Area Wide Fellowship
March 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Please join us with our sister congregations for an afternoon of worship and fellowship on Sunday, April 5th. It starts at 2:30 p.m. at Bayside Church of Christ.
- Congregational singing and prayer led by brothers from the area churches.
- A time of sharing what God is doing in the churches and our ministries.
- Singing performance groups from Bayside
- a time of light refreshments and visiting in fellowship.
For more information visit Bayside Church of Christ.
If Then – Part 2: The Stick
March 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Just a warning: this article’s not for the squeamish. And now that I have your attention:
According to a recent AP story, a construction worker from Colorado received quite a surprise when the source of his toothache was finally identified. Patrick Lawler had been suffering from pain in his mouth and blurry vision for a week when he finally decided to do something about it. He went to a dentist office where his wife works and asked them to investigate.
The mystery was quickly solved by an X-ray of Lawler’s mouth. There was a nail in his head. That’s right, a…nail…in…his…head. A few days before, he had been working with a nail gun at a construction site when it backfired. The gun sent a nail flying into a nearby piece of wood. But what Lawler didn’t know was that a second nail had been fired. This one had struck Lawler, lodging itself in the roof of his mouth.
Lawler’s wife, Katerina, thought her boss was joking. She couldn’t believe that her husband had been eating ice cream to take care of the pain caused by a nail that was embedded in his head.
After being transported to a nearby hospital Lawler underwent a four hour operation to remove the 4½ inch nail. It had entered his brain and had just missed his right eye (hence the blurry vision).
But wait, there’s more. One of the neurosurgeons on staff at the hospital said that it was the second time they had removed a nail that had been unknowingly fired into a patient’s skull. At the time of the story’s publication, Lawler was expected to make a full recovery.
I hope the irony isn’t lost on you. The man was hoping to take care of a nail in his head by eating ice cream and taking pain killers. Of course, you can’t fix the symptoms if you don’t address the cause. Until then, you’re just working blind.
In today’s verse we’re going to hear a warning from Peter. If we don’t address the root of our problems, we, too, will be blind and unable to fix it. He says that a failure to grow spiritually can lead to spiritual blindness and an inability to do anything about it.
I would ask you if you are blind this morning, but I don’t’ know if it would do any good. The problem with spiritual blindness is that we don’t usually know we’ve been afflicted. We need someone else to tell us.
So, instead, this morning, I would ask you to do the same thing that Lawler did. Allow yourself to be examined by the Spirit of God. Let God point out the causes of your pain. And then give him an opportunity to fix them.
A Little Perspective
March 26, 2009 | 9 Comments
Back in January, I traveled to Dallas with Rachel (as moral support) so she could take her final exam for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. This was a grueling 3 hr. oral exam in which Rachel had to demonstrate that she was a physician deserving of certification.
On the night before she had to take the exam, Rachel just wanted to go out to dinner and a movie in order to keep her mind off the test. I wanted to find a “feel-good” movie that would serve as a nice distraction. We went to see Slumdog Millionaire.
Let’s just say it wasn’t exactly the light-hearted Bollywood romp I thought it would be. But it was an amazing film, entirely worthy of its “Best Picture” Oscar. (Not as worthy as Dark Knight, but I’ll spare you that rant.)
As we were leaving the theater and deciding what trendy Dallas restaurant we were going to eat at for dinner, Rachel talked about how well Slumdog provided some perspective. As nervous as she was about the exam, even if she failed it, we would be fine. Our family would be fine. It would be a big nuisance to have to fork out the cash and spend the time taking the exam again, but that’s all that would happen. It kind of pales in comparison to growing up in the slums of Mumbai.
With that in mind, I hope you’ll click here and read this “Letter to an Affluent Church,” featured in the latest issue of Relevant Magazine. It also puts things into perspective. H/t to Brandi for reminding me about it.
As skittish as we might be, we are not the ones who stand to suffer the most in this global economic meltdown. I hope we can all dwell on this and then redouble our efforts to support At My Gate, our local church’s chance to alleviate some suffering.
BTW, Rach passed her exam. She is now a Fellow of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. I dare say I’m the only male preacher in the Churches of Christ who’s married to a “fellow.” (Rimshot! “Thanks folks, I’ll be here all week. Try the veal and don’t forget to tip your server.”)
