Martin Luther and Halloween

On October 31st, 1517, a German monk protested the sale of indulgences by the Roman Catholic Church, indulgences that would allow the "donor" a free pass for himself or someone else.  The saying of the time that is sickening and jarring said, "When the coin in the coffer rings, a soul into heaven springs."  Instead of the Pope using his personal wealth to rebuild St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, indulgences were sold.

And Martin Luther couldn't stand it.

So he mailed a letter to a supervisor and posted a statement (later known as the 95 Theses) on the door of Castle Church in Wittenburg, Germany.  It sparked such an uprising and grew in such popularity that the Roman Catholic Church of the time had to deal with it.

They called Luther on the carpet, asked him to recant his writings and teachings.  He asked for more time to contemplate all that was before him.  A day was given.  The following day, he was asked again to recant his writings and teachings.  He famously replied...

Since your Imperial Majesty and Lordships demand a simple answer I will do so without horns or teeth as follows: Unless I am convicted by the testimony of Scripture or by evident reason - for I trust neither in popes nor in councils alone, since it is obvious that they have often erred and contradicted themselves - I am convicted by the Scripture which I have mentioned and my conscience is captive by the Word of God. Therefore I cannot and will not recant, since it is difficult, unprofitable and dangerous indeed to do anything against one's conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.

May God raise up more people willing to stand in the face of persecution, armed with the Truth.  May I be one.  May you too.  The world needs people like that.

But that's just me thinking thoughts...

Sermon Notes from Sunday, 10.30.11

Here is this Sunday's sermon notes on Philippians 4.4-7.  Sometime midweek, you can find these notes in PDF and the sermon audio at sermons.heritagepark.org.  The sermon audio is also available via our podcast on iTunes.

Philippians

A Different Kind of Reasonable

Philippians 4.4-7

The Lord is near.

• This is great news for all sorts of people.

Joy

• The repetition is for emphasis – rejoice in every kind of circumstance.
• This is joy in the Lord – a joy that comes from knowing and walking with Christ, His own joy in us.

Reasonableness

• In light of who God is and what He has done, we persevere under distress.
• “A humble, patient steadfastness, which is able to submit to injustice, disgrace and maltreatment without hatred or malice, trusting God in spite of it all.” ~ P. O’Brien

Prayer

• The repetition is for emphasis – we talk to God about items of mutual concern.
• Thanksgiving helps keep perspective in our petitions.

Peace

• The kind of peace that comes is a byproduct of seeing His majesty and sharing His friendship.
• The kind of peace that comes does not reside in our understanding but our hearts.
• The kind of peace that comes protects our hearts and minds from anxiety.

Snakes are Scary: Match.com Fail

From the funny guys over at Failblog.org...

Need a date?

Voting Against?

If you're this person, I'm positively not mad at you.  I love that we live in a country in which we can argue, discuss, disagree, and still live freely and friendly with one another.  Feel free to send me an email or comment here.

This has shown up on Facebook...

And I'd just like to point out that voting against someone is just about the exact opposite of what the democratic republic in which we live requires of its citizens.  Even if you have a lesser-of-two-evils choice, you vote for someone.  Even if you don't agree with everything they're shilling, you vote for someone.

Voting against someone means that you'd take anyone who's not that guy.  The current president and I have significant policy, political, moral, and theological disagreements.  But voting against him?  No.

If you need proof that it's not a great idea - look at your current mideast situations.  Arab Springs (voting against) have led to a likely Islamist state in Tunisia (which was once a secular, not-anti-West country) and the likely execution of Khadaffi.

Voting against?  Not a good idea.

But that's just me thinking thoughts...

Emotions: Guides or Companions?

If you've been around me much and heard me talk about spiritual formation and how we grow in Christ, inevitably the role of emotions in the life of the believer comes into play.  And inevitably, I bring up a statement I heard from Dallas Willard:

Emotions are great companions but terrible guides in life.

You don't have to think very long about that to see the truth in that statement.  Let me try to give a brief word picture.

