Closing the DNC

This didn't make near the headlines that it deserves.  Cardinal Dolan closing the DNC with this prayer.  Given the chance, he laid the wood to them.  This strikes me as OT-Prophet-esque...

Here's the text of the prayer...

With a "firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence," let us close this convention by praying for this land that we so cherish and love:


Let us Pray.

Almighty God, father of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, revealed to us so powerfully in your Son, Jesus Christ, we thank you for showering your blessings upon this our beloved nation. Bless all here present, and all across this great land, who work hard for the day when a greater portion of your justice, and a more ample measure of your care for the poor and suffering, may prevail in these United States. Help us to see that a society's greatness is found above all in the respect it shows for the weakest and neediest among us.

We beseech you, almighty God to shed your grace on this noble experiment in ordered liberty, which began with the confident assertion of inalienable rights bestowed upon us by you: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Thus do we praise you for the gift of life. Grant us the courage to defend it, life, without which no other rights are secure. We ask your benediction on those waiting to be born, that they may be welcomed and protected. Strengthen our sick and our elders waiting to see your holy face at life's end, that they may be accompanied by true compassion and cherished with the dignity due those who are infirm and fragile.

We praise and thank you for the gift of liberty. May this land of the free never lack those brave enough to defend our basic freedoms. Renew in all our people a profound respect for religious liberty: the first, most cherished freedom bequeathed upon us at our Founding. May our liberty be in harmony with truth; freedom ordered in goodness and justice. Help us live our freedom in faith, hope, and love. Make us ever-grateful for those who, for over two centuries, have given their lives in freedom's defense; we commend their noble souls to your eternal care, as even now we beg the protection of your mighty arm upon our men and women in uniform.

We praise and thank you for granting us the life and the liberty by which we can pursue happiness. Show us anew that happiness is found only in respecting the laws of nature and of nature's God. Empower us with your grace so that we might resist the temptation to replace the moral law with idols of our own making, or to remake those institutions you have given us for the nurturing of life and community. May we welcome those who yearn to breathe free and to pursue happiness in this land of freedom, adding their gifts to those whose families have lived here for centuries.

We praise and thank you for the American genius of government of the people, by the people and for the people. Oh God of wisdom, justice, and might, we ask your guidance for those who govern us: President Barack Obama, Vice President Joseph Biden, Congress, the Supreme Court, and all those, including Governor Mitt Romney and Congressman Paul Ryan, who seek to serve the common good by seeking public office. Make them all worthy to serve you by serving our country. Help them remember that the only just government is the government that serves its citizens rather than itself. With your grace, may all Americans choose wisely as we consider the future course of public policy.

And finally Lord, we beseech your benediction on all of us who depart from here this evening, and on all those, in every land, who yearn to conduct their lives in freedom and justice. We beg you to remember, as we pledge to remember, those who are not free; those who suffer for freedom's cause; those who are poor, out of work, needy, sick, or alone; those who are persecuted for their religious convictions, those still ravaged by war.

And most of all, God Almighty, we thank you for the great gift of our beloved country.
For we are indeed "one nation under God," and "in God we trust."

So dear God, bless America. You who live and reign forever and ever.

Amen!

(HT: Ed Stetzer)

Sermon Notes from Sunday 9.9.12

Here are the notes from Sunday, September 9th.  You can get these notes in PDF and the sermon audio at sermons.heritagepark.org.  You can also get the sermon audio via our podcast on iTunes.

Clarity

Part 1 – The Nations

Psalm 67

Matthew 28.18-20:  rationale for all we do, resources we draw from

Blessed to Bless

• Most ask for God’s blessing and favor to increase our comfort, heighten our security, and solidify our identity.
• The psalmist asked so that God would be known.
•  Our involvement as a church:

o   8% to CP – approximately $59,000

o   2% to GBA – approximately $15,000

o   2% to HPBC efforts

Witness for Worship

• We don’t just want God to be seen – we want Him to be worshipped.
• God saves and satisfies, and worship is the outcome.

Mission is Mandatory

• Jesus propels us outward to the world.
• Our participation is simply not optional.

Objection:  we have lost people here!

Objection:  I can’t do that!

Objection:  I don’t have the resources!

Snakes are Scary: Election Season is Here

And, I don't even know what to say.  Like him or despise him, agree with him or disagree with him, trust him or disbelieve him...c'mon people.

Leadership: before or during?

Here's a precept of leadership that I have practiced and encouraged others to do the same.  If you, dear reader, have commentary on it, I'd love to hear it.

The maxim:  you don't do leadership in the meeting, you do leadership before the meeting.

For me, this means...

1.  Knowing what the options (or at least most of them) are before you get there and articulating what is good and bad about each.  I like to do this in a pre-meeting email.

2.  Having a A, B, and C choice for the options.  If the whole team is in agreement, then bingo.  If not, the meeting is productive in hashing it out.  And because I have had conversations prior to the meeting, I know more or less where each person stands.

Some accuse this kind of process as manipulation of the meeting.  I don't think that's it at all.  This isn't a creative meeting where we're dreaming big or just dreaming.  Those are different meetings.  This is a decision-making meeting.  The point is to make a good decision, in my case, for the sake of the church.

This also prevents a few things...

1.  People not really understanding the question on the table or the options to answer that question.  Confusion in a meeting like that makes for frustration, inefficiency, and poor decisions.

2.  People growing weary over fact-finding and "what if"-ing.  The best case is when they already know the facts and know the what ifs.  Yes, there could be something you miss.  There could be another option on the table that you haven't considered and need to.  But that's rarer than wearing people out while exploring the options.

3.  Preventing agenda-drift by sticking to the choice at hand and the implications thereof.  A clearly defined question in a pre-meeting email is handy here.

