DownshoreDrift

Monsoons have hit Northern India hard and hundreds of villages are submerged. The northern state of Uttar Pradesh has been hit extremely hard. This is near the area that we have been going and I have travelled through Uttar Pradesh by car as well as by train. It is a huge state, but according to the map, the entire area where we have visited has been hit extremely hard by the monsoons with much flooding, many refugees, food shortages, and general devastation. Please pray for these people tonight and pray that the Christians in this area will be helped and will be able to help others. It is hard enough to live there when things are going normally. I can't imagine what it would be like when there is a natural disaster. We also have many missionaries in that area, so pray that they would be able to be a witness as well as be taken care of.

The area on the map where we have been going is in the pink between New Delhi and the border of Nepal. There are many rivers there that are apparently overflowing their banks. And the rains keep coming.

By heritage, birth, and address, I am a Southerner. I have only lived 3 years of my life outside of the South. I went to college at an SEC school (Miss. St., but am a huge LSU fan) and totally get college football. I love Southern cooking, Southern history, and fell in love with a Southern girl. All of my children have Southern accents. I am a distant relative of Robert E. Lee (but, aren't all Southerners?) and a direct descendent of 5 brothers who rode with the 17th Mississippi Calvary in the Civil War. I get misty eyed when I hear "Dixie," still emotionally regret that we couldn't get the job done at Gettysburg, and think that Sherman was quite the jerk for burning up the South on his march to the Atlantic. I am a Republican and am quite conservative politically. I love Elvis, blues, and pork bbq. I am a Southern Baptist and have been raised on white-hot, revivalist religion my whole life and I love the way that there is a major focus on children and family in the South.

I'm saying all of this to say that I get the Southern thing. I get the culture, the people, the values, and the expectations. I understand that we have this inferiority complex because we are the only Americans to have ever been defeated in war and occupied and we still can't get over it. The whole Civil War thing is transferred to discussions about whether SEC football is better than Big Ten football and we all cheer when Alabama beats Notre Dame or Florida beats Ohio St or we happen to attract a foreign auto plant. We always seem to have something to prove to ourselves and everyone else and it comes out through bragging about our accomplishments and an "everyone's out to get us" and, "they just don't understand" attitude. 

I also get that we have lots of problems. We have a pretty miserable track record on the race issue, and it seems to be something that we just want to put behind us instead of dealing with it in constructive ways. After the Civil Rights movement of the 1950's - 1970's, an uneasy truce has been brokered and everyone just wants to move on. But, are we making progress? Sometimes yes, other times, absolutely not. We also lead the nation in divorce, alcoholism, crime, incarceration per capita, and many other negative social indicators. On most national lists regarding education, income, healthcare, state government, etc., the bottom of the rankings are predictably filled by Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. A few years ago, there was a tax initiative in Alabama that was voted down. The purpose was to relieve the tax burden off the poor and bring more equity to the system, since there is little property or state income tax. The surplus was to go to state infrastructure and to education, both of which are woefully underfunded. The slogan of the opposition was "We're Taxed Enough!" Alabama is 50th in taxes paid by citizens in the U.S. Oh, and the opposition was led by the state's Christian Coalition on a "family values" platform.

Which leads me to my question: How is religion, particularly the Baptist faith, bringing change to the South? How is the South becoming more God fearing and righteous because of our presence? How are we making a difference? Have we become so enculturated that we are no longer able to bring change? It seems to me, from my experience here, that we are eaten up with materialism and a "live for the present" mentality. We have bought into the Suburban American Dream and we are lapping it up as quickly as possible. When I talk with most people about Jesus, they already claim to know Him or have prayed a prayer and are saved. But, their lives are no different and they don't see any need to connect with a church. Sunday's are spent at the lake with family. As long as people are "good" or "moral" we seem to have no problem with them, and we save our ire for liberals or Hollywood. I live in a state where 77% agreed with Roy Moore over the Ten Commandments, but only around 30% go to church. Why the disconnect?

I wonder if we have presented a gospel that is so based on personal experience and decision that we have led people away from a TRUE relationship with Jesus and into real danger? Have we inoculated people against the gospel by presenting them a "gospel" that so reinforces our culture that people see no real difference in us? And, I am not talking about the "sinful" Hollywood culture. I am just talking about the world system that we live in here in the South (make money, be happy, live a good life, have fun, protect yourself from "those kinds of people," be upwardly mobile, be independent, live for yourself, etc.). Are we capable of bringing about change in people's lives, in our communities, and in our region? What would revival really look like? What would happen if there was true racial reconciliation? What would happen if people who claimed to know God, but never gathered with His people, changed? What would happen if our churches started treating the epidemic of divorce in our communities as a real problem, instead of just glazing over it? What would happen if, instead of propping up much of Southern genteel society and culture, we actually began to confront some of our hypocrisies and inconsistencies?

I fear that we have lost our prophetic voice in our own land and it happened a long time ago. With a church on every corner, what would have happened if Southern Baptists had been convicted by Scripture and the Holy Spirit and had led the way on the race issue, instead of coming behind, kicking and screaming? Would the social rebellion of the 1960's have happened? Would we have lost our voice and had to have aligned ourselves with a political party to be listened to? Would be be trying to "take back America," or would we have ever lost it? There is a price to pay for being on the wrong side of history, especially on moral issues, and we are paying it now. Maybe the problem isn't with the news media, Hollywood, Gays, Democrats, or the Big Ten. Maybe the problem is with us. Maybe we have become so comfortable in our Southern, religious cocoon with our mega churches, conferences, Lifeway's, and Christian radio, that we have failed to realize that our influence for Christ has shrunk to negligible levels. Everyone thinks that they know Jesus, and when they look at us, they don't see a huge difference. So, why should they change? Why repent? We don't have a compelling answer, except that our theology is right and they had better believe it, or else.  It seems that the early church had a bit more going for them than that.

Maybe these are just some ramblings on a Friday afternoon. Admittedly, this is not a very well thought through essay, but more of a stream of consciousness type thing. But, as I continue to try to be a Christian and lead a church in the Deep South, I find that our cultural accomodation really hampers us from being the prophetic witness that God has called us to be. What will it take for revival to come? We desperately need it. Maybe we need to look at the cultural and spiritual rot in our own region before we wage Culture Wars against others.

What do you think? More later . . .   

Jerry Falwell, Chancellor and founder of Liberty University and The Moral Majority has passed away today. Falwell had a major impact upon American Christianity and politics in the 1970's and 1980's by encouraging Evangelical Christians to get involved in the political process and elect conservative candidates who shared their moral values. He was very effective in reminding Christians of their political responsibilty and was instrumental in leading Evangelical Christians out of the Fundamentalist Retreat that had characterized their existence on the national scene since the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925. The primary result was the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 and a resurgence of conservative political power led by Evangelicals.

Dr. Falwell will be honored by many for his accomplishments over the next few days and he certainly did accomplish a great deal. I was never a very big fan of his activities, however. I believe that he was the leader of a movement that capitalized on a great deal of selfishness in American Christianity. What I mean by that is, the Christian conservative political movement led by men like Pat Robertson, D. James Kennedy, James Dobson, and Jerry Falwell was primarily interested in reclaiming America for God and protecting conservative Christian values. The gist of the movement seemed to be that we keep America nice for us so that we can have a nice country and live happy lives. At least that is how I took it. The main issues surrounded moral values, and while I agreed heartily with many of the positions of the conservative Chrisitan movement, over time, I found them to be hollow and self serving. Abortion, for example, is something that I absolutely disagree with. Therefore, I favor the movement against it led by these men. However, the movement never gained much traction because it was never able to mobilize grass roots action to stem the tide of teen pregnancy and it's incubator, urban poverty among minorities and the lower classes. It seemed that we were against abortion in theory and we voted that way, but there was little movement beyond protest to really do something about invtervening with young girls who were most at risk BEFORE they got pregnant, or after to save the baby's life by providing options. Some of that occurred, but not nearly enough.

The problem with the conservative Christian political movement can also be shown by the timing of it's birth. In the 1960's, Falwell was asked his opinion of liberal ministers who were marching against segregation in the South. His response was essentially that he was too busy carrying out the pastoral duties of his church and doing evangelism. He had no time for political activity. This was the consensus belief of Evangelicals during this time period, especially Southern Baptists. We were either silent or we opposed reform regarding the biggest domestic moral issue of the 20th Century, the repeal of segregation in the South and equal treatment for Blacks. However, when Roe V. Wade came down in 1973, Falwell became engaged with transforming the moral and political landscape of our country. Why the change? Why were politics below him in the 1960's when human beings were being denied civil rights and were being beaten and blasted with fire hoses, but were his tool when abortion was legalized? If he had awoken to his responsibility then and helped stand against inequality and abortion, he would have been consistent and much more effective. However, it was obvious that the conservative Christian agenda was narrow in focus regarding the issues that were important to white evangelical Christians.

This inconsistency has led to a whole host of problems in our nation, in my opinion. When James Dobson came to Montgomery, AL to protest the removal of the 10 Commandments from the Supreme Court building a few years ago, he invoked the memory of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott by saying that American Evangelical Christians were not going to ride in the back of the bus. To compare segregation and Jim Crow with the removal of the 10 Commandments is an historical mistake that could only be made by an affluent person who had never been truly persecuted. I was shocked at the hubris of such a statement, but then I realized that this movement is primarily about protecting OUR rights and OUR country. It was primarily about us, and because of that, it failed.

I did not know Jerry Falwell personally, so my comments are not directed to how nice of a man he was or wasn't. I can only speak to his public positions. While I too desire to see America honor God and be moral, I recognize that politics are not the avenue for change in this country. Politics require compromise and the lure of power is always contaminating. No, as Christians, we should seek to transform society by what we do, not by our votes. Politicians cannot protect America from evil, but we should work hard to make America great by transforming and rebuilding our cities, by ministering justice to the least of our citizens, and by truly being salt and light to a dying world. We should be marked by compassion and we should stand for those who cannot stand for themselves. Our work to save the unborn should go beyond the ballot box and we should work for equal opportunity for all of our citizens, regardless of race, gender, or religion. We should be consistent and actually live out our political principles and apply that action to all people. Maybe then people will see that we mean what we say and that we are not just acting in self interest.

I am not saying that Dr. Falwell did not agree with those positions. He might have. Maybe his enemy was the media who only reported on the political facet of his work. I know that Pat Roberston founded Operation Blessing which has done enormous good. My point is that Jerry Falwell was known for trying to change America primarily through the political arena, and because of that emphasis, I feel that he failed. However, I don't entirely blame him. It seems that he gained a large following because he was taking us where we all wanted to go anyway. Maybe we have learned and we will head a different course. One positive thing from his life is that we learned that when Christians are united, we can make an incredible difference in our country. The negative lesson is, when our energy is focused in the wrong direction, we can also cause harm and weaken the message of Jesus that is not always compatible with the politics of the Religious Right.

Let us not give up doing good and trying to change our nation. But, let us do it with a prophetic voice, not beholden to political processes. Jesus is bigger than political parties and power plays and His salvation is for all who believe in Him and are transformed in their hearts. As Jesus began his earthly ministry, he quoted Isaiah 61. If we read further, maybe Isaiah 61 can be a guide as to how change can really happen:

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
       because the LORD has anointed me
       to preach good news to the poor.
       He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
       to proclaim freedom for the captives
       and release from darkness for the prisoners, 

2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
       and the day of vengeance of our God,
       to comfort all who mourn,

3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
       to bestow on them a crown of beauty
       instead of ashes,
       the oil of gladness
       instead of mourning,
       and a garment of praise
       instead of a spirit of despair.
       They will be called oaks of righteousness,
       a planting of the LORD
       for the display of his splendor.

4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
       and restore the places long devastated;
       they will renew the ruined cities
       that have been devastated for generations.

Maybe we can begin to turn our attention to verse 4 and live out what we profess to believe on a national scale. If Dr. Falwell brought us together and that was the ultimate result, then his legacy will be one worth leaving.

Update: As I have read other comments on Dr. Falwell's life, I realize that my comments here could be taken negatively regarding the whole man. I am primarily reacting to his political activities as that is what I am most aware of. I never really followed his ministry or was that close to it at all. For all of the good that he did in his life and ministry through living an upstanding life and leading many to faith in Jesus, I salute him. My comments are primarily directed to the effectiveness of his political legacy for the rest of us.

At the end of another busy week, I thought I'd just walk through a series of random thoughts and observations . . .

• Regarding the IMB stuff, at the end of the day, my position remains, "Can't we all just get along?" to quote the great 20th Century philospher, Rodney King. I have my position and others have their own, but I still maintain that I would be more than happy to work with or under cessationists, as long as our focus was on Jesus. These issues that are dividing us remain tertiary doctrines and there should still be room for different interpretation. Now, no more on this until San Antonio next month.
• Divorce rates have dropped to their lowest level since 1970. While that appears to be good news on the surface, it is most likely attributable to couples living together before marriage and waiting longer to get married. People are trying to make sure that they can really make it before they get married. According to God, living together before marriage is not the answer either. We should only be sleeping with our spouses and not going from person to person until we "find the right one." While I am glad that less people are getting a divorce, I don't think that the overall situation is any healthier as we damage our souls engaging in immorality again and again.
• I've just about decided that if Fred Thompson runs for president, he has my support. I am completely underwhelmed with the field yet again, but since Thompson can speak in complete sentences, has a commanding presence about him and seems competent, and shares the same values I share, he seems like he won't be an embarrassment. Plus, he did a great job on Law and Order, right? The last time we had an actor in the White House things turned out pretty well, so why not again?
• Family Time Trumps Church Involvement: This study from Leadership Journal came out last year, but with summer approaching, I thought it interesting. According to recent inquiries of pastors, the number one thing hindering local church ministry is the "family trump card." Families are begging out of church involvement because their kids are involved in tons of activities or because they are constantly tired. My opinion: Since family time has been held up as the most important thing for the lives of Christians by ministries like Focus on the Family and others, a situation has been created where families are sacrificing to have their kids at ball practice, ballet, and other activities all week long (not that FOTF teaches that), but are struggling with discernment regarding how they spend their time. I don't think that families should be at the church every day either, but I do think that we could use a lot more discernment regarding what we spend our time doing instead of running all over the world with our hair on fire and calling it "family time." More on this another time . . .
• A little girl with cancer that we know named Kennis Nix, who I wrote about a while back, has experienced an incredible miracle. She was in such a desperate situation that the doctors had basically said there was nothing more that they could do. Many people prayed for her to God for a miracle, including our family and church. They brought her in last week for scans, and to the complete shock of the doctors, they were clear! The MRI conducted this week was clear as well! They only found 5% of the previous cancer cells in her spinal column, which they feel they have a much stronger possibilty of treating. Praise God! I'll write more on this later, as God did an incredible thing in my life through praying for Kennis.
• Only 111 more days until college football season starts! In the meantime, our church is having a father-son outing on Saturday to a Montgomery Bears game. They are a minor league Arena Football Leage team. They are 3-7, but at least it is football, of a sort, right?
• And finally, Sunday is Mother's Day. I am married to the best mother in the world, my wife Erika. She does an awesome job raising our children and we are so blessed to have her in our lives. I also want to say how much I love my own mother and how thankful that I am for how she loved me and my sister and took care of us so well. I love you, Mom!

I have been heartbroken over the unspeakable horror that occurred Monday at Virginia Tech when Cho Seung-Hui murdered 32 people in the worst mass murder in U.S. history. May we all take time to pray for the families and that community. God, please be merciful to them and show them your comfort and compassion. It is impossible for me to understand why things like this happen, but I know that it grieves God's heart, just as Jesus showed us when he wept at Lazarus' tomb. Let us not go through our days unmoved by the tragedy of communities around us. We must take time to pray for these people to receive comfort, strength, and to be drawn closer to a God who loves them and hates these evil acts.

I've been interested in the power of networks and network theory for some time now (see a paper I wrote a couple of years ago called Emerging Network Theory). I believe that society is restructuring to a network based, decentralized organizational system as opposed to a hierachical, centralized organizational system. With the speed of information sharing through the internet, the ease of global travel, and the connecting of people with ideas from all over the world, we are truly stepping into a flat world, as Thomas Friedman tells us. This move to an interconnected world where barriers between people groups and nation states are falling is called Globalization.

Recently, I have been reading two books that have helped to articulate some of the things that I have been observing and sensing intuitively. The first is Glocalization (global + local) by Bob Roberts. I spoke about this book last month HERE. Basically, he takes Friedmans' thesis regarding the flattening of the world through interconnectivity and applies it to the on going, global mission of the church. He uses the fact that each one of us has the ability to be a Kingdom influence on our domains of life through local and global interaction as a wake up call to the church to step into the 21st century and engage the opportunities God has put before us. While fairly simplistic at times, it is an excellent primer on this concept.

The second book is The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations, by Brafmon and Beckstrom. They use the analogy of a Starfish as a decentralized organization (you can cut off the leg of a starfish and a whole new starfish will regenerate), compared to a spider, which looks like a starfish, but if you cut off the head, the whole organism dies. They say that we are headed into a time where decentralized, organic organizations are becoming more effective and are basically unstoppable. Here are the characteristics of a starfish movement compared to a spider organization, which is basically the opposite of these things:

Apparently, blogs are now 10 years old. I've been reading them for about 5 years now, with Andrew Jones being the one who inspired me to get started. I knew Andrew about 10 years ago in San Francisco and lost touch with him. I was thinking about him one day, and did a web search on his name to see if anything came up. From that, I stumbled into the world of TallSkinnyKiwi. From there, I started following his blog roll and met a whole bunch of other bloggers from around the world who were doing incredible things in ministry and writing about it. I first heard about all of the IMB issues from Andrew who had a link to a post by Marty Duren about it. That was around 16 months ago, and I've met a ton of people in baptist life through this as well.

I blogged for sporadically for a little over a year with a Blogger account I started in November of 2004, but then decided to upgrade on December 31, 2005 with my present site hosted by Typepad.  Some people like to link to a bunch of different things and write short journal entries about what they are doing. Some of the blogs that started in this little mircoburst called the Baptist Blogosphere have basically written about Baptist issues. While I've written quite a bit about the Baptist controversy, my blogging is more essay oriented (once I start writing on a subject I have trouble stopping), and I really want to write about where I see God working, or how we can best join in with Him. It has been a great creative outlet for me and I've thoroughly enjoyed the people that I've met, the prayers we've received for our son, Caelan, and the ways I've grown and been sharpened.

Basically, I want my writing to be redemptive in nature and to ultimately focus on Jesus Christ and our ever changing relationship with Him through our daily lives and experiences. How has your blogging changed over time and where do you see it headed in the future? I'd really love to hear from you, even if you only comment. What has been helpful to you in this? What have you learned? What can we do better?

Lt. Col. Rick Francona writes a succinct analysis of the past mistakes, current situation, and the possible future of the War in Iraq as we commemorate the 4th Anniversary of the start of the war. Check out his article Making Sense of a Complex War.

What do you think will happen? What do you think God is up to in all of this? How does news like this affect your prayers?

“We never thought to check on him.”  That's what a neighbor said when asked about why they did not ever notice that 70 year old, Vincenzo Ricardo, in Hampton Bays, N.Y. had not been seen for about a year. They thought that he might have been in a nursing home or hospital. But, no one ever went by. His partially mummified body was still sitting in front of a still running television. This is beyond sad.

Here, read the whole article:

HAMPTON BAYS, N.Y. - The partially mummified body of a man dead for more than a year has been found in a chair in front of his television, which was still on, authorities said. Vincenzo Ricardo, 70, apparently died of natural causes, said Dr. Stuart Dawson, Suffolk County’s deputy chief medical examiner.

Police found Ricardo’s body this week when they investigated a report of burst pipes. The home’s dry air had preserved his features, morgue assistant Jeff Bacchus said. “You could see his face. He still had hair on his head,” Bacchus said.

Ricardo’s wife died years ago, and he lived alone, Dawson said. “He hasn’t been heard from in over a year. That’s the part that baffles me,” he said. “Nobody sounded the alarm.” Neighbors said they had thought Ricardo was in a hospital or nursing home.

“We never thought to check on him,” said neighbor Diane Devon.

I was shocked when I read this. Of course, the implications for Christian community are enormous. God never intended for us to live this way. But, then I started thinking: "Do I know all my neighbors? Do I check on them?" Unfortunately, if I had lived in that neighborhood, I don't know if the result would have been any different. Maybe it would have, but it is not guaranteed. We desperately need each other and we need to build relationships with one another.

So, Vincenzo, here's to you. You didn't have a proper send off. No one was there with you during your final days. You were born in 1936. You were a child during World War II and you graduated high school in 1954, right when rock n' roll was bursting on the scene. Your wife died before you and I don't know if you had any kids. You lived during a time of great change on this planet, and much of it was probably moving too fast for you. But, we at least know that you saw some of it through your portal into other's people's lives, the television. I hope that you weren't watching a reality show when you passed. I hope that you weren't living vicariously through others. But, I am sorry that you were alone. I'm sorry I didn't know you. You probably had some pretty good stories to tell. What kind of hurt did you experience? Did the death of your wife drive you to loneliness and despair? Was she the love of your life that you couldn't live without, or did you ever even speak? What was your story, Vincenzo?

More important than any of that, did you know Jesus as your Savior, your Redeemer, your Lord? More than anything, I hope that you turned your heart to Christ at some point in your life. I hope that you heard and believed the message that Jesus loved you, that He gave His life for you, and that He died for your sins. I hope that some other follower of Jesus cared enough about you to tell you that Jesus loved you and that you could find new life in Him. I hope that you found that peace and joy. If you did, I wonder why you would be alone? Was there no church to support you, to love you, to check on you, and care for you? Were there no believers in Christ in Hampton Bays, New York to remind you that Jesus loves you?

I'm just wondering Vincenzo. If not, and if you never got to hear or believe the message about the love of God through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, I want to apologize to you. I want to say that I am sorry and that I grieve for your soul beyond words. If you thought that Christianity was just a church, a bishop, or a pope, or if you thought that you could be good enough to earn God's favor, I am sorry. If you never heard about grace, unconditional love, or forgiveness, I am sorry for that too. If you heard, and rejected the message, as is your right, I am still sorry that you died alone - so lonely in fact, that no one ever even noticed you were gone, even though you sat in your own house. I'm sorry we never visited you when you were alive. Vincenzo, I am just sorry.

Now, what were we all arguing about again?

Well, Christmas is almost here. This will be my last post until after Christmas. I've got family coming in tomorrow and LOTS needs to be done to get ready and to finish up all of our Christmas preparations. My wife would not be happy to see me sitting on the computer while she does everything, so, this is it until next week. I'm also looking forward to our service on Sunday and our Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion Service (I love that!).  SOOO,  MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! 

We've been trying to make Christmas more spiritual and missional this year. Instead of just focusing on ourselves and receiving, we have tried to find ways to connect with neighbors and friends and serve them. Later this evening, my family and I are going into our neighborhood to deliver little goody packages with a scripture verse on them to all of our neighbors. We don't know the vast majority of them because everyone is so private. We thought this would be a great way to get to know them, pass on a blessing, and start to build some relationships. My wife and children spent the whole afternoon yesterday baking all types of cookies, brownies, fudge, etc., and they had a blast. Please pray for us as we do this. I am trying to teach my kids that Christmas is a great time to reach out to others and bless them, even if you don't know them. They're pretty excited about it.

Along those lines, a group from our church went Christmas Caroling on Wednesday night (see image on left - that was us! Yeah right!). This was the last event in our Time to Serve. We did not have our normal service, so around 40 of us went to the apartment complexes near our church and sang a few songs. Some folks came out to listen, but even though many people were home, people tended to not be very responsive, except for a few (including a Muslim family). I was kind of surprised. How often do you have Christmas Carolers show up near your house? I guess not often enough. We were walking back toward the church, and I was a little disappointed, honestly.

But, then I had a thought. We were walking on the street back toward the church and passed a restaurant/martini bar named Dabbo's. It occurred to me that they might let us come in and sing Christmas carols to their patrons (I'm thinking of an Irish Pub type of thing). I told the group to wait and I went and asked if they would have us. They said "sure!" and told us to come in. There was no one in the restaurant, but there were about 10 people in the bar area. It was a pretty nice place filled with an older crowd that was dressed nicely. We all crowded in (kids and all) and sang our Christmas carols and told them Merry Christmas. Many of the patrons sang along with us. We then gave out little flyers that had some of our church information on it with candy canes attached. In return, they gave us money! I rushed up and kept telling them "NO! Keep your money! We didn't come here for money! We're trying to bless you!" They insisted. They were so happy that we came in, they took up a collection for us and told us to use it for a good cause! It was spare cash they had in their pockets, but it ended up being $30! I went back to the church and assigned it to our benevolence fund. We regularly have people coming to the church and asking for food or gas, so those folks in the bar will help feed some folks in the coming weeks.

So, I thought that was pretty cool. It just shows me that God always has surprises for us when we step out in faith and incarnate the gospel. The Incarnation of Christ into a lost and hurting world has been my running theme this Christmas and I am so excited about what God has taught me. Our God is a missional God and He sent His Son cross culturally to our planet to bring us the Kingdom of God. We have so much to rejoice over and so much to tell people about.

Again, please pray for my family and I as we try and build relationships with our neighbors tonight. We're going to around 25 houses and are praying for friendships to develop with people that we only see in passing. We hope to follow this up with neighborhood get togethers as the year goes on, but everyone is so isolated and private, we thought Christmas would be a great time to break the ice.

I wish each of you a merry Christmas. So does my wife Erika, and my 4 children. Merry Christmas!!!

Of course, he denies the holocaust, wants to eradicate the Jews, is preparing his people for Armageddon, and is building a nuclear bomb to help him accomplish his goals, but otherwise, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the President of Iran, seems like a pretty nice guy (sarcasm - seriously, I had to say that because some would take me seriously. Sigh).  He has some questions and comments for Christians:

In a greeting to the world's Christians for the coming new year, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he expects both Jesus and the Shiite messianic figure, Imam Mahdi, to return and "wipe away oppression."

