The Jesus Junk Phenomena

Read what Jason Janz has to say about the trend to make everything "Christian". (Here's the link) What he says is right on target - and should cause us to consider WHY we do WHAT we do in the name of evangelism. Remember what we discussed yesterday in Sunday School: faith comes by hearing - a silent testimony is never enough!

Vacation Recap

Back home! Two of the most comforting words ever uttered; no matter how wonderful the vacation is (and it was wonderful) it is GREAT to be home again.

Tuesday was "Boys' Golf Day" for some; and "Zoo Day" for others. Dad, two brothers, my son and I enjoyed the camaraderie of 18 holes at Summersett golf course in Traveler's Rest, SC. Although I brought my clubs from home, my game stayed on the West Coast (i.e. not every swing produced the results I desired).

Wednesday, we traveled north to Asheville, NC, and toured the Biltmore Estate. What an incredible house! The level of craftsmanship and opulence was indeed spectacular. It was an amazing reminder to me of the fact that all man can spend a lifetime amassing and achieving, God created in a span of 6 days with mere words! Prayer meeting with our friends on the hill (Summit View Baptist) was encouraging and uplifting as we approached the Throne of Grace together on behalf of one another.

Thursday was a much anticipated "Free Day" with nothing of significant travel planned. After all the running and sight-seeing, it was welcome. My family traveled over to BJU and shopped at the Christian Educator's Resource Market (bumping into some friends while there) and then visiting more friends on campus at the Dining Common. Thursday evening was spent with the extended family playing games, grilling dinner with my brother (chicken and grill-fried veggies), and visiting - oh and watching my sons play with toy trains my brother and sister-in-law found at a yard sale. Great memories were made!

Friday, all the fun began to wrap up as we packed our suitcases and began to prepare for our journey home. All too soon, we were back at the Charlotte airport, then in Dallas, and (finally) back in San Francisco. It made for a long day; but we made it home with 30 minutes to spare before the calendar turned to Saturday.

What I will remember most from this vacation are moments and conversations spent with my dearest friends: my family. We don't seem to get together that often; but when we do, we have a blast!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Family vacation continues. Today we ventured to the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad in Dillsboro, NC. What an exciting time of riding the rails with the family! The views were amazing; trees and rivers setting just the right backdrop for the whistle of the engine and the throb of the rails being ground under the train's wheels. After a relaxing hour in Bryson City we rode the return trip and enjoyed a great car ride back to "the compound" in Greer. The rainstorms held off all day until our return car trip; and the thunderboomers have been different for our sons who come from that part of the country where thunderstorms are a rarity.

Tomorrow we have great plans laid - if the weather holds. If the weather doesn't cooperate we will adjust!

Before I leave, a word about church services yesterday. What a joy to fellowship once again with the folks at Summit View Baptist Church in Greenville, SC. The atmosphere was tremendously set for worship and God's Word went forth with great freedom. A tremendous college send-off was held for a young man departing from home; and it was encouraging to see this congregation declare truth into this person's life and encourage him as he takes the next step in his life's journey. And singing #198 was a joy, too!

Greetings from Greer, SC!

Our family is vacationing this week in South Carolina - the birthplace of our family (my wife and I lived here for the first 5 years of our marriage). We are gathering in honor of my parents' 40th wedding anniversary. Their anniversary 'present' was to have the whole family together for a time of celebration. We have converged on the home of my oldest younger brother to spend the next 7 days enjoying each others' company.

Already, we are rejoicing at what God has done for us. My family (wife and children) safely navigated the skies between San Francisco, Chicago and Charlotte - especially since 3/4 of the family battled the flu earlier in the week. The siblings and parents were protected as they drove from Pennsylvania through the night last evening and arrived early this morning. My brother and sister-in-law have done a wonderful job preparing their new home for its new role as "Family Compound" for the week.

The posts this week will probably be nostaligic. We are reliving the old family stories; my sister brought some old family movies that haven't been seen for years; the favorite meals are planned and on the menu for the week; and we are planning to establish some new traditions too (most of us now play golf!). But one thing will be as it always has been in our family: tomorrow we will be in church for all the services. This is not because we have to, not because we need to, not even because it is our job to be there; we will be in the Lord's house with the Lord's people because we WANT TO BE THERE. What a joy to worship the God Who planted us into a family!

Fantasy Ministry League?

As I type this, the Raiders are playing a pre-season football game against Minnesota. While I am watching with half an eye, the rest of my attention is being given to preparing for an event that has loomed large on my calendar since last February: Draft Day for my Fantasy Football League. For those of you not interested in football or especially in fantasy football, you may wish to question the sanity of a pastor who engages in a pastime that occurs mainly on Sundays during church services. To the contrary, the actual games played are merely the end process of a week's worth of pondering statistics, matchups, injuries, weather reports and game times. The main draw to my main fantasy league is the fact that the core of the group has been participating for 15 years now (we started back in college as a way for work colleagues to have an 'away from the job' connection.) An added bonus is that I will be able to attend a draft in the same room as these friends for the first time in 9 seasons!

Our league scores a little differently than most, so many of the official rankings put out by mainstream media sources need a little tweaking to be effective for my draft preparation. All this got me to thinking about a Fantasy Ministry League. Who would you pick to be on your team if you could pick from ministers across the spectrum?

Some folks would go for the glitzy players, the ones that would make highlight reels every week. No matter the situation, these players are going to have the headlines. Some franchises can be carried quite a ways on the strength of such players. Others will try to draft the hot rookies, hoping to cash in on the next "big thing" and be set for several seasons to come.

Still others will quietly build a corps of rock-solid contributors. These are the 'lunch box' players: those that rarely if ever gain headlines for their abilities or accomplishments; but those who make a dramatic impact over the course of the season. To me, these are the wise team owners. Faithfulness and consistency will build a team that performs better over the long run. Don't get me wrong, some of these players are also 'highlight players' and some are even among the 'hot rookies' but they are not drafted because of that - but because of their faithfulness.

So as I look over the spectrum of ministry and imagine building a church staff, I doubt that many would recognize the names that I would surround myself with. But these are men and women that make ministry not only possible but productive - and even enjoyable. The greatest news is this: we are already on the same team; and I am not the One in control!

Those of you still confused by fantasy football, and especially fantasy ministry, don't worry - I should return to 'normal' before too long.

Preparing to post

Nothing is more frustrating for me than to finally carve out some time to post and then have everything that I wanted to post about suddenly leave my mind. Oh, I know WHAT I wanted to post, but all the great points I was plannng to make have taken flight from my feeble cranium.

So without additional comment, here are the thoughts tickling my mind recently:

• "Faithfulness in following Jesus [is] progressively closing the gap between who we really are and who Jesus really is - not the fictional Jesus who is conveniently adjusted to our behavior, but one before whom every knee shall one day bow." - Glenn McDonald, The Deliberate Church.

• When Jesus chooses, calls, and converts a person, they are given great value, but not immunity from the attacks of the world.

• "Who ever had reason to hate Jesus? Whom has he injured? What evil has He ever said or thought?" - Albert Barnes on John 15.
  

• "The greatest danger a follower of Jesus ever faces is not death but apostasy." - D.A. Carson on John 16.