MAY 2015 EDITION

I have a confession to make.  I am a dinosaur.  The discovery has been in process for some time now. It is, I must say, very disconcerting. What are the evidences behind this discovery? Let me enumerate several indications:

I like my pants to have a sharp crease in them. I like my shirts ironed and tucked in. On the latter, I had the rude awakening to the fact of my antiquity when attending a Young Life camp; the program leader announced with great laughter that today the camp would have a day where everyone would tuck in their shirt!  I looked down and found that I was ahead of the game! I find that wearing bright colors is now passé for men. We are consigned to wear grays, and browns, and tans and all sorts of muted colors. We are now the only species of males that do not wear plumage that is more brilliant! I prefer my shoes shined, wherever possible. I enjoy dressing well and wearing a tie every now and then. (I must admit that the occasion to wear a suit presents itself fewer and fewer times, mainly weddings and funerals, though even then, I may find myself in the minority.) I will, for the most part, still wear a coat and tie to church. I am only one of the three men in attendance to do so, out of a church of several hundred. Somehow, the thought of “wife beater” tee shirts, shorts and flip-flops and church seem incongruous (go figure!) Is every man now expected to have at least day old beards or a goatee?  Is a man’s hair required to be uncombed or greasy and spiked?

I think the English language has taken a beating in recent years. One of the most mystifying trends occurs when you say “Thank You” to someone in the service business, like wait persons in restaurants, and they respond, “No Problem.” What is that? I never said there was a problem! I know there was no problem. I once tipped a waitperson or server (using the politically correct term) extra because she said. “You’re Welcome.” I appreciate the employees at Chic-Fil-A who respond, “My Pleasure.” When did, “He goes” replace. “He said”? When did it become necessary to say, “You Know” at the end of every sentence, either I do or do not know! Is everything “Awesome”?  Have we done away with gender identification when a mixed group of men and women are addressed as “You Guys”? When did it become sexist to open or hold a door open for a woman? Do any men still rise when a woman enters a room or woman acquaintance approaches your table? I will admit to one concession to vanity, when dressed informally, to wearing a cap indoors for fear of exposing my “hat head! I know, I need to get over this and do the right thing. 

Now, let me discuss things of which I may be considered a dinosaur but I feel are important to me personally. Some of these things are personal preference issues and I understand those who differ with me.  I am  pretty much a traditionalist when it comes to church music. I love the great hymns of the church for both their tunes and theological content. I do hope that their appearance on worship lists will not disappear completely.  I do have a problem with contemporary music and musicians who appear to be more about the “show” and being the center of worship rather than an aid to worship. The worship leader at my church actually moved the musicians off the stage and made them less visible in order to focus on whom we are worshipping. In addition, a matter of taste is the songs, which are repetitive in nature. I call them 7/11 songs, seven words sung eleven times. For some, the emotional experience of worship is enhanced by the repetition, for me, not so much; but, again, I emphasize, it is a matter of personal preference. 

There are theological issues which I believe are not subject to changes in contemporary culture. For several thousand years marriage has been defined as between a man and a woman. It is defined as such in the Bible. It has been foundational in all cultures until very recently. How far can you take it once you break the Biblical definition of marriage? Why stop with allowing two men or two women to marry? What then is wrong with polygamy? Additionally, casual sex and cohabitation outside marriage is the accepted norm even among evangelical Christians. 

Another tragic consequence of our “modern” society is the fact that the sanctity of life is being violated on both ends of life. On the front end, we have permitted the taking of human life by the millions since Rowe V. Wade legalized the aborting of innocent life even up to the point of birth. In addition, recently two U.S. states and several foreign countries have passed laws legalizing assisted suicide. 

I could go on and on with what some may consider the ranting of an old man but I feel the time for me to speak out has come. Please understand that my opinions on matters of taste, however outdated they may seem, are just that…my opinion. Other issues which are in contradiction with the Bible are non-negotiable issues for me.

I will remain a “dinosaur” in areas of Biblical truth.

Know that I love you all and appreciate your friendship and support.

APRIL 2015 EDITION

Please forgive the lateness of this newsletter as my computer hard drive crashed last Wednesday morning while I was out of town and had to purchase a new computer (ouch!). 

As some of you who follow me on Facebook have already read, last Wednesday night at around 8:00 p.m. I celebrated the fact that forty years ago, at that time, I surrendered my heart and my life to Christ, thus beginning a great adventure that will stretch into eternity.

The back-story to that night bears telling. At the time of my “conversion”, I was general manager working long hours at a popular Atlanta restaurant. My free time, what little there was of it, was spent on things I generally wanted to do, with little regard for my family.  Church was rarely an option as I was usually arriving home from the restaurant in the wee hours of Sunday morning. I will say I was often moved, deep inside, by Christmas and Easter services at my church. Peggy should be nominated for sainthood for putting up with my foolishness during the ten years I spent in the restaurant business.

 

On the Sunday evening before that Tuesday night, April 29^th, 1975, Peggy and I got into an intense discussion about Christianity. I did not understand what happened to good people if they did not accept Jesus as their Savior. What about those who had never heard of Jesus? What about Jewish people who were very religious? Peggy said she could not answer those questions. The “trap” was set! “Well”, she said, “I can’t answer that but some of my friends are having a covered dish dinner Tuesday night and the husbands are invited. Why don’t you come? Dan Hayes, the local Campus Crusade area director and our neighbor, is going to be speaking to the group and you can ask him those questions.” Well, I love a good meal and I guess I could put up with some “religious guy” for a little while. You might say, in this case, the way to a man’s soul is through his stomach! 

As Dan shared his story, I came to see him in a different light. He was funny, real and enthusiastic about his faith.  At the end of his talk, he shared two verses of Scripture. “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me.”(John 14:6) “Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if any man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him.” (Revelations 3:20) Dan invited anyone who wanted to receive Christ’s love and forgiveness could ask God to come into their life and He would give them eternal life. I wasn’t looking for a relationship with Christ, could have cared less but God had other plans for me. At that moment, God’s Spirit moved in my spirit, and I knew that what Dan shared was the truth and I needed to commit my life to Christ. Some of my buddies looked at me like I had grown another head or that I had lost my mind, but I told them that I was “all in.” 

O.K., so life was great now, no problems, right? The next Saturday, I was called into the restaurant office by one of the owner’s and was told  that “my services were no longer needed.” An ownership battle between the two principals finally came to a head and my friend who had hired me was bought out and the other owner wanted his own people in place. I left the restaurant and went home and announced to Peggy that I no longer had a job but was not worried for I knew now that God was in control and He would care for us. 

 

Here’s the thing. I did not know it but Peggy and her Bible study friends had been praying for me for a long time. Also, in the month preceding my coming to Christ, Peggy received a clear message from the Lord to surrender me to Himself, which she did over the kitchen sink one day! Several things come to mind about my “conversion.” Many people were praying for me. Peggy quit trying to convert me herself and surrendered me to the Lord. She, like Andrew in the New Testament, brought me to a place where I could meet Jesus. I quit using my “concern” for other lost people as a “smoke screen” and dealt with my own relationship with Jesus Christ.  

What about you, are you avoiding the central issue of your own relationship with God? Are you missing out on the greatest adventure of all? If you are interested in talking more about this, give me a call.

 

MINISTRY NEWS AND NEEDS

Exciting news! I have taken on an additional new role in my ministry. I have been asked to be the Chaplain to the Staff of the Georgia/Alabama Region of Young Life. This is strictly a volunteer position with no line authority.. We feel that this role is a continuation of the pastoral ministry that I already have with men. I would be very grateful if you would consider partnering with me in this new endeavor through your prayers . I attended the end of the year Staff Conference last week at SharpTop Cove and met with the staff. What an amazingly talented group people people they are!

 

I held a retreat for men in my Friday Morning Group at a farm in central Georgia. Eight of us had a wonderful time of fellowship together.  We looked at the concept of humility in leadership on Saturday morning and Tony Harris led our Sunday Morning Devotional on the need to pursue wisdom.

Individual ministry is still a very important facet of my work and I continue to meet with men over the breakfast and lunch table.

 

Our Friday Group has started a new study. We will discuss Josh McDowell’s book,

“Evidence For The Resurrection” to follow our study of Bill O’Reilly’s book, “Killing Jesus.”