"I wish all the Christians a very happy new year and I wish to ask them a question as well," said Ahmadinejad, according to an Iranian Student News Agency report cited by YnetNews.com 

"My one question from the Christians is: What would Jesus do if he were present in the world today? What would he do before some of the oppressive powers of the world who are in fact residing in Christian countries? Which powers would he revive and which of them would he destroy?" asked the Iranian leader.

"If Jesus were present today, who would be facing him and who would be following him?"

Ahmadinejad then made a connection between Jesus and the Imam Mahdi, believed by Shiites to have disappeared as a child in A.D. 941. When the Mahdi returns, they contend, he will reign on earth for seven years before bringing about a final judgment and the end of the world.

"All I want to say is that the age of hardship, threat and spite will come to an end someday and, God willing, Jesus would return to the world along with the emergence of the descendant of the Islam's holy prophet, Imam Mahdi, and wipe away every tinge of oppression, pain and agony from the face of the world," Ahmadinejad said.

Of course, I think he's a madman. But, I found it interesting that he is appealing to Christians in this way to try and win them over. What do you think?  Apart from the fact that we are being asked this by an Iranian dictator who is hoping that we will come to conclusions that would cause us to turn against the West (and the U.S. in particular), how would you answer these questions if a Muslim in your community posed them to you?

Over the course of the past 6-9 months I have read three books that have affected my view of the current administration in the White House and have also affected my views on leadership. They are The Great Deluge by Douglas Brinkley regarding Hurricane Katrina, State of Denial by Bob Woodward regarding the failures of our Iraq policy, and Tempting Faith by David Kuo, which was about the office of faith based initiatives.  All three books, though on completely unrelated topics, show the picture of a detached leader who delegated way too much, did not ask hard questions, and led by giving pep talks to subordinates. After reading this trilogy, I was struck by how similar the observations of these men were, even though they did not work together, had no communication, and shared no common agenda. I came to the realization that our president has led in a very direct way on casting vision, but has been very vague on how that vision is to be accomplished. He's left the execution up to subordinates who have been consistently confused about how things were to be done, who was in charge, what the chain of command actually was, and what the real desires of the president were. Many also had their own agendas that were at odds with the president, but because he never asked questions, he did not know. Time after time, I read about meetings in the White House where people would come out more confused than they went in and our President would do nothing to bring clarity, ask tough questions, or get things moving. From the detachment in the wake of Katrina, to abdicating direction of the Iraq policy to Rumsfeld and Paul Bremer, to mouthing empty slogans on faith based initiatives that were not backed up with substance, one gets the idea that our president has determined ideas but very little ability to get people moving so that things happen the right way.   

When George W. Bush became president, much was made of his managerial leadership style. He was the first Harvard MBA to become president, and he would bring with him a business sense to the executive branch that would be much more effective than the political leaders that have come before him. Well, whatever you think of Bush the Younger personally (I am a lifelong Republican, voted for him twice, and understand that he is an evangelical Christian), it is important to learn from his leadership style, if you can possibly track it.

Initially, he was lauded for his determination, focus, and moral clarity. He had a vision and he executed it. He called those around him to "keep the faith," and "stay the course." He was the ultimate vision caster.  He got the vision and he told others where we were headed. In a time of crisis, we all craved this type of direction and decisiveness. Everyone followed him.

But, things did not work out the way that he wanted. The Baker Commission is rumored to be considering bringing in Syria and Iran to help in a possible civil war in Iraq. People died on overpasses waiting 5 days to be rescued from the flood ravaged city of New Orleans. The Faith Based Initiatives Office is now basically defunct and nothing more is being done with the capstone of Compassionate Conservatism. The Republicans lost control of the House and the Senate, not because of liberal media bias, but because of their own corruption, incompetence, and failure to lead properly.

So, what can we learn? Remember, politically, I am a lifelong Republican who does not take the Democratic policies seriously.  Some of their policies are immoral, in my opinion, and I could never support a party that that advocates abortion on demand.  However, that does not mean that I should not critique and analyze my own end of the political spectrum, ask where God is working, and ask what needs to be learned.  Here are some leadership lessons, in my humble opinion:

1. Delegate to enable, not to ignore. Harry Truman said, "The buck stops here." To Bush's credit, he has taken responsibility for mistakes made both with Katrina and Iraq. I admire that. However, the reason for the mistakes was that he put people in position and offered no accountablity. He asked no questions. He did not make sure, on any level, that things were happening as they should, until failure was guaranteed. Delegation is good and vital, but we should not use it so that we can just focus on what we want to focus on. The whole task of the organization is important, and as the leader, you are responsible.
2. Every vision needs a plan for execution.  FEMA had been decimated by budget cuts. There was no plan for the rebuilding of Iraq after the war. Faith Based Initiatives was a lot of talk and little action. We, as leaders, do not need to put forward a vision without some type of reasonal plan to see it come to pass. When that plan is executed, and you assign people to tasks, you need to make sure that you resource the plan effectively. Mere platitudes do not accomplish great dreams. Action does.
3. Know your environment and context.  Jesus told us to "consider the cost." What is your reasonable chance of success? What are your obstacles? Why has this never been done before? Bush thought that he could superimpose democracy on the Middle East with very little understanding of the authoritarian Muslim Arab culture. The State Department was replaced by the Defense Department in the leadership of the endeavor. We said that because it had happened in Germany and Japan after WWII, it could happen in the Middle East. History will be the judge of this strategy, but at the very least, it did not take into account the culture of the people.  Every leadership environment consists of culture and context. You have to know who and what you are working with before you can devise plans to create a preferred future. The Bush Administration seemed to fail at this.
4. Get an accurate view of the situation throughout implementation of the plan. In other words, "how are things going?" The plan needs to be held accountable to some type of measurement. Without that, no one knows what is to happen next. What are the goals?  What do we need to do to accomplish this? We are finally asking these questions in Iraq, but it is too little too late.
5. Define success and fully articulate it to everyone involved. It is demoralizing to work and work with little to show for it and without knowing if you are doing the right thing. From ice trucks stranded in Missouri during Katrina, to miscommunication with generals in Iraq, the Bush administration has consistently been confused about what the goals of the operation were and what defined success.  In the same way, we need to know where we are headed, how we get there, and when we have arrived.
6. Be flexible and open to change.  Every day brings new variables and problems that could not be forseen. It is important to be decisive and stick with your plan, but at the same time, when that plan is no longer working, it is important to assess the situation and make course corrections. This is something that our president was not willing to do until recently, to the great frustration of the American people. He had to lose both houses of Congress before he would reconsider. May we not be so stubborn. It is o.k. to change our course and our strategy. If we are led by defined goals, the most important thing is the destination, not necessarily the route we took to get there.

These are just a few of the lessons that I have learned from watching our executive leader. As I said, I have supported him and I pray for him. I don't think that the Democrats have better ideas. But, the last time I checked, this was America, and it is important for us to learn from our mistakes and apply these solutions to other areas of our lives by asking questions and pointing a better way forward. What about your family? What about your ministry? You job? Your areas of leadership? How can we be more direct and involved in the process to make sure what needs to happen actually happens? Without being micromanagers, how can we all be better leaders so that God is glorified and His purposes are fulfilled through us in our generation? Just some thoughts to ponder.

We just finished up an AMAZING conference that I will write about quite a bit this week, but I want to take an aside to point you to an article on MSNBC about the 3 kids who were killed after her mother was found dead with her stomach sliced open and her fetus removed. I've seen this story's headlines but refused to read it because I hate to read about kids being killed or abused. But, I finally read it. It is one of the saddest things I've ever seen or heard of. I just kept staring at the picture of the children. Why did they have to go through this? Why such violence, hatred, murder? Why such evil? I am horrified, overwhelmed, and broken hearted. They were just starting out in life. They're mother was maimed. All of this was done at the hands of a lady who was a friend. Demonic Insanity.

I normally try to write about where I see God at work, but when I see evil on this level, I am reminded of why Jesus came. He came to forgive us of our sins and destroy the Devil's work (1 John 3:5,8). How grieved was God over what happened? How does this break His heart? We know that Jesus came to set right all that has gone wrong and restore the marred image of our Creator. He came to save us from this. Come quickly Lord Jesus. Put an end to all of this horror and devastation. May we weep tears over the death of innocents, both here and around the world. May our hearts never grow so calloused that we fail to feel sorrow when evil is inflicted upon the helpless. May we never fail to share and live out the gospel so that hearts will be changed, lives will be saved, and God will receive glory. May God help us.

A few things I'm thinking about today as we start off another week . . .

Ernesto seems to be moving east toward Florida. I don't wish a hurricane on anyone, and my sister lives in Orlando, but I am very glad it is not projected to hit Louisiana-Mississippi. They truly can't take it. The tens of thousands of people living in FEMA trailers would again be homeless. I just pray that this hurricane season remains relatively quiet.  This week is the one year anniversary of Katrina and the memories are strong. I'm going to write a bit about my memories from last year. Even though I didn't go through it, we were down there four days later and my family went through it. It was a horrendous time and I want to get some thoughts down.

