Should A Christian Celebrate Halloween?

Bob Harrington, the late "Chaplain of Bourbon Street," preached one night in Mississippi and advertised his sermon title in the local newspaper: "Three Places Where There's No Problem With Racism." This was in the civil rights era and our nation was fixated on the issue.

Hundreds came that night to hear Harrington. He touched on his announced theme only in the first paragraph of his sermon: "The three places where there's no problem with racism are heaven, hell and in the heart of a Christian." Then Harrington preached a gun barrel-straight gospel message.

"Should A Christian Celebrate Halloween?" is, likewise, poised to draw a crowd, but there’s no easy answer.

Some say Halloween is the "devil's night" and refuse to participate or let their children participate. Others say it's a harmless night of fun and see no problem with it.

I remember a boyhood Sunday School teacher who used to rail against race car driving.

"It's just like the Roman coliseum," he often told us. "People go there to see drivers crash and die!"

Unfair and harsh, to be sure, for us impressionable children, and he never explained his animosity. Many people claim racing as their sports hobby. We even have a block of American conservatives called "NASCAR voters." And at Talladega and other racetracks, Christians serve as chaplains and give away bottles of water to thirsty attendees.

There was a local pastor when I was in high school who came back from a Bible conference with new enthusiasm, telling his congregation that he'd thrown his TV out the back door. If they really loved Jesus, he said, they’d do the same thing. A few weeks later they threw him out the door!

TV is still here. There are vile things on it, of course, but there are also Christian programs sponsored by great churches and Christian networks, too.

If we couldn’t stop racing or TV if we wanted to, we probably aren't going to stop Halloween. So, how can we respond effectively?

Some churches have used the so-called "Judgment House" drama that seeks to communicate truth about death and eternity. Other churches provide on-site festivals or distribute gospel summaries or worship invitations that homeowners can give away with their Halloween treats. I've known Christians who've designed attractive Halloween gift packages and included a simple "God loves you" note. For a number of  boys and girls, this might be the only time they read such a positive message.

Rather than turning lights off or scowling at eager boys and girls that we don't celebrate Halloween, why not give a little treat--the equivalent of a cup of cold water in Jesus' name (Matthew 10:42)--and simply say, "God bless you"?

Diamonds In Your Backyard

A lady involved in Judson College campus ministry when I worked there began to commandeer students on Sundays to drive to Birmingham to a large church for worship. When the president of the school learned this, he reminded her of his oft-spoken admonition to staff and students that we “nurture our community.”

“There are wonderful churches here that welcome our students,” he said, “and our students can help these churches with their ministries.”

He was right, of course.

I was honored to serve two of those churches in my 15 years in Perry County. We were, by and large, a county of small-membership churches. At the time the 15 churches in my denomination had only two full-time pastors; the rest of us were bi-vocational. Every weekend professors and police officers and businessmen preached the word of God. One of my friends served two churches, and one served three. I never did understand the three church thing. He explained it to me once, but I thought how confused I’d be trying to remember if it were first or fifth Sunday or the Sunday after a full moon!

One of my colleagues, the late Hal Arnold, Judson professor of psychology, often asked me to fill in for him at Pisgah Baptist Church since they had early morning worship and were a few minutes away from the church I served. Hal called me one weekend from Florida where he was visiting family. He said the state mission board contacted him requesting disaster relief funds. The Tuscaloosa tornado devastated the city in April 2011, and the board needed extra funds to support ministries.

I conveyed the message to Pisgah and observed a bidding war. Someone suggested they give $1000, and someone suggested more. Before the discussion concluded, the church agreed to send a check for $5000. I drove to Pine Flat Baptist Church later that morning to conduct worship and said, “Let me tell you what Pisgah did!” I used this good example to encourage our church to give generously, too.

I’ve often suggested that the spotlight is not the validation for ministry. As a pastor I’m in the spotlight every Sunday, but most ministry in our churches is done outside the spotlight. Faithful Christians do what needs to be done without public acclaim.

In the same way, the size of the church isn’t the validation for ministry. Churches large and small are called to glorify God and serve others.

And we don’t have to travel far to minister in the name of Christ. As Russell Conwell said years ago, “Your diamonds are not in far distant mountains or in yonder seas; they are in your own backyard, if you but dig for them.”

The Keys To The Kingdom

One of my favorite movie quotes is from one of the Indiana Jones series. Someone asked Jones what he intended to do next amidst all the chaos of his exploits. He replied, “I don’t know. I’m making this up as I go!”

I’ve jokingly referred to this as my “life verse” since I’ve had so many situations in life without a handbook or YouTube video.

However, the disciples of Jesus didn’t have to make things up. Jesus took time to explain to them foundational principles as they took his life and teachings and built churches throughout the Mediterranean world (Matthew 16).

Apparently, there was much confusion about Jesus’s identity in the first century. Some said he was John the Baptist or Jeremiah raised from the dead. Others thought he was Elijah who came to announce the messiah as Malachi predicted.

But Peter spoke the affirmation that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of the living God. Jesus responded that Peter spoke the truth, and then made a promise that he would build his church on this truth. The “Pure Word” translation renders his promise, “You are Peter, small rock, but upon this Huge Rock I will build my church.” The church goes forward with the assurance that Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy as the coming messiah and that he shares deity with the Father. Without such assurance our efforts would amount to feeble attempts, indeed.

Then Jesus promised the keys to the kingdom. Christian art is replete with pictures of Peter holding these keys, and folklore has Peter at the gates of heaven determining who comes in since he’s the gatekeeper. However, the original language paints a different picture. Jesus said, “You are Peter (second person singular), and I give you (second person plural) the keys to the kingdom.” Jesus gave these keys to his disciples. The promise is repeated in chapter 18 with another obvious reference to the work of his disciples.

The keys to the kingdom means that what we do on earth has eternal significance. We’re not just applying our meager human efforts to a time-limited cause. We’re doing God’s work. It will last forever.

This is inspired encouragement for a discouraged church.

The Covid pandemic has been a time when the entire world has been hampered and hindered, and the church hasn’t been immune from this. Most of us have seen suffering in our congregations, and many of us have lost good people due to Covid. Now we come out of the pandemic weakened but determined to fulfill our commission from the lord of the church.

Christ promised to partner with us in this significant work and assured us that our kingdom labor has timeless consequence.

Putting God To The Test

It was a bit unsettling to get her message on Facebook.

She sent a message asking me to call, but I didn’t see it that day. Then she sent a written message basically calling me to task. The president of a hobby club I’m in asked me to post something on our page, and I posted what he told me to say. She said it was false information. My first response was to “launch” and respond in kind. But for some reason Solomon’s word stuck in my head: “A soft answer turns away anger” (Proverbs 15:1). I responded kindly and offered to rewrite a sentence. She seemed satisfied with this. I do reserve the right to “launch” if she responds further!

Lately I read The Living Bible’s version of Psalm 34:8: “Oh, put God to the test and see how kind he is! See for yourself the way his mercies shower down on all who trust in him.”

Is it unspiritual to “put God to the test”? Many of us remember the word in Malachi 3 about testing God by giving faithfully, so this may not be an unusual concept. I began to think about how we put God to the test when we hear his word and try to put it into practice.

For example, Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:4: “For the love of Christ compels us.” In other words, our motivation in all things should be the love God has shown us through his son.

It’s true we have many motivations to do things in our lives, but the Bible insists the highest motivation is love.

I must confess that sometimes I’m not motivated by love, and most of the time it’s when I’m driving.

A gentleman lately decided he wanted to turn right, but he was in a far left lane. He swerved in front of me, causing me to slam on my brakes, and then he swerved into the lane to my right causing another driver to slam on his brakes. If he had turned left, it would’ve been a simple thing to turn around in the supermarket lot half a block away and redirect himself. I didn’t feel love for him.

And often when other drivers “ride” my bumper I don’t feel love for them.  They’re obviously impatient and want to drive faster than the posted speed. I don’t often feel love. My sin nature encourages me to drive slower to irritate them!

But if Christ is to be lord of my life, he’s to be lord of my driving.

I need to put God and his word to the test. His word works. My life is better when I find myself in obedience.

Leading Like Jesus

I sat with an interviewing group a few years ago and fielded a bevy of questions. One caught me a bit off-guard.

"What kind of leader are you?" someone asked.

I think I gave a credible response, but I wish I'd been expecting the question and had the luxury to think through it.

Ken Blanchard wrote a book entitled, "Lead Like Jesus." As Christians, Christ is our highest model in all things. How did Jesus lead?

First, he instilled confidence in his followers. To a ragtag group of disciples he said, "You are the salt of the earth" and "you are the light of the world." These men were anything but world-class influencers, but Jesus saw their latent abilities and sought to inspire them to match their potential.

Leaders bring out the best in others. They coach team members to reach goals and to excel in their tasks.

I've heard parents do this. They say to their children, "You did a super job!" or "You're a wonderful helper!" Affirmation brings inspiration.

Second, Jesus gave his followers a clear task. In the parlance of modern business, he was a "vision-caster." And the vision was to take the gospel to the whole world. Think of this--a world without radio or TV, automobiles, telephones or printing presses. But the goal was clear.

Teachers of leadership today talk about the "elevator speech." That is, one should be able to share personal or organizational goals in 30 seconds, as though riding an elevator with another person and having only a short time to talk. Goals must be known and shared.

Third, Jesus spoke sternly when necessary. As Robert Schuller pointed out years ago, Jesus never called a sinner a "sinner." He called sinners "friends," but he called the callous religious leaders "sinners." It was this group who refused to listen and sought to marginalize Jesus. As one commentator noted, they were religious men, but their religion had "gone bad" on them.

Good leaders must sometimes offer criticism. It's part of the job, though a part few of us relish. If the team member did something willfully and deliberately bad, then the leader speaks sternly. If the team member made a simple mistake, the wise leader offers an honest assessment with suggestions for improvement.

One leadership teacher proposed the "criticism sandwich" in which the leader sandwiches the criticism between two compliments. This is a good way to prevent the offender from being unduly discouraged.

Fourth, a good leader, unlike Jesus, admits personal wrong. None of us is infallible and we do make bad calls from time-to-time. Wise leaders know that their credibility is enhanced when they own up to wrong and ask for another chance.

The Choices We Make

It was a short encounter that in retrospect didn’t make a lot of sense.

I was in the check-out line when a lady came into the store and asked to step ahead of me. She explained to the clerk that she purchased the wrong cigarettes for her husband, and she wanted to exchange them. She had just left, and the package was still sealed, she explained.

The clerk was uncertain what to do.

“We’re not supposed to take food products back after they’ve left the store,” she said. “It’s part of our Covid protocol.”

The clerk eventually acquiesced and exchanged the cigarettes. The store policy was sound, and should’ve been followed but, strangely, the customer was more concerned over losing a few dollars than over her husband putting carcinogens into his lungs. And I’m sure she was in danger of second-hand smoke if her husband used this “food product” at home.

Anyway, to protect the innocent the store location and employee will remain confidential!

The episode made me think of the unworthy choices we sometimes make.

Many of us seniors reflect on our choices. We look back to the time when our children were at home and wish we could relive those days. We often chose to do something other than spend extra time with them. Sometimes it was work-related and couldn’t be helped; especially those of us who were salaried and “on call.” But, of course, there were events or meetings we thought we had to be part of that might not have really needed us.

One of the benefits of grandparenting is that we’ve grown wiser. We push back and spend time with grandchildren and know this is one of God’s great gifts. We can have renewed influence for God and for good.

And I think the church has thought about choices in this year of Covid. Many of our priorities before the pandemic were worthwhile. Our church had several things planned for spring 2020 that were beneficial, but they had to be shelved during the shut-down. Now that we’re gaining more confidence in our regathering, I believe some of the things I thought were important really aren’t. Having people back and doing ministry together is more important than some of the rules we used to think we needed to enforce.

Jesus summarized priorities succinctly in a well-known verse. “Seek first the kingdom of God, and then everything else will find its proper place,” he said (Matthew 6:33, paraphrase).

If we humbly seek to please God and obey him by serving others in need, we demonstrate our choices are sound. The old adage declares, “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

The Wet Paint Brush Tour

It’s a ritual whenever our painter comes to church--the “wet paint brush tour.” He knows I need about 30 minutes with him and his wet brush to touch up the nicks and scratches incurred since his last visit. Our painter is gracious enough to do this for me. He laughs and tells me the nicks and scratches are what he calls “job security”!

As Tom Selleck’s “Jesse Stone” tells Dr. Dix, “I sense a parable.” Sometimes we need an entire paint job—a makeover—and sometimes we need only to deal with the nicks and scratches.

Jesus used another analogy on the night in which he was betrayed and arrested. He taught his disciples a valuable lesson when he served the Passover meal, and when he served by washing their feet. Foot washing was the job of a common servant after people walked dusty roads, and none of the disciples offered to do this. Jesus removed his outer robe, took towel and basin and did the deed. He then taught them (and us) to “wash one another’s feet.”

My mother grew up in a church that practiced foot washing in worship, but I don’t know that I’ve ever seen it. Most of us believe foot washing is a synonym for humble service.

Nonetheless, Peter initially refused the overture of Jesus, then he decided to ask Jesus to wash him all over. Jesus replied that one who had been washed (“bathed”) only needed foot washing (John 13: 8-10). That is, we’re cleansed when we repent of sin and trust Christ, but we also walk in the world and our feet get dirty. We need to take care of the dust (or the nicks and scratches in the former illustration).

The Apostle John told the story about foot washing, and he relayed similar truth in his first letter. He said, “If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us” (1 John 1:9).

The word “confess” is a compound word in the original language of the New Testament. “Homo” is the word for “same,” as in “homo sapiens”—humanity is of the same species. “Logeo” is the verb form of the word “logos,” or word. “Logeo” means “to speak.” Thus confession is speaking the same thing as God.

In other words, when the Holy Spirit of God makes followers of Christ aware of wrong, we agree. We don’t hide our sin. We cannot hide sin from God anyway, so it’s foolish to try. We agree with God’s judgment, and we forsake our wrong. Confession is like the washing of dirty feet. We must do it every day. In this way we can remain spiritually clean before the Lord.

Hitting Home Runs On Sunday

It’s an old story about a preacher who felt prideful about his sermon that morning. At lunch he asked his wife, “How many really great preachers do you think there are?”

She responded, “I’m not sure, but there’s one less than you think!”

Every preacher knows times we feel we connected—we did a good job--and other times we feel we didn’t connect. In the latter case pastors joke at ministers meetings about having the “Monday morning blues.”

Communication theory calls it “feedback,” which means the audience lets us know how we’re doing, most often nonverbally on Sundays. They look bored or sleepy or puzzled. This is one reason eye contact is important. If some look unengaged, we know we’re not speaking clearly enough.

I suppose there are many reasons why we think we failed. One can be the length of the worship service. Sometimes people ask for five minutes and take 20 for their testimony or song, and the congregation is wearied. Sometimes a pastor himself is weary from a sleepless night. Or maybe he thought he’d do a better job conjugating that Greek verb than he was able to do.

Expounding scripture is a serious responsibility that demands humility. It could be our feelings of failure are a tool in the hands of God to teach humility.

Pastors themselves can purposely demonstrate humility with self-deprecating humor. This means the pastor doesn’t always make himself the hero in the stories he tells—"I said the right thing at the moment,” or” I made a great decision in an awkward situation.” Sometimes the pastor tells how he messed up. This kind of humor doesn’t offend others, and may encourage them.

Another way pastors demonstrate humility is with confessional preaching. This is a more modern approach since one can hardly imagine the classic preachers telling about having arguments with their wives or spending money foolishly.

Confessional preachers tell about their struggles as they try to grow in discipleship. It’s argued that this kind of preaching demonstrates the pastor is imperfectly trying to serve God, has areas of needed growth and deserves prayer support, as do all those listening to his sermon.

I heard Pastor Rick Warren in a conference and was helped by an observation he made.

“We don’t have to hit home runs every Sunday,” he said, “just consistent singles.”

This was a welcomed word from a famed pulpiteer.

The “bottom line” is that pastors should study, prepare and speak to the best of their abilities, and trust God to energize their messages with his presence and power.

Sometimes what we say can be great encouragement for others even though we may feel we fell short of the mark.

How Available Should The Pastor Be?

She came to class for the first time in many weeks. We chatted a moment afterwards. I assured her she was missed, and we always enjoyed having her in study and worship.

“I love our Sunday School class,” she responded, “but I really don’t like preaching.”

I stood a moment trying to look sympathetic and sweet, but didn’t she know the guy responsible for the preaching was me?

Surveys report several reasons people don’t attend church including Sunday work, family obligations and broken relationships with others. And according to malphursgroup.com, “I can get better preaching from a podcast.”

The latter reason is, no doubt, true. Some of the “big” preachers have research assistants and enough staff that they don’t have to do much pastoral care or administration. Pastors of normative-sized churches, in the midst of other needs in the membership, struggle with sufficient time to craft weekly sermons in obedience to Paul’s word that we “study to show ourselves approved unto God” (2 Timothy 2:15),

In my younger years I tried to follow the counsel of the late W.A. Criswell of First Baptist Dallas. He always told us to “give your mornings to God.” I tried to reschedule visits and phone calls until after lunch.

Sometimes this didn’t work.

We had a custodial couple at one church and the gentleman always wanted to talk to me for 30 minutes when he came to empty trash. I heard the same stories a lot. Henry was the treasurer at another church who signed checks on Thursdays. He insisted on bringing mