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.
  

Summer Camp Summary

I really need to do a better job of keeping the blog updated! More news on that front later. For the last week (July 17 - 22) I have been blessed to have been at Pilot Lake Regular Baptist Camp as part of the annual Teen Camp activities. What follows is a summary of our week.

Monday: Denise and I left Hayward early and arrived at camp by 1 PM. We had a wonderful time travelling together to camp for the first time ever. In previous years we have either not gone together or have travelled in separate vehicles. God provided great travelling conditions and as we pulled into the camp 'driveway' (1.5 miles of bumpy dirt road) I felt the feeling in the pit of my stomach that I only feel when arriving at my parents' home in PA. I looked my wife square in the eye and said "Honey, now I know it's summer. We're at camp. We're home!" A great time of reunion was had as we settled into our accomodations (lodge for me, a cabin as girl's counselor for Denise) and visited with the arriving campers. Added blessing: our attendance this year was higher than expected (92) but God provided sleeping places for all. It was especially good to see the group from our former church ministry arrive. I had the privilege of speaking Monday night on the topic of "Our Response to the Light" from John 6. I tried to set the tone for the week by reminding the teens that when God's word is preached it is not to be passed on, or played with, but to be personalized. All went to bed anticipating an exciting week.

Tuesday: Tuesday was spent preparing for the annual cardboard boat race. This year's entries all had a common theme: they turned into submarines very quickly after leaving shore. But the campers were troopers, and earned points for their teams by swimming with their sodden boats trailing behind them! Tuesday night I spoke on "The Difference Jesus Makes" to the sinful and the searching from John 8. Music this year was expertly handled by Rick and Mick Vigneulle.

Wednesday: The week definitely got exciting early Wednesday morning! It seems that a curious bear decided to make the rounds of the woods surrounding the camp facility and couldn't help but notice that lots of food seemed to be stored in the cabins. As God would have it, the Camp Dean, Jon Cook, was in the right place at the right time to prevent any close encounters between the campers and nature! After rounding up almost 25# of snack food from the cabins, the night progressed without incident. The camp nurse is also getting a work-out! With so many campers, the bumps and bruises customary to camp seem to be in large number; but they are not out of the ordinary. A first-aid / CPR class was held on Tuesday; several of us have put our first-aid skills to good use already! I spoke this evening on "The Marks of Genuine Disciples" from John 8:31 - 59.

Thursday: What a day this turned out to be! I don't recall many of the events of the day because of the amazing service we had in the evening. After speaking on "When the Light Shines" from John 9, Pastor Roger McCarty from First Baptist Community Church shared a brief presentation on the brevity of life and the seriousness of eternity using photographs from the December 26 Indonesian tsunami. The response to the invitation was overwhelming to say the least, as teens seemed to seriously grasp the fact that long life was not guaranteed to them. Many decisions were made. Oh, the bear was sighted again on the property adjoining the camp; but we were nowhere near the area - we were doing business with God!

Friday: Last day of camp already? I had the extreme pleasurable opportunity to fill in for game director Ben Lunsford by leading the teens in a 4-way Steal the Bacon competition! Lots of fun for everyone! I spoke on "The Good Shepherd" from John 10 in the evening service and highlighted the fact that when camp is over the lessons are meant to remain. After having spent a week listening intently to the voice of the Good Shepherd, why go home and be distracted by all that was left behind? The campfire service was an excellent time of testimony and sharing of what God had done in lives.

Saturday: We packed up and headed home. It was good to pull into our own driveway (although it was very HOT here in the Bay Area) and be home. we already miss our new friends; but are praying that the work God did in lives will continue to bear fruit for His glory.

Thanks: I wanted to be sure to thank all the folks that made camp such a wonderful experience. Several were already mentioned, but to make sure no one is left out: David & Lorilynne Steenfott and Bill & Sharon Cleveland provided childcare for our boys while Denise and I were at camp. Thanks are due to them in great quantities; without them our ministry would not have been possible! Jon Cook did a great job leading the camp. Tom and Kate Veneman were their usual wonderful selves and made us feel welcome at their camp facility. The kitchen staff did an excellent job keeping us well fed and satisfied. The Counsellors (Josh, Nicole, Aaron, Denise, Tiger, Loetta, Ryan, Tim, Anita, Gloria, Ben) were great examples to the young people and tirelessly gave of themselves to provide an enjoyable camping experience. Ben Lunsford did a terrific job leading the games; a duty he did not expect but ably performed. The Speakers (Gary Barker, Craig Morrison, Roger McCarty, Mark Worrell, Denise Eldred and Ben Lunsford) used great skill to communicate God's word in a way that teens could grasp. The Safety Crew (Nurses Frank, Anita and Carmen, as well as Lifeguards Kyle and Andrea) kept us safe while having fun. Our Musicians (Rick and Mick, and Rick's son Brandon) provided top-notch music that drew our hearts into focus on God's Word. Last, but certainly not least, the campers (sorry, no list of all 92 names) gave us a reason to gather together.

I look forward to next year's camping season (July 16 - 21) already!


Oh, I promised news about keeping up to date a little better. Monday saw the addition of a new laptop to our family. This replaces the one my sons "experimented" with in February. We'll see how this helps me stay more connected to cyberspace!

Thoughts from John 14:15

"If you love Me, keep My commandments " says Jesus. We need to realize that our obedience to the commands, words and teachings of Jesus is not a means to garner God's love. Rather, it is the proof that we fully realize His love for us and our own love for Him. We love Him, therefore we keep His commands. His love is not some prize to be won by good behavior or abstinence from poor behavior. Our behavior is a response to the great love freely demonstrated to us by a loving merciful heavenly Father.

"Adelphos mou"

Yesterday, heaven became that much sweeter to me. A long time friend and fellow Pennsylvanian, Bob Kramp, passed away at the age of 77. The newpaper has many statistics about his life; but that is not the Bob I will remember.

The Bob of my eternal memory will always have on a bright red blazer, a very brilliant necktie and a smile that could light a small village for weeks on end. His hand will always be stretched out towards mine; but not for a traditional handshake. No, Bob always seemed to end up with one hand clasping yours and the other around your shoulder. "It's good to see you!" was always said in a way that communicated so much more than the trite phrase others have turned it into.

For years, Bob and I would greet each other uniquely: "Adelphos mou!" While I was studying Greek in seminary, Bob's first question was how to say 'my brother' in Greek. From then on it became our greeting to each other.

I spoke with Bob a few months ago, right before Easter. He called just to let me know he was praying for me and my ministry. I cannot tell you how honored I was to receive that phone call. He asked what books I had been reading; we discussed what our minds had been pondering, and then he asked if I had read a particular book that he had just finished. "No, Bob, I haven't read that one yet" was my reply. "That's OK. I'll send you a copy. It is a good one!" Sure enough the book arrived about a week later. I've thumbed through several pages, but haven't jumped in with the ferocity I should. Now representing my last contact with "adelphos mou", it has become one of my prized possessions.

In Greenville, SC today a wife misses her husband of 37 years and 3 children terribly miss their dad. I join them in grief because he was also my friend. I can't wait to meet him in glory and hear the streets of Heaven ring when we recognize each other and echo through the hallways of eternity "Adelphos mou! It's good to see you!"

Interesting quote

In researching for Sunday's sermon on John 13, I found this quote describing Judas. More to the point, it may describe any one of us from time to time:

"When men can sin knowing that God sees it all, it shows that the heart is fully set in them to do evil and that nothing will restrain them." - Albert Barnes

Judas was made aware of the fact that Jesus knew of his plans to betray Him, yet decided to continue with his plans. How often are we guilty of the same practice: knowing full well that God is not pleased with our plans, yet not allowing that fact to deter us from our 'freedom of choice' to act against the Almighty.

Light in the Darkness

It has been my extreme pleasure to take part in the Fundamental Baptist Fellowship International national conference this week. Meeting for the "first time in a long time" (if ever) on the West Coast, the weather and seismics cooperated wonderfully to give East Coasters a taste of ministry in the West, California, and San Francisco. It was my joy to re-connect to friends I hadn't seen in years, and especially to learn that several of them live a lot closer than I ever imagined.

By far, the blessing of the conference was the preaching. I am still digesting Chuck Phelps' exposition from Acts 7 on "Bringing Joy to the City" and it will impact my ministry for a long time to come. An additional 'pick-me-up' was to hear so many preacher's voices singing enthusiastically. The rafters of our host church were almost in danger of parting company with the rest of the building! Perhaps my favorite quote of the conference came after a soul-stirring singing of "How Great Thou Art" when the host pastor stepped to the microphone and exclaimed "The wonder of it all is that we serve One Who is deserving of exactly this kind of praise!"

But for the story of the incredible behind the scenes San Francisco experience, you will have to ask Tim Sneeden! His reward for being a faithful reader of this blog (and how hard can that be, considering how often I post? Really, folks, Tim is setting the bar here!) is that he gets to tell his story in his way and in his time. It's a great story - full of ups and downs, but not necessarily in that order.

A thought on John 11:25 - 26

"Faith in Jesus does not make humans immortal. What it does bring about is that from this moment on they no longer live under the power of death. Resurrection is therefore not a matter of the 'last day' but of now, of listening in faith to the Son of God." (The Gospel of John, Herman Ridderbos, page 397)

What a transforming event faith in Jesus Christ becomes! It truly does pass one from death into life! To quote the Master, "Believest thou this?"

The Shepherd's Voice

John 10 records Jesus' illustration of the shepherd, as well as His identification of himself as the Good Shepherd. Tucked away in those verses are phrases referring to 'his voice' that the sheep recognize. In fact, the voice of a stranger (anyone who is not the shepherd of a particular sheep) is said to cause panic and the dispersal of the sheep. The application seems clear: sheep always follow the shepherd to whom they belong.

What about the sheep who claims to belong to one shepherd who ends up following another shepherd? Something clearly has gone wrong. Either the sheep never belonged to the flock of which they claimed to be part, or they forgot what the voice of thier shepherd sounded like. This "other" voice may have had the same tenor or pitch or volume, but it was not the voice of the right shepherd.

I say all this in light of the recent release of the Gospel of Judas and the soon theatrical release of The DaVinci Code. Many who claim to follow Jesus will listen to the voices of 'scholarship' and 'reason' and conclude that perhaps the material presented by DaVinci Code, Holy Blood ~ Holy Grail and others have merit afterall. Some will even embrace the teachings fostered by the movie and book and adjust their thinking to reflect such insights. This is most dangerous!

The DaVinci Code and other materials of its ilk are nothing more than the voice of a strange shepherd! This is not the voice of the Good Shepherd; the teaching ought to cause every follower of Jesus Christ to respond in revulsion. This is not scholarship to be considered; it is heresy to be refuted!

I am not advocating that we stick our collective heads into the proverbial sand and ignore the issue. On the contrary, we need to be ready to defend our position for a historical and Biblical Jesus. The "facts" of Dan Brown's case do not hold up to any reasonable scrutiny. They are a modern retelling of an ages-old heretical position that seeks to distort one's view of Jesus Christ.

We as sheep following our Great Shepherd need to be intimately aware of His voice; and other voices (such as the ones we just discussed) ought to cause us to run for safety - not nibble for curiosity.

A Very Good Friday

The bulk of my time during the "6 hours" of this particular Good Friday were spent with two gifted individuals - Des and Linda. They were able to encourage me and give me great insight into what this day truly means in the life of a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. You see, Des and Linda are piano tuners.

My piano, no joke, has not been tuned in a l-o-n-g time. It has only been my piano for 3 years, and in that time no tuner was consulted. Previously owned by my in-laws, they confessed to me that it was probably the late 70s when my beloved instrument was last serviced. "Criminal!" I hear piano police muttering under their collective breath; and they are correct. What now sits in my living room is drastically different from the instrument I walked past last night on my way to bed. The case is the same, the strings the same, the keys are the same; and yet there is a profound difference that has been effected by an encounter with a maestro.