We had a great day at church yesterday. I preached on Philippians 3:17-4:1. Powerful passage. We talked about how Paul's example and pattern were the "way of life in Christ Jesus" (1 Cor. 4:16-17), and how that is so different from just moral behavior alone. Rather, it is finding your righteousness in Christ by faith and allowing Him to live through you and transform you. That leads to moral behavior, but Christ is always our starting and finish point. He is our guide and our goal. The message notes and audio will be up on Gatewaylife.net later this week.

I came across a great article today about the rise of Christianity in China, entitled The War for China's Soul (HT: Andrew Hicks). The article was in Time Magazine.  This is a truly fascinating article and I highly encourage everyone to check it out. It is saying that Christianity is gaining an incredible foothold in China and is transforming the society. Persecution is breaking out in places, but the Chinese leadership knows that it cannot stem the tide. It is becoming too strong. So, they are letting the house churches go as long as they are not too boisterous. Only in cases where the house churches become too bold are they cracking down, like in Hangzhou where the Christians had the nerve to build a church building. The soldiers came in and bulldozed the building and began to attack the believers:

Witnesses told TIME that at about 2:30 p.m., thousands of uniformed police and plainclothes security officers appeared at the construction site. The police cleared a way through the crowds for a few drill-equipped backhoes, and the authorities then demolished the church. Witnesses say police bludgeoned people indiscriminately with nightsticks. "They were picking up women--some of them old ladies--by their hair and swinging them around like dolls, then letting them crash to the ground," says a man who watched the clash from across the street. A statement faxed to TIME by the information office of the Xiaoshan district government describes the scene differently, claiming that about 100 Christians "attacked and injured government officials" and that although the police detained a few protesters, none were injured. But the volunteer interviewed by TIME produced receipts from the local hospital attesting to his treatment for broken ribs, which he says many others suffered as well. "They treated us like dead dogs," he says. "Some of them scoffed at us as we lay there, saying, 'Where is your God now? Why can't he help you? If you want to go to heaven, we'll help you get there right now.'"

I know that these stories are happening all over the world, but it seems that in China the faith is really spreading and taking root. The article goes on to say:

After four failed attempts over a millennium and a half by foreign missionaries to gain a foothold in China, Christianity is finally taking root and evolving into a truly Chinese religion. Estimates vary, but some experts say Christians make up 5% of China's population, or 65 million believers. And thousands more are converting every day, the vast majority through unofficial "house" churches like the one that sparked the clash in Hangzhou.

God is on the move in China. May we pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ as they develop Christianity into a "truly Chinese religion." We now live in a time where Christianity is global. God is moving all over the world. It doesn't look very American anymore and it is spreading like wildfire. Yes, there are problems as there are in America. But, we should embrace God's movement and encourage it wholeheartedly.  Praise God! Let this final excerpt be an encouragement to read the whole article:

In the long run, though, government attempts to circumscribe how people practice their faith seem unlikely to succeed--and could well spark more unrest. It's telling that even in the face of such crackdowns, some Chinese Christians say they are confident that they will eventually win the freedom to practice their faith as they choose. Brother Chow (not his real name) is one. He is every inch the model of the modern Chinese Christian, a preacher who doubles as a businessman. Despite his pressed jeans, polo shirt and fancy mobile phone, he professes to believe in a deep, ancient faith, one that he says has carried many a Christian through persecution. "Why don't I think it will be a problem? Because as time goes on, the government will get to know the Christian spirit and realize that God exists." He smiles with the secret knowledge of a true believer. "And then," he says, "they will become Christians too."

Praise God, Praise God, Praise God! British counterterrorism agents stop what could be the "Big One," as they arrest over 20 people in a plot to blow up commercial airliners over the Atlantic on their way to the U.S. They were going to use liquid explosives. Hundreds, maybe thousands, would have died. The overall purpose of my blog is to chronicle where I see God at work in the world. Well, this definitely qualifies!

What a miracle! What if they had not stopped it? This will be forgotten now, but if it had happened, we would have had another 9/11 on our hands. This reminds us to pray all the more for us and our allies as we work to put a stop to this collective evil of global terrorism. We need to take the war to Al Quaeda even more than we have. Let's praise God today, but also pray for continued success for our troops and the intelligence agencies of us and our allies. Sometimes, it's easy to forget there is a war going on. Not today.

Yesterday, I ran across an interview that outgoing SBC President Dr. Bobby Welch gave after the convention in Greensboro (HT: John Stickley). As many of you know, there was a resolution that was passed against the consumption, use, manufacturing, and sale of alcoholic beverages.  Obviously, every Baptist is against drunkeness and agrees with the Biblical prohibitions regarding that issue. That is not what the debate has been about. The debate has concerned whether it is permissable for a Christian to have even a glass of wine on a rare occasion. The resolutions says "No."  Many have countered the resolution by pointing out that there is no Biblical injunction against having a small amount of alcohol in moderation and even Jesus turned water to wine. Anyway, it has been a big debate and I have been kind of bored by it because everyone just snipes at each other and no one really listens, it seems. I have tried to stay out of this debate to follow the admonition of Romans 14: 19-23 that tells us to do what leads to peace and mutual edification and to not cause your brother to stumble. It also says that whatever you believe about such matters you should keep to yourself so that you will not be condemned by what you approve of and that everything that does not come from faith is sin. So, I see little benefit in coming down on one side or another of a non-essential, unless it becomes a gospel issue, which at times it has. 

But, when I read the words of Bobby Welch in an interview he gave on June 27, I had to take issue, not over the alcohol issue, but over bearing false witness against your neighbor. The Ninth Commandment in Exodus 20:16 says, "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." I believe that Bobby Welch did so. Here are his words:

Michael Spencer at internetmonk.com totally blew me away with The Tactics of Failure: Why the Culture War Makes Sense to Spiritually Empty Evangelicals.   This was one of the most interesting posts I have read in some time. If you read anything this week in the blogosphere, take a moment and read this article.  Spend some time with it. THINK! PROCESS! PRAY!  Here are a few excerpts to get you going:

Both families and churches struggle in turning out disciples. American churches specialize in an consumerized, gnostic, experiential Gospel that is increasingly inseparable form the culture in which that church exists. American evangelicals have become as much like the dominant culture as it is possible to be and still exist at all. In fact, evangelicals continue to exist, in large measure, because they have mainstreamed the culture into their religion so that one’s Christianity hardly appears on the radar screen of life as any in any way different from the lives of other people. We are now about values, more than about Christ and the Gospel.

Evangelicals should come to terms with this: they are in every way virtually identical to suburban, white, upper middle class American culture. They are not as bad as the worst of that culture, but they are increasingly like the mainstream of that culture and are blown about by every wind of that consumerized and materially addicted culture. In fact, go to many evangelical churches and the culture is so present, so affirmed, preached and taught that one would assume that there is nothing whatsoever counter cultural about the affirmation that Jesus is Lord.

AND,

Spiritual formation is no longer interesting to most evangelical churches. Pentecostals want experience and megachurches want activity and support. The point at the end of it all is the expansion of the churches themselves and the ability of individual Christians to live in support of the church as the proper end of the earthly Christian life. The missional goal of most evangelical churches in America is the further growth of the church.

Eugene Peterson has written for years on the loss of the pastor as one who directs the spiritual formation of Christians through the Word, prayer, community and the sacraments. He has lamented the ascendancy of a “pastoral” model that is, in reality, a church growth technician, not a spiritual leader. Peterson has been a true prophet, and we can only hope that younger evangelicals are going to reread and finally hear his warnings now that they have all come true. (One truly trembles at the prospect of many younger pastors actually having to explain scripture, conduct a funeral or counsel someone on an issue of spiritual importance. Rabbi Feinberg, check your messages.)

My Conclusion

I am suggesting, therefore, that the increasing interest in the culture war among evangelicals is not an example of a reinvigorated evangelicalism remaking its culture. Instead, I believe the intense focus by evangelicals on political and cultural issues is evidence of a spiritually empty and unformed evangelicalism being led by short-sighted leaders toward a mistaken version of the Kingdom of God on earth.

The Culture War makes sense to Christians who have little or no idea how to be Christians in this culture except to oppose liberals and fight for a conservative political and social agenda- an agenda often less than completely examined in the light of scripture, reason, tradition and experience.

So, what do you think? Is he right? While I despise the culture war, I am still adamantely pro-life and support pro-Christian values in the public sphere. However, the political and "power" approach that we are taking doesn't seem to be working very well (see Ralph Reed) and I can't really find it in the Bible anywhere.  So, again, what do you think? Where is God at work in all of this? How can we stand for what is right and still keep our integrity as GOSPEL people? More on this later . . .

BTW, PLEASE read the Eugene Peterson article referenced above by Spencer, called Spirituality for All the Wrong Reasons. Shattering. I think I'm going to be posting excepts from this soon with some commentary, but read ahead.

A recent article at MSN Money says that $100 a barrel oil is just around the corner. If that happens, gas will go to $4 to $5 a gallon at the pump. Is it time for us to begin thinking about the implications of such a situation for our ministries? For our families? For our church members?  How could we reach out to people who would now have trouble getting to work and around town? This would impact so many people in a disastrous way.  So many of us are just barely making ends meet now.

Some excerpts from the article:

"We think $100-a-barrel oil is very possible," says Frank Holmes, who manages the U.S. Global Investors' Global Resources Fund (PSPFX), one of the top-performing energy funds, up nearly 50% in the past year.

Holmes thinks supply constraints alone will be enough to put oil above $100, without any help from geopolitical flare-ups. In a world with 6.5 billion people, Holmes said, "3.5 billion are in economies that must grow at 6% a year or politicians lose their jobs."

By this he means that a sharp economic slowdown in rapid-growth countries such as China or India could lead to regime-toppling social unrest. So political leaders know they have to keep their economies humming, and that requires more oil. "They are embracing the American dream," says Holmes.

They have a ways to go, but a few quick numbers show why oil consumption should increase dramatically along the way. Per capita oil consumption in China and India stands at 1.7 barrels a year. In Mexico, the number is seven barrels; it's 17 in Japan and 28 in the United States.

China's demand for oil grew by 11% in the most recent quarter, and demand in India was up 5%, according to UBS Securities analyst Jan Stuart. He thinks global demand for oil will grow by 2% a year through 2008.

But at the same time, there are supply constraints. A dearth of investment by oil companies during the 1990s when oil was cheap resulted in limits on reserves and production now. Spare capacity among Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) members is tight, while non-OPEC growth is flat except for new production from former Soviet Union countries, says Goldman Sachs oil sector analyst Arjun Murti.

We know that God knows the future and is not surprised. He is already ahead of us.  How could this be an opportunity to spread His glory and grace? How could the church be proactive and actually make a difference?  As a pastor of a church that really wants to be salt and light in our community, I am interested in your ideas. Be creative and think about not just what a local church could do, but how we could leverage our influence if church's and businesses came together.  Sometimes, we just caught in the flow like everyone else and we fail to realize that we are here to make a difference.  All of these things that are going on could be bridges for the gospel to travel over if we have our eyes open. What do you think?

The other day, while reading Bernard Lewis' The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror, I ran across a very interesting passage. Lewis credits Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966), an Egyptian, as being a key figure in the development of radical Islamic attitudes. According to Lewis, he "became a leading idealogue of Muslim fundamentalism and an active member of the fundamentalist organization known as the Muslim Brotherhood."  Upon further research, I became aware that Hamas, in Palestine, is a part of this group.

Wikipedia has this to say about the influence of Qutb:

Qutb has been interpreted, particularly in some parts of the Western media, as an intellectual precursor to various Islamic fundamentalist movements of the 1980s to the present, including the notorious international organization Al-Qaeda. In this view, Qutb is argued to be a theoretical foundation of Islamic extremism. One can find some ideological connections between Qutb's thought and radical fundamentalist groups. These include Qutb's advocacy of an Islamic theocracy as the only legitimate state, his justification of jihad in the conflict against non-Islamic governments, and his uncompromising opposition to Western culture and values.

It is widely known that Qutb's brother, Muhammad Qutb, moved to Saudi Arabia where he became a professor of Islamic Studies. One of Muhammad Qutb's students and an ardent follower was Ayman Zawahiri, who later became the mentor of Osama bin Laden.

So, obviously, Qutb was something of a founding father of Islamic Fundamentalism and terror groups. But, what's interesting is that Qutb spent two years in the United States (1948-1950) where he received a Master's Degree in Education from the University of Nothern Colorado. During that time he was greatly affected by American culture, and his revulsion regarding the promiscuity and rampant materialism that he found here prompted his turn toward radical Islam.

Lewis picks up our narrative concerning what shocked Qutb the most about American culture on pages 77-79:

There is just something about us that loves to point out the flaws of others and pile on. I know that the liberal media is overjoyed to hear about Mel Gibson's drunken tirade against Jews, and I agree that his comments were horrible and incredibly stupid. In addition, it gives really good credence to the recent SBC Resolution against Alcohol Consumption, eh? But, beyond that, we generally love to see celebrities or people in power blow it, don't we? There is something in us that loves to tear people down and criticize, whether they are politicians, preachers, or celebrities. It should cause us to grieve. In my opinion, he showed more strength of character by apologizing the way he has, coming clean, and entering rehab, than many who try and pretend like they have no problems. The truth is, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We all desperately need a Savior. The same people who accepted Bill Clinton's apology will not accept Mel Gibson's and vice versa because of their agendas. Forgiveness starts with recognizing that WE are sinners. Then, maybe we won't throw stones at others and we will help people who have fallen get back up.

Why don't we forgive and restore? Often, it is because we enjoy the power that we now hold over people. We can feel morally superior to them. "Well, at least I didn't do what she did!"  In this we become hypocrites ourselves. We need to find a way to point out wrong, but at the same time, accept and restore people who genuinely recognize their mistakes and try and make changes. We could just as easily be next. How can we not affirm someone who sees the error of their ways and tries to do right? We can deplore the sin and the sinful attitude, but we have to be willing to allow someone to confess and be forgiven.

Many will say, "Yes, people can be forgiven, but they no longer can have a voice or a platform to influence others because of their mistake." I see the reasoning in that, but if we are not careful, we make the moral platform that people have flow out of their own righteousness. From a Christian perspective, we are all to radiate God's grace and point to Christ as our Savior. As Christians, are we to be a moral example? Yes. Are our lives to be above reproach? Absolutely. Are there standards? Sure. We should join with Paul as he said, "Follow me as I follow Christ." But, we should be very careful that our authority does not come from our own righteousness, but the righteousness of Christ.  We should not point to ourselves, but point to Jesus who loves us, saves us, and lives through us.

I say this because Mel Gibson claims to be a Christian who made perhaps the most influential Christian film of all time, The Passion of the Christ.  As we think of his sin, we should also think of his repentance and see his flaws through the eyes of grace. That is what the cross and the true passion of the Christ is all about, isn't it? If our lives were ripped open and examined, who could stand?

Does anyone else feel a sinking sense of dred about what is going on in the Middle East? Over 50 civilians are dead in the Lebanese village of Qana after Israeli missiles hit the area that Hezbollah was using as a human shield. The masses proceeded to go nuts, understandably. Interestingly, the part of the blogosphere that I inhabit (mainly baptist blogs) is strangely quiet about the goings on over there and I wonder if we are even noticing (except for Marty Duren who posted about friends of his who were caught in the crossfire in Lebanon).  I know it is all over the news, but the only conversations I have with anyone are the ones I bring up. Is it just too far away? Do we not care? Are we just tired and overwhelmed with information?

We had a prayer meeting tonight at church, and I brought the whole situation up and said we NEED to be praying. We did and we really sensed God's presence. Personally, I do not think that we will ever have peace in the Middle East.  I was in Jerusalem last year, and I visibly saw the hatred between Palestinians and Jews. It is a bridge too far. We are deluding ourselves to think that we are going to fix everything over there, in my opinion. Radical Islam is not as radical as we think (in the sense of being out of the mainstream of Islamic thought) and it has a very strong hold over the masses, at least in their sympathies. Hatred is growing against the U.S. government for our actions over there, not for the freedoms we possess, as our president has told us. I personally believe that we should take the war to the terrorists and deal with them very harshly, but the reality is, for every action we or Israel take, the hatred towards the U.S. grows.

The Washington Post ran an article entitled U.S. Risks Backlash in Mideast. Some excerpts:

The Israeli bombs that slammed into the Lebanese village of Qana yesterday did more than kill three dozen children and a score of adults. They struck at the core of U.S. foreign policy in the region and illustrated in heart-breaking images the enormous risks for Washington in the current Middle East crisis.

With each new scene of carnage in southern Lebanon, outrage in the Arab world and Europe has intensified against Israel and its prime sponsor, raising the prospect of a backlash resulting in a new Middle East quagmire for the United States, according to regional specialists, diplomats and former U.S. officials.

John Piper has an interesting perspective on Israel, Palestine, and the Middle East from 2004 that is worth reading for all who are trying to get a handle on the on going crisis from a Biblical perspective. I went to the Middle East last summer for a couple of weeks and ended up in Jerusalem for a couple of days at the end of the trip. In preparation, I studied quite a bit on the theological, historical, and social issues behind the conflict in the region from the Jewish, Palestinian, and Arab sides. I am coming to some conclusions that have strong implications for foreign policy, global missions, and eschatology and am working on a massive post that I will link here but will host at my other site, writings.downshoredrift.com.  Read the Piper article as background material for what is coming. It should be interesting.

I've spent a good deal of time over the past week putting together a blog/web based magazine for our church. I keep thinking about how effective blogging has been for me to meet new people, get ideas out there, and to be able to receive feedback, prayer, and encouragement. What if a church created a community where it could take part in that together? What if we put what God was doing in our lives on display and invited others in our church to take part in that? We decided to launch gatewaylife.net and see what happens. It just started yesterday, so we are in the experimental phase, but the folks that have been to it are really excited. As always, it will take people a while to start leaving comments, but already ideas are flowing about putting bible studies up and having them be interactive and sharing testimonies. So, this should be interesting.  By the way, please don't go on there and leave any negative comments. They will be immediately deleted. That site is not the place to criticize people's thoughts or theology. Save it for here. I can take it.

Also, I've been invited (actually volunteered) to be a contributer at Dr. Andrew Jackson's RedBlueChristian.com.  It is an offshoot of his SmartChristian.com and it is meant to look at political issues from both a conservative and liberal Christian viewpoint in the hope that dialogue between the two sides can occur. I am decidedly conservative, but I often find myself at odds with Republicans on many issues. Of course, I am pro-life, against gay marriage, and very conservative on social issues, but I find that to be consistent with what the Bible says means that I am not always in agreement with Republicans. That is as it should be. We should always maintain a prophetic witness and never be beholden to a political party or a nation-state for that matter. Our Kingdom is not of this world. So, I'll be writing on political issues from time to time over there and will provide links from here. Hopefully, I'll present a reasoned, Biblical perspective.

The aforementioned causes me to ask: What would you, the readers of Downshoredrift, like to see discussed from a political perspective? I might not take all your ideas, but some ideas might provide food for thought and get me thinking. I'm working on an article on the crisis in the Middle East right now and how we should be addressing the entire issue. I'm learing a ton and it is fascinating. Other issues?

UPDATE:  I just posted my first article at RedBlueChristian.com. It is called the Fallacy of Trusting in Politics. It is basically an introductory post on how I believe that Christians should seek to maintain a prophetic Biblical witness and not be tied to any one political party because our Kingdom is not of this world. Pretty tame stuff, really. But, it's a start. Check it out.

With the resolution against alcohol consumption at this year's Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Greensboro, NC because of it's harmful effects, should we expect a similar resolution against smoking at next year's annual meeting in San Antonio based on this article?

Tobacco expected to kill 1 billion this century

What do you think?  Wouldn't that be interesting? Tobacco is considered a doorway drug to other things that are even more harmful. Smoking also killed my grandfather, so I would definitely have something to say about that, especially based on the logic that has been used up to this point in response to the alcohol resolution.  Any drafters (no pun intended)?

By the way, you would really have to be following the discussion on the alcohol resolution on the SBC blogs to fully understand the intention of this post. If you haven't followed that discussion, please ignore.

Today is the one year anniversary of the London terror bombings that killed 52 and injured over 700 more. The bombings were sponsored by Al-Quaida and were front page news all over the world. Today, they had a moment of silence at King's Cross Station of the London Underground. During a visit to London, I rode the tube through there only a year before with one of my best friends from college who was both in NYC during 9/11 and London last year during the bombings. I have had the privilege of travelling quite a bit on mission trips and for other reasons over the past couple of years and I actually heard about the bombings standing in a market at the Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem, while picking up a Jerusalem Post. A Palestinian looking over my shoulder let out an "Oh No," and I knew what he meant. Everytime Al-Quaida enacted a terrorist attack, life became harder for the Palestinians. The tension was high in Jerusalem over the next couple of days as people wondered if there would be other attacks or crackdowns by the Israeli's against the Palestinians. I was staying in a British hotel at David's Gate at the time and had a chance to offer condolences to the British nationals that were both working and staying there. It was an interesting time, to say the least.  I was very concerned about my friend, because he took the tube from King's Cross to work. I later found out he was alright.

During my studies leading up to our trip to Jordan and Jerusalem, I learned a great deal about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the whole situation in the Middle East. We travelled throughout Jordan, spoke with a lot of people, heard their stories, and found out that opinions toward America are definitely mixed. Some hate America and distrust everything we do. Others, are grateful for our participation over there and want the economic opportunities that good relations with the U.S. provide. As I travelled through Europe and India the year before, I found that most people were very interested in America and had strong opinions, most of them good. We are both loved, respected, feared, and hated. It was very interesting to me that in every newspaper, there would be news about America. The whole world watches us and whatever we do has enormous consequences. I don't think I fully understood that.

America is at war with terrorists, and rightfully so, considering 9/11 and further attacks, like the bombings in London. I pray that we stop all terrorism and that we have victory in the War in Iraq. My best friend in the world is over there in the U.S. Army right now.  As Christians, however, how does all of this affect us and other believers? How do you think this has affected the work of American missionaries overseas?  One truth that was brought home to me as I travelled, is that I am a Christian first and an American second. I have more in common with the Jordanian man who converted to Christianity from Islam that I met with in the Palestinian refugee camp, than I do with most Americans. I have more in common with the Christian family that we met in the slum of New Delhi, India than I do with most Americans. This is because we are both children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. I love my country dearly and would gladly spill my own blood for her freedom, but as Christians first, how does that affect how we see the world?  How do we balance our patriotism with our first citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven? How does being a global Christian affect our view on things? How can we, as Christians, bring peace wherever we go, encourage other believers, and use our incredible privileges as citizens of the most powerful nation on earth to help others?   Here are some possibilities:

• Pray for the persecuted church - check out organizations like Voice of the Martyrs that are advocates for persecuted Christians everywhere and ask God what you can do.
• Pray for our troops, our leaders, and all those affected by terrorist acts.  God is a God of mercy, but He is also a God of justice. Pray that justice be carried out. Even though, we will never have complete safety or security until Christ returns, we work toward that end everyday. Pray, "On earth as it is in Heaven . . ."
• Get to know internationals in your city. I am making a concerted effort to get to know the Indian community where I live. It has been really interesting as I have gotten to know community leaders and am building relationships with them so the gospel can flow freely and I can do my own part to improve international relations.
• Realize that you are part of global Christianity, not just American Christianity. How does that affect your views and your lifestyle? I do believe that God loves and has blessed America incredibly, but He is God over the whole world, not just our national god.
• Pray for the terrorists, that God would bring His peace and salvation to their hearts, and that they would repent and cease making war. They are souls made in God's image that are held captive by the evil one. May we pray for our enemies.  Brother Andrew has a great perspective on this in Light Force: A Stirring Account of the Church Caught in the Middle East Crossfire .
• Engage in the work of global missions in a holistic way. We are called to disciple the NATIONS. What does it mean to disciple a nation? It includes seeing individual conversions, but it also means that we are to bring a Christian worldview to every aspect of life, including social, political, and economic structures.  How can you help influence the nations through your business or your profession? How can you bring biblical values to the policies of your chosen field? The opportunities are endless.

Terrorism will not go away when we eradicate Al-Quaida or when we win in Iraq. It is the last resort for alienated people who want to assert their will through force and fear. The only One who can truly change the hearts of men is Jesus Christ. He is the only One who can bring true peace. Pray for Al-Quaida, that God would send his gospel to them, that they would repent, and be saved and lay down their weapons. I seem to remember another terrorist in the Bible who had a similar experience on the Road to Damascus. May God do it again.

David Phillips talks about the demise of American friendships. How about you? Do you have close friends? How long have you known them? What do they mean to you? Are they real friends from church, or do you find that your closest friends are from your childhood or college years? I'm really interested.

Warren Buffett is giving around $37 billion to the Gates Foundation and his own foundations to fight disease and poverty. It's interesting to read some of his motivation: 

“There is more than one way to get to heaven, but this is a great way,” said Buffett. He presented the biggest gift to Gates, and $1 billion donations to his own foundation and the foundations run by each of his three children.

While I totally agree that the Oracle of Omaha, Buffett, is doing a great thing, this just speaks to the opinion of most in our culture. Here's the generally accepted idea: in one way or another, you work your way to heaven through good deeds, adherence to religion, or a good life. At the end of your life, you stand before God, and if the good outweighs the bad, you get into heaven. But what does the Bible say?

⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9

²¹But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²²This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, ²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ²⁵God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,^[a] through faith in his blood. - Romans 3:21-25

The Bible clearly says that salvation, and thus entrance into heaven, comes only through placing our faith in Jesus Christ, who takes away our sins. We must repent, or turn away from our sins, and receive the free gift of the grace of God by faith.  Good people like Warren Buffett will not find salvation through their wonderful works because they are trusting in their own works and righteousness instead of trusting in the way that God provides, which is faith in Jesus Christ.   We have to turn from trusting in ourself and trust in Jesus Christ.  One last passage of so many that speak to this:

⁷But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. ¹⁰I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. - Philippians 3:7-11

The only way that we can find salvation is to repent of trusting in anything in this world and put our full faith and confidence in Jesus and receive His gift of righteousness and forgiveness. If we put our faith in anything else, even our philanthropy, I am afraid that we will be very disappointed. Not because we were not good people, but because on our own, we can never be good enough to be accepted by God. We have to place our faith in the Perfect One, Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose from the dead so that we would be made right with God. What about you? What do you put your trust in? Just wondering.  If you'd like more information about how to actually become a Christian, you can start HERE and work your way through the links.

Yesterday, my friends Kevin and John, and me went over to the Phelps gang who were protesting the SBC (they are the gay hating group from Westboro Baptist Church - non-SBC in Kansas). We got interviewed by a reporter and she linked to this blog! Pretty interesting. Thanks, Amy! Right back at ya'!

For those of you who know me, you know that I have been pretty vocal about the situation in New Orleans and the MS Gulf Coast. Being from down there, I admit that I have been an advocate of the people, and at times have been critical of the Federal government and the Bush Administration's handling of the response and recovery. It's not because I have a political ax to grind, because I am really conservative politically. It's just that I think that things could have been done WAY better.

Here's a case in point. In Hope, Arkansas, right now, there are 11,000 mobile homes that were bought by FEMA at a cost between 350 and 800 million dollars. No one knows the exact price. They cannot be sent to the Gulf Coast, because Federal law states that they cannot be placed in a flood plain!  Apparently, no one checked the law before they spent upwards of a BILLION dollars (I can hear Dr. Evil now) on mobile homes that no one can use. Meanwhile, thousands upon thousands of people cannot return to the area, because there is nowhere to live. People are still living in tents down there, as our folks in Waveland-Bay St. Louis, MS will tell you (Charlie and Martie Elgin). Yet, 11,000 mobile homes sit in Arkansas.  Read the article here.

One interesting thing to note:  The Federal Government has been slow to give money to the state and local officials of Louisiana and Mississippi because there is concern about waste and mismanagement.  Can you imagine the national outcry if Louisiana or Mississippi misappropriated a half BILLION (again, Dr. Evil) dollars?  We'd never hear the end of it. Yet, this gets barely noticed. Oh well.  All the folks living in tents can feel better because the weather is at least getting warmer!

With the emergence of the video
from the Associated Press concerning Bush's warning before Katrina I wanted to share this interview from Brian Williams of NBC with former FEMA head, Michael Brown. You could say that this is coming from a disgruntled former employee who got the ax for administrative bungling and lack of leadership, but I think that it is more than that. The days following Katrina were some of the worst in our country in the past 30 years. Although I voted for Bush twice and am a life-long Republican, I am terribly disappointed with the Federal response to the disaster and do not have a lot of patience with the "blame the local politicians for everything" attitude that conservatives have used. If this had happened under Clinton, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity would have been screaming to high heaven as this being another example of liberal imcompetence. I am really interested in right being right and wrong being wrong, despite your political party. Let's admit mistakes and work together to fix them. But, let's not blame everyone else and then make false promises to rebuild and then move on. Read the interview for yourself and draw your own conclusions:

Michael Brown: I was ‘left on the battlefield’
Ex-FEMA head says he either fell or was pushed on his sword after Katrina

• Michael Brown: Fall guy?
Feb. 27: Former FEMA director Michael Brown talks to NBC's Brian Williams about losing his job in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

NBC News
Updated: 7:52 p.m. ET Feb. 27, 2006
Former FEMA director Michael Brown sat down with Brian Williams on Feb. 24 for his first network television interview since resigning in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. "NBC Nightly News" aired a brief portion of the interview on that day. You can read it by clicking here. The broadcast will feature more from the exclusive interview on Tues., Feb. 28.

Brian Williams: When did you realize that there was a complete disconnect between what you were saying and the situation on the ground?

Michael Brown: On Tuesday, August 30th, sometime in the morning, there was a secure conference call, and the president takes control of that call and pretty much shuts everybody up and says, "I need to hear from Brown right now what's going on." And I remember my first words to him were, "Mr. President, my estimate is that 90 percent — 90 percent — of the population of New Orleans has now been displaced." And there was just that split second of silence. And [then], "90 percent?" "Yes sir, I believe it is that bad. That's how bad it is." I really thought that would get just the whole mechanism of the federal government to come charging in. There are e-mail traffics of my conversations about my fear about this being the "Big One." Everyone should've known what we were facing.

Williams: Why aren't you shouting from the mountaintops?

Brown: I did. And I want to show you an e-mail where I am screaming at my staff in this e-mail: "Where is the Army?" I've talked to them about the Army; I want the Army now. "Where the hell are they? Why haven't they shown up yet?"

Williams: Millions of Americans kept asking, "Are they not watching the same pictures we're watching?"

Brown: One of the mistakes that I've owned up to was this whole mentality that exists in Washington, D.C. — that you get your talking points. And, by God, you stick to your talking points. And what I should have done was gone to the American people — instead of putting my arm around Governor Blanco and talking about how wonderfully things are working — we should have told them: "This is a disaster of the magnitude that this country has never seen. We are struggling. We're gonna do everything we can to help make this thing better. We're gonna call in all the resources. We need your patience and understanding" — and paint them a realistic picture. You see, I believe that people in D.C. don't believe that the American people can handle the truth.

Williams: You are, like it or not, part of the American lexicon because of a phrase uttered by the president of the United States. Take me back to that day — that moment — he's standing next to you, you heard him say it. Did you still think you could win this?

Brown: I did. I really thought I could still win it, because all I needed was for DOD to come in and help me with logistics — establish a new supply chain for materials. And I knew that we could do that, because that's what FEMA does. And when the president turned, he said, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job." I really thought to myself he's being typically presidential; that's what he tends to do. But I also thought that it was going to irritate some people.

Williams: Why?

Brown: Because, suddenly, I was part of the inner circle. Do you know how many people in the country — how many people in the world — call me "Brownie?" One.

Williams: Why was yours the only head to roll after Katrina?

Brown: Part of being a presidential appointee is that you have to be willing to fall on the sword for the president of the United States. And, clearly, I either fell on the sword or was pushed on the sword. I'll leave that for others to make that judgment. And so, I think that I was made a scapegoat, in that regard. Most always, though, really, they never leave their wounded or their dead on the battlefield. And, in this case, I'm willing to take the fall for the president, but I wish I hadn't been left on the battlefield.

Brian Williams: People down in the Gulf Region feel that a lot of you have blood on your hands. People were left in that Superdome for a week. It was an awful situation. Who bears the responsibility for this?

Michael Brown: Well, I think that we all do.

Williams: Where is the aid? It's the question people are asking us today on camera.

Brown: Brian, it's an absolutely fair question - and I gotta tell you from the bottom of my heart how sad I feel for those people the federal government just learned about those people today.

Williams: I couldn't believe my ears, when you answered me that this was the first that you were hearing of it. Why weren't you people watching the television coverage that was on around the clock of the biggest natural disaster in American history?

Brown: We were. And we knew about it. And I had literally been up for about 24 hours. But, when I said to you-- "Yes, we just learned about it"-- what I meant was I had just learned about it 24 hours ago. It was still the same day to me. They didn't see that, at the same time that we were seeing bodies in the water, there were many men of the urban search and rescue teams, members of the United States army, and members of the United States Coast Guard rescuing people.

Williams: Were you truly qualified to run FEMA?

Brown: Yes.

Williams: Why?

Brown: From the time that I served on the transition team, up until Hurricane Katrina, I successfully handled over 160 presidential-declared disasters.

Williams: How did your years as the head of an Arabian Horse Association prepare you to deal with 80 percent of the city of New Orleans underwater?

Brown: Because that whole tenure period I acted, in essence, as an attorney. It was not running horse shows. It was not judging horses. I was, in essence, the counsel that did the investigations and the prosecution of wrongdoing. Making sure that systems worked.

Williams: If I were Michael Chertoff sitting here across from you, what would you say to me, honestly?

Brown: I'm exceptionally angry. I think you made a horrible mistake by telling me that I had to stay in Baton Rouge. That showed a little bit of naivete about how disasters need to be run and operated and managed. And I hope now that you will go back and reread the memos, the plans, the ideas that I set forth about how we can make this system work for the American people and that you'll implement those. And if you don't and you're not willing to do that then perhaps you need to move on too.

Williams: It's unbelievable. It's hard to believe that six months ago that was us.

Brown: How do you think-- how do you think I felt Brian? How do you think I felt sitting there, one leg strapped to a chair in Baton Rouge not able to get out and crack the whip, and-- and scream and holler.

Williams: But do you pick up the phone and say, "Get me some airlift pallets of food and water to these people"?

Brown: Yeah. You do. And I think if you interviewed my staff you they would tell you about my screaming phone calls.

If we don't learn from this, and go back to the things that I was saying over the past three or four years about doing serious catastrophic disaster planning, and making certain that the emergency management system in this country works, then those people will have suffered in vain.

I will have been scapegoated for nothing. If we don't learn from this, then shame on us.

© 2006 MSNBC Interactive