So leaders, lead before the meeting.  You'll find it a lot easier than trying to lead in it.

But that's just me thinking thoughts...

I wish it weren't me...

But it is.

Talking tonight in a men's small group, the subject of kids and patience and frustration came up.  We talked about how kids don't really listen the first time.  We talked about how ungrateful they can be, even when we go out of our way to give them awesome gifts and work hard to provide the necessities. We talked about the demand they put on the time we have, the miles on the tires of our cars and our lives, the money given to dance troupes and baseball teams and soccer clubs.  All of those things.

And it could just be husbands and dads griping...

or I could be the kid.

I could be the one who frustrates my Father.  I could be the ingrate who refuses to say thanks for anything and takes for granted the special things.  I could be the one who raises my Father's eyebrow with my demands, my wants, and my messes.  And without a perfect Father who has perfect patience, there's no telling what would become of me.

Yep, I could be that son.

But that's just me thinking thoughts...

Looking through "their" eyes

I'm sitting here watching a fascinating documentary on the Military Channel about the way the Japanese portrayed, understood, and experienced World War II.  This, funny enough, comes on the heels of a conversation the Queen and I had about whether Japanese folks still look with disdain, hurt, frustration, or fear on America.

It's interesting to see things through "their" eyes.  I put "their" in quotes because "they" were the enemy and are no longer.  We are at peace and have been for decades.  But in this documentary I'm getting a sense of their hopes, dreams, visions, definitions of victory, and spin on defeat.

And it makes me think about the other "they" in the world.  Heck, not even in the world - on my street, at the grocery store, in my circle.

Who are "they" in your world?  Single moms?  Struggling teens?  Overworked husbands?

If I took just a moment and saw through "their" eyes, I wonder what would change?

My guess is I would.

But that's just me thinking thoughts...

Happy Labor Day everyone!

Enjoy the time.  Enjoy the family.  Enjoy the yard.  Enjoy the neighbors.  Enjoy the break.  Enjoy the sunshine.  Enjoy the breath given to you.  Enjoy the clouds.  Enjoy the health you have.  Enjoy the food you'll eat.

Have a great Labor Day.

Sermon Notes from Sunday, 9.2.12

Here are the sermon notes from Sunday, 9.2.12.  We conclude the series Seeing Jesus with a look at John's encounter in Revelation 1.  To get these notes in PDF and the sermon audio, please visit sermons.heritagepark.org.  You can also get the sermon audio on iTunes via our podcast.

Seeing Jesus 

Part 2 – A Blazing Fire 

Revelation 1.9-20

I am with you.

• He stands with us as the fierce and present King.
• Nothing can separate us from Him nor does He want to be separated from us.
• This is deeply satisfying because we know we are never alone.

I am Eternal.

• He exists outside time and space because He’s the Creator of time and space.
• Nothing binds Him but His character.
• This is deeply satisfying because our hearts were made for eternity (Ecc. 3.11).

I am Conquering.

• He established His Kingdom through His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection.
• No one can defeat Him and all kingdoms will become His dominion (Rev. 11.15).
• This is deeply satisfying because when in trials, we long for a Conqueror.

I am Reigning.

• He holds authority over even the greatest of foes.
• No fear of death or judgment remains for those with faith in Him.
• This is deeply satisfying because when we face the future, we know the One who holds it. 

Snakes are Scary: I cannot preach like this...

What she says.

How she says it.

To whom she says it.

I cannot preach like this.

It's worth every minute of the almost 7 minutes.  And then you need to watch it again.

Mercy and Justice

There are several provocative pieces out responding to the relative "slap on the wrist" given to Anders Breivik, the Norwegian murderer of 77 who apologized to his kind for not killing more.  A mere 21 years in prison is what he got.  If that boy was in Texas...

I'm a little bit (or a lot) old school on this.  I think prison is not for rehab but for punishment.  I say this as one who has a sibling in the penal system whose job it is to help inmates become educationally equipped to handle the outside world.  And I'm fine with that, as long as its in the context of justice and punishment.

Here's why I think it has to be that way:  if you focus on rehabilitation or deterrence or even no-longer-a-threat, you're not asking the right question.  I think the question has to be this:  what did the guilty party deserve?

Focusing on rehab makes the guilty person into a sick person who needs to be cured, not an offender who needs to be punished.  Could the person be ill, addicted, infested, demonic, or anything else?  Yes.  And should some sway be given to a judge in that moment?  Probably.  But focusing on rehab instead of punishment takes the innate "ought" out of the equation.  It also victimizes the offender.  I call that no good.

Focusing on punishment as a deterrent to others misses the point altogether.  It leaves out both victim and perpetrator and focuses on the people who aren't even involved in the matter at hand.  Blech.

Focusing on no-longer-a-threat makes the guilty person into a risk probability who can be measured, weighed, or evaluated.  But again, the question of what they deserved is not being asked.  Instead, it's a simple utilitarian, mathematical equation.  If the risk is over X-percent, he stays in jail.  If not, let him out.  I call that no good too.  

C.S. Lewis said this and it couldn't be said any better...

Mercy, detached from Justice, grows unmerciful. That is the important paradox. As there are plants which will flourish only in mountain soil, so it appears that Mercy will flower only when it grows in the crannies of the rock of Justice; transplanted to the marshlands of mere Humanitarianism, it becomes a man-eating weed. (from the essay, The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment)

Justice should be given in instances like this.  And a pathetic 21 years for 77 murders falls woefully short.

And then I remember that I have stood before God as guilty as Anders Breivik.  And infinitely more so.  And while public justice should be unswerving, God's justice was accomplished and His mercy was shown at the cross.  It's enough to devastate.

But that's just me thinking thoughts...