence, we might be saying that God can’t be trusted to do God’s job, so we have to do it for God.

I see the UCC Stillspeaking Initiative helping local churches and the people in those local churches learning how to "fish" in healthy ways that are modeled after Jesus’ teaching. After all, Jesus accepted the "sinners" so readily he caused a stir among the church people of his time. You see, these ancient Hebrews had also forgotten their job description and now they were busy "speaking" for God.

One could say the UCC Stillspeaking Inititive is a reminder to all of us that our job is to welcome "all the people" and then trust that God’s spirit will do the cleaning.

Remember: God is still speaking,"

Walt G

"God is still speaking" sounds to me an awful a lot like "cheap grace." "Come on in, it doesn't matter if you don't want to live according to God's will, God is going to love you anyway." Didn't Jesus say to the woman caught in adultery, "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more." Saying "Jesus does not condemn" without also saying, "Go and sin no more," is my definition of cheap grace.

And while it is true it is the Spirit of God who does the cleaning, it is up to those who are spiritually mature to give others who are new to the journey of faith the tools and guidance needed to open one's life up to the Spirit's work. Simply saying, "I'm okay, you're okay," doesn't cut it. The reality is I'm not okay and neither are you, but despite that fact God loves us anyway and wants to transform us into the likeness of His Son. It is only by the grace of God lived out through spiritual disciplines that anyone's not-okayness is transformed.

Sermon: Do You Know Where You're Going

No NASCAR racer enters a race without knowing where the finish line is.  In order to win in the race of life, you must know where you're going.  In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, St. Paul compares the Christian life to a race that must be prepared for.  The first step in this preparation is knowing where the finish line is.

Listen to or Download "Do You Know Where You're Going?"

To listen on-line double click link.  To download, right click, then "Save Target As," choose the file where you want to save the message, then click "Save."

Don't listen to the critics

I saw "Glory Road" yesterday.  Julie & I agreed it wasn't on the level of "Remembering the Titans," but it did do a good job portraying the attitude towards blacks just 4 decades ago.  One of the most telling lines in the film went something like this, "Negros have no future in basketball."  I couldn't help but think of Michael Jordan when I heard that.  It's a good thing nobody told Jordan or O'Neil or Chamberlain or well, where can I stop.

"Glory Road" provides an important lesson for the 21st century.  First, it reminds us how much the world has changed in just a few short years.  I saw a friend in the lobby after the movie and he said he could remember when Western Texas won the NCAA tourney.  I was only 9 at the time, so I didn't.  Still think how far we have come in the span of one generation.  It happened because there were a few brave people who refused to listen to the critics and refused to resort to violence.

There's a lot of conversation in the Christian blogosphere about changes that need to take place in the church.  While not all may be beneficial, one thing is certain, people who listen to critics won't bring about any kind of change, for change is always condemned by some. 

Indeed, it's long been my thinking that one way to test whether or not I'm on the right track is if I'm being criticized.  This is especially true if it isn't constructive criticism.  We all need to listen to constructive criticism, but one of the most unwise, unproductive things anyone can do is listen to destructive criticism. 

The difference between constructive and destructive criticism is destructive criticism only points out what is viewed as wrong but goes no further.  Constructive criticism also points out what is viewed as wrong but offers ideas and suggestions how to make things better without returning to the way things were.

One of my favorite chapters in the Bible is Joshua 1.  Joshua is told five times, "be strong & courageous."  Four times this encouragement comes from God and once from the leaders of Israel.  And because Joshua didn't listen to the critics and remained strong and courageous, he lead the people into the Promise Land.

The Resurrection as history

Last night The History Channel presented an hour long program on the resurrection of Jesus.  The hostess interviewed a number of theologians from a broad spectrum on denominations.  It was well done.  The hostess left any conclusions up to the audience and for the most part didn't make many generalized comments as far as what all Christians believe.

The theologians who hold to the Biblical narrative did a fine job explaining the proofs for Jesus' bodily resurrection.  They were open in admitting that they didn't know how it happened, but rather had faith that it did.  They pointed to the undisputed fact that Jesus was missing from the tomb, the sudden boldness of the disciples, the martyrdom of many of the disciples, and the growth of the church.  As it was noted, there were a number of so-called messiahs who claimed to have come to save God's people.  A few of these garnered a following, but when the "messiah'" was killed the movement died away.  Not so with the death of Jesus.  Indeed, it was only after his death and resurrection that the Jesus movement really took off and has spread to all the corners of the world.

Of course, in typical secular media style they had to present views other than what has been held to be true by the faithful for two millennium.  The majority of these spiritualized Jesus' resurrection.  In their thinking, Jesus didn't rise in bodily form, but spiritually or simply in the dreams and visions of the disciples.  For the most part, these individuals made a good but unpersuasive argument for their heresy. 

The only one I really found offensive, was some feminist who said in effect "I think" that Jesus was never buried in a tomb but rather was thrown in a common grave with others who had been crucified and when the women came looking for Jesus in this mass grave on Easter morning, they simply couldn't find him and so the disciples imagined that he must have risen. 

If you ask me, it takes a pretty good imagination to reject the clear statement of what happened found in the gospels and substitute that with one's own thinking.

The bodily resurrection of Jesus is the most important doctrine within the Christian faith.  For as Paul says: "If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith" (1 Cor. 15:14).

Renewing the Vision

  Yesterday I took part in the Bishop Palmer's "Renewing the Vision" Event.  This was the last of five such gatherings around the state.  In total approximately 800 people came together to hear the bishop speak about "Making & Maturing Disciples of Jesus Christ, Developing Leaders, and Transforming the World."

Much of the day was spent in small groups discussing a series of "Why" questions; Why Jesus?, Why the Church?, Why the United Methodist Church?, Why Your Local Church?"

The group I was in consisted of five clergy.  I was really quite amazed that when we talked about "Why Jesus?" there was, at least within our group, a consensus that Jesus is the only way to the Father.  I guess I didn't really expect that.  So many UM clergy preach a message of unbiblical inclusiveness, I thought for sure that I'd hear something along the lines of "Jesus is a great way to know God, but not the only way."  And I'm sure had I been sitting with certain people who were present, that's exactly what I would have heard.

I believe in the inclusive message of the cross, "God so loved the world."  Salvation is not just for a chosen few who were predestined to be saved.  However, that doesn't mean every person will experience the saving grace of Christ and receive eternal life.  Only those who confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead will be saved (Romans 10:9).

It is up to those who have made that confession and who hold that belief to insure that others hear the message of Jesus and as Wesley put it, "are saved from the wrath that is to come."  I thank God we have a Bishop who believes this and is willing to proclaim it.

Call me Fozzie

I took the Muppet Personality Test the other day just for the fun of it and here's the results.

Wocka! Wocka!" You're the life of the party, and you love making people crack up. If only your routine didn't always bomb! You may find more groans than laughs, but always keep the jokes coming.

You Are Fozzie Bear

What's so incredible about this is how accurate it is.  My family always accuses of me of laughing at my own jokes, while everyone else stands around with a blank look on their face.

You too can find out what Muppet character you are by taking:

The Muppet Personality Test