I have a "check engine" light on my car.  It comes on when something is wrong with the engine.  The problem is, I have no idea what's really going on under the hood.  It could be my oxygen sensors are on the fritz (happened once).  It could be that a fuel issue is in play (happened once).  It could be that a wire came disconnected (happened once).  Or it could be a hundred other things because the engine of my car is pretty dang complicated.

Emotions are like the warning lights on the dashboard.  They tell us something is happening in the engine of our soul - whether it's good or bad, something is happening.  The soul is a complex system and there are lots of dynamics at play.  Just looking at the light on the dashboard does us no good in analyzing what's really causing the problem.

But emotions are the layer right underneath actions in our personality.  Thus, often we spring into action before we realize what's really going on.  Living with them as our guides in situations like this causes friction between ourselves and the outside world, especially relationally.  Words get said.  Actions get taken.  Offenses are taken up.  And off we go...

The better play is to see them as a great companion, letting you know something is happening in your soul and going from there into the engine diagnostics.  Why do I feel this way?  What's happening to me?  You can't always do this quickly or easily.  But it's almost always worth doing.  I say "almost" because some emotions can (and should) be put away depending on the event that caused them - like entitlement.

And like my motor, I need help in diagnosing the issue sometimes.  So a good conversation with a friend, mentor, or even a professional is a wonderful tool God has provided for us.

Remember:  great companions, terrible guides.  You don't have to be ruled by your emotions or defined by them.

But that's just me thinking thoughts...

All is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir by Brennan Manning

A long time ago in a blogosphere far, far away, I announced I was trying to read more biographies this year and I'd post some thoughts along the way.  This has not happened.  Well, at least the last part.  I have read some tremendous biographies this year.  But I have not commented on them.

Today, that changes (at least in part).

I read in a single night Brennan Manning's All is Grace:  A Ragamuffin Memoir.  I have no idea if you have interacted with Manning or not or have an opinion on him or not.  Most people who have interacted with him also carry a pretty strong opinion.

Typically, the doctrinally tight-fisted (and that's not derogatory in my mind) don't like him because he's not a systematic theology kind of guy and he's messy and all over the map and quotes people who you may not want to be known for quoting.  The rest of the folks love him because he's messy and all over the map and quotes from people who you may not want to be known for quoting - a little more like their own lives.  And in case you're wondering if you've ever quoted someone you may not have wanted to quote, can you name any songs you know and sing along to that you wouldn't sing in front of your kids?

I consider myself a pretty doctrinally tight-fisted kind of guy.  I know what I believe and I'm a fan of certainty.  I also know I'm messy, all over the map, and played Toby Keith's I Love This Bar one time as a sermon illustration.  No kidding.  The reaction, shall we say, was mixed.

The short:  Manning was ordained a Franciscan priest, left the priesthood to marry, got divorced, travelled the country speaking on behalf of Christ and His love, wrote some incredible books, and did all this while an alcoholic.  Messy.  All over the map.  Etc.

When I was reading the book, I found myself so grateful.  Profoundly grateful.  Shed-a-few-tears grateful.  Put-the-book-down-and-give-thanks-grateful.  I had moments like that when walking through this man's life in words.

I was grateful for his authenticity.  Rare is the writer who doesn't give a @#$% about what people think of him and shares from a place of humility.  Plenty of people do that from the place of pride.  Manning's not one of them.  And if you're offended that I typed @#$%, this book is probably not for you.

I was also grateful for the picture of God represented.  A God of immense grace and immeasurable mercy ravished Manning with His love and it messed him up in the best of ways.  Beautiful.  Living authentically in this river (Ez. 47) is Manning's testament to the world.

And lastly, I was grateful that if God could use Brennan Manning, He might could use me too.  I'm no better.  I'm different.  But I do want to be used.

So pick it up and enjoy.  Grab a friend for a great conversation afterward.  And celebrate the God who takes ragamuffin's like us and does something incredible with them.

But that's just me thinking thoughts...

Give a Little Thanks

Interestingly enough, I just finished up a conversation with my wife about promoting gratitude in one (or all!) of our kids.  It fits perfectly with what I wanted to say in today's entry.  To quote the theologian Hannibal Smith, "I love it when a plan comes together."

For my birthday, my wife conspired with our Associate Pastor, Finance Team, and Building & Grounds Team at church to surprise me by putting new floors in my office.  When I say "new floors," you need to understand that the old floors were blue industrial carpet that had been there for some time.  It's not that I couldn't live with them, they just weren't the most attractive thing ever.

So my wife pulled this off without my knowledge and after a few books given away and several more moved coupled with some hard work from my friends Philip and Carlos, I have new floors in my office.  They're beautiful laminate oak colored floors.  The Children's Minister even commented that now my office looks like a "big boy" office.  No kidding.  She said that.

Here:  you can be the judge...

And the blog entry today is a reminder to be grateful for the little things.  There are a ton of them in your life and mine that deserve our gratitude, from office floors to hot coffee to after-bath baby smell.  For all these things and so many more, give thanks to God.

But that's just me thinking thoughts...

Sermon Notes from 10.23.11

Here are the notes from Sunday's sermon on Philippians 4.2-3.  You can find these sermon notes in PDF and the sermon audio by visiting sermons.heritagepark.org.  Also, the sermon audio is available on iTunes via our podcast.  Both should be available by midweek.

Philippians

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Philippians 4.2-3

What was happening?

• There was a disagreement between two women in the church.
• The disagreement was not a matter of sin but of preference.

Is it okay to disagree?

• Yes:  over clear Godhead and Gospel issues.
• Yes:  over clear ethical and moral issues.
• Yes:  over preferences, as long as they don’t become distractions.

What was the big deal?

• The unity of the church was threatened.
• Preserving unity in the church obeys God’s command (Eph. 4.3).
• Preserving unity in the church brings God’s blessing (Ps. 133).
• Preserving unity in the church speaks to the world (John 17.20-23). 

What was the solution?

• For someone spiritually mature to offer help.
• Remind them of their history.
• Remind them of their future.

Snakes are Scary: Weather issues

Apparently, the church forgot their sign said this.  Please tell me the church forgot to change their sign.  Or there was a sudden warm front that came in and wrecked a perfectly cute message.  Or a group of Boy Scouts shoveled the mounds away from the church's property.  Something had to happen like that, right?

Spiritual Growth, pt. 4

To close out the series, I'd like to introduce a little figure that I adapted from Dallas Willard that helps me understand and communicate the practical aspects of spiritual growth.

It's all founded on the precepts and promises of God's Word.  You will not grow without a consistent intake of the Scriptures and (this "and" is very important) a steady faith-filled obedience to them.  I point you to 2 Peter 1 where we learn that through these we become partakers of His nature.  When you obey the precepts (even when you don't feel like it), you are living according to what God says is best and will be able to experientially testify to that.  When you believe the promises of God (again, even when it's so foggy there's no way to see how they'll come true), you are banking your life on the steadiness and goodness of the Almighty and will outwit the promising-but-false temptations of the Enemy.

Another piece is the practice of the disciplines.  Without a regular rhythm of disciplining yourself for the purpose of godliness, you will not grow (1 Timothy 4.7-8).  This includes prayer, fasting, Scripture memory, serving, worshipping and many other disciplines.  They are like tools in the toolbox - not everything is a nail in need of a hammer.  With wisdom from those who have gone before you and experience in the disciplines themselves, you will grow to know what you need when you need it.

The final piece is perseverance in the trials of life.  These can be everyday trials like parenting or overwhelming trials like cancer.  No matter which version or any in between, persevering yields character that is proven (Romans 5.3-5).  Perseverance means having the sense that God is with you and for you, even in the midst of the trial, and keeping going in light of that.  Interestingly, trial and temptation are one and the same word in the NT.  Every trial has in it the temptation to "curse God and die" (Job 1).  And every temptation is certainly a trial.  Both can be spiritually beneficial when we bear up under them, knowing God's faithfulness and looking for His provision (1 Cor. 10.13).

One last word on this:  they stand and fall together.  We can major on one and miss the others and actually find ourselves stunted in our spiritual growth.  As you live in this, watch how the Spirit works to bring you into Christlikeness.

But that's just me thinking thoughts...