Kings, part 2
March 24, 2009 | 3 Comments
Aland left a comment following my last entry about the NBC show Kings. He makes a good case for why it’s NOT worth watching. Take a moment and read it. Aland’s frustration makes sense. Kings co-opts the biblical account and twists it to its own ends. It turns the story into a reflection of 21st Century moral values and abandons those that are inconvenient or uncool. If I’m not misreading, I think Aland is lamenting a very real truth: Film and TV don’t understand evangelical Christianity. (There are possible exceptions to this–Walden Media and the “Tyler Perry Empire” among them.)
I’ll be watching with interest to see what they do with the “Jack” character. It’s possible that they’re not going to bother making him anything like the biblical Jonathan. But I wouldn’t be surprised to see what looks like a rivalry turn into a friendship between David and Jack. Characters develop.
Here’s why I’m going to keep watching Kings:
It’s entertaining. It would be disingenuous of me not to acknowledge that it’s just fun. It’s beautifully filmed. It’s dramatic. And there are some great cast members (Ian McShane as King Silas and Susanna Thompson as Queen Rose). I continue to love the scenes with the prophet, Reverend Samuel.
After watching episode 2, I’m actually thinking it’s more like Shakespeare than anything else–complete with two palace guards for clowns and a very King Lear-like scene where Silas stands on the palace roof while the rain pours down.
It’s (somewhat) biblical. While it will pick and choose, Kings does reflect some of the Bible’s ethics. The most prominent is the issue of power and what it does to us humans. The story of Silas/Saul is of a man who is corrupted by power. He takes what he wants by any means necessary. And once he has ascended to power, he will do anything to maintain his position. He refuses to acknowledge his dependence on God. He acts as though everything he has, he has gotten on his own. And, therefore, he is not to be bothered with what is right or wrong.
I’m assuming the same thing will happen with David Shepherd on the TV show. At least that’s what happens to the biblical David. He is just as good at abusing power as Saul is. The Bathsheba incident is the most prominent example. In addition, his family becomes a train wreck. Even his final words are of vengeance rather than of devotion to God.
In the TV show there’s this quote from David Shepherd’s mother that I love. She’s explaining to the King’s daughter why she hopes that David doesn’t stay in Shiloh. She says that she knows that David has a destiny. Then she says:
“People with destinies, things don’t go well for them. They die old and unhappy, or young and unfinished.”
There is good evidence that the David of the Bible dies old and unhappy.
I have to say, I’m no longer sure that David is supposed to be a role model for us–at least not in any carte blanche way. I love how his relationship with God endures his flaws. I love his honesty in confession. I love his ability to maintain his respect for a corrupt king. But let’s be honest, the guy can be a real stinker. I actually love him less as a hero and more as a reminder of myself.
Maybe we make too much of this “man after God’s own heart” idea. Unless I’m missing some other example, this statement is made about David early on in his life and only as a comparison to the corruption of Saul. I wonder if the same thing can be said about him at the end of his life. It seems like, if you do, you have to qualify it significantly. Which is what ends up happening. After all, he may be a “man after God’s own heart,” but he’s not fit to build the temple, a house for that same God.
Whenever David is mentioned in the Christian scriptures, he is mentioned off-handedly as the author of a Psalm, or to make Jesus’ identity legitimate to the Jewish people, or (most importantly) as a foil for Jesus. The most common statement about him goes something like: “David was fine and everything, but he’s just rotting away in a tomb right now. Now let us show you how a real man/real King does it.” And then they point to Jesus.
It’s worth repeating. The true hero of scripture is God. All the rest have feet of clay.
But that’s why I like Kings. Hopefully (at least until NBC drops it), we’ll get to see our own humanity reflected back to us, for better and for worse. And, hopefully, they’ll continue to do it in a quality way.
What do you think? Leave a comment.
Christian Passover
March 22, 2009 | Leave a Comment
There will be a Christian Passover meal served on Wednesday, April 8th at 7 p.m. in the fellowship hall. It will begin immediately after Operation Uplift. Hope to see you there.
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