History tells us that two millenia ago this weekend Jesus died (as the Scripture said he would), was buried and rose again (as Scripture said). One of the practical results of that event is that lives are capable of being drastically changed. When my life encountered that Babe born in Bethlehem, that Teacher of the Twelve, that Christ of the Cross, that Maestro of majesty a profound difference was made - immediately. To borrow the musical metaphor, my flattened notes were tuned to perfect pitch by Him. My discordant strings were brought into unity with His standard of beauty and harmony. My case, with all its nicks and dents, was polished into a gleaming display of His craftsmanship. Only the most careless observer would miss the obvious transformation that has taken place.

At least that is how it is supposed to be. I was impressed by Des and Linda's obvious love and care for musical instruments. Their appreciation and total service of my instrument (they took it apart and cleaned and polished every surface - using tools as small as tiny brushes) made me think twice about using the piano as an end table. Their loving care made me value my possession after seeing how well they treated it.

Thinking back to the event this Good Friday commemorates, how ought I treat my salvation, after observing the loving care that provided it for me? O God, I've treated Your Son's sacrifice too lightly, I'm afraid. This life that was purchased and polished for Your glory has been turned into an end table, a place where odds and ends collect and dust easily accumulates. Today, as I remember the price paid for my sin, give me a greater appreciation for Your sacrifice; one that transfers into the daily living of my life in a way that pleases and brings glory to You alone. May the notes of my life's song be music - true music - in Your ears.

"Program complete . . . you may enter when ready."

The finishing touches have been put on the re-release of the church website. It is not in its finished state; but it is ready for public consumption. Check out the link in the sidebar, or if you don't feel like wandering that far with your mouse, just click this link right here.

The Family Circle is Complete!

One of the joys of raising a family is watching them reach important milestones. Our family reached a very significant milestone today.

When the phone rings and the voice on the other end is your eldest son (7 years old), your heart tends to flutter - especially when he says "Brother needs to talk to you!" Oh no, what went wrong?

Imagine my joy to hear my youngest son (5 years old next month) report "Guess what, Dad? I just asked Jesus to forgive my sins and make me part of His family. I am a Christian now!"

It seems that my oldest has been praying for his younger brother. Today he asked "When are you going to become a Christian?" Younger sibling replied "When I am ready." causing his older brother to ask "Well, are you ready?" After a few moments thought, the answer came, "Yes, I am ready today!" So two small boys knelt at the side of their bunkbeds and soon found their mother. "Good news, Mom! Our family is all Christians now!"

Just when one thinks life cannot possibly get any better, God shows just how wonderful HE can make life.

A Step back in Time

Tomorrow I have the extreme privelege of revisiting a former ministry. The pastor and people of Grace Baptist Church in Sonora, CA, have graciously invited me to preach as part of their "Shepherds' Conference." This yearly conference is a time when various pastors come and preach to the congregation. The emphasis this year is on pastors who have previously ministered at Grace.

I look forward to seeing the people and the ministry again. But the greatest aspect of the day will be opening God's Word again with these dear folks.

An update

Final touches are being put on the re-release of our church's website. Many thanks are due to the tireless efforts of Mr. Larry Vanerwegen, who is voluntarily taking on the "joy" of turning my design dreams and ideas into bits and pixels of Internet reality. Stay tuned for the Grand Re-Opening!

The Revolution will NOT be televised!

Please understand as you read that I am fully aware of the fact that I am a relative newcomer to the ministry scene. I am in my first year of the senior pastorate and have only served seven years prior to this in youth ministry. HOWEVER, my 24-year relationship with Jesus as my Lord and Savior gives me more than enough backing on the subject I approach today.

While in training (both undergraduate and seminary), I recall hearing again and again of the importance of knowing one's audience. This is good advice! Paul (Acts 17) first understood the background of his audience before addressing them on Mars Hill. In recent years, many companies and service providers have brought their unique talents to bear in ministry related areas. But what happens when the researchers do more than gather the data and report the trends? What happens when the pollsters begin making the decisions for you? Can the right data lead to the wrong conclusions?

The answer to the last question is a definite "yes" and is graphically illustrated in a recent book published by George Barna titled Revolution. In this treatise he shares insight into a growing crowd of 'revolutionaries' (his term) that will overtake the church scene in the next 20 years or so. These revolutionaries find spiritual fulfillment outside the walls of traditional church ministry; and have forsaken the local church to better identify with the Church (the global body of believers). Barna's conclusion is that within 20 years, Christians will only find 30% of their Christian activity taking place within church walls (down from it's current 70%). He uses this statistic and the personal experiences of others to advocate a serious shift in thinking - one that calls for believers to join the revolution and leave the local church.

Wait a minute! This is throwing out the baby with the bath water! Let's accept for a moment that what Barna is saying is true about current trends among Christians. If the next two decades will find believers spending less time within the church walls, this is not a reason to abandon the local church - it is a call to make the most of every opportunity those believers are in church! A shift in thinking needs to take place between the pastor's ears. He must strive to not only show the relevance of what he preaches and teaches, but show how that relevance must be acted out in daily life.

To be honest, much of Barna's book left me upset. One who had done seemingly so much to advance the cause of Christ is now advocating the abandonment of the church. To be sure, we cannot continue to minister to a 21st century culture with a 20th century model; but the solution is to change models, not abandon the product line completely. (A mixed metaphor to be sure, but I hope you understand the point.)

The revolution Barna predicts will happen. My prayer is that it will not happen as he sees it; but that we as a local church will realize that "church as it's always been" cannot continue.

Olympic-style living

This week has been spent trying to squeeze as much time viewing the Olympics as my schedule will allow (and sleep will permit). I am still not sure why I need to wait for 8 hours after the event to watch it on television; VCRs and TIVO were invented for a reason!

Last night, watching the men's free-style skating competition, I got into a discussion about the "new" scoring system being used at this Olympiad. The skaters are attempting increasingly difficult maneuvers - which is good; but they are not able to complete them - which is bad. However, they are being scored in a manner allowing them to receive credit for the portions of the element that were completed - which is good for the skater, but bad for the sport. By following this logic, all a skater need do is attempt 3 or 4 quad-jump combinations and hope that they can stick the landing one of them. The scoring will credit them for all that they actually accomplish and they should walk out with a medal. The folks in the stands and at home will watch them slide across the rink on their posterior; but hey, they tried right? What's next: giving out medals for how the athlete wishes they had skated? Absurd, you say? Quite right! We ought not award medals on an "outcome based" formula. If the skater cannot complete the element, then the element has not been done.

Apply that logic to life and living, and especially to the Christian life. Please follow my logic through to its conclusion before passing judgment on it. I am not saying we ought not attempt great things, nor am I saying we should only stick to what we know we can do. What I am saying is this: When we allow our lives to be lived in a way that states "Oh well, I guess I couldn't do all that. Give me credit for trying." it smacks others of falseness and hypocrisy. Let me reduce this to absurdity. If I promise to lead the singing on a Sunday Morning; but leave after the opening hymn - I don't get credit for leading one song, I get (rightly) accused of not leading the song service. Until it's finished, I have not done it. If I only give the introduction to my sermon - I haven't preached. (Again, don't misunderstand; some sermons take a LONG time to introduce and I have sat through some 45 minute introductions before. I am talking about just telling a story or two for 8 minutes and calling it a wrap)

The Christian life is more important than an ice skating competition. We need to "score" it much more differently, too. I am afraid, though, that too often we grade on the Olympic scale. Folks will fail and fall, best laid plans will not be completed as planned, injuries occur, the great plans may not materialize as planned when planned. However, is the public arena the place to try out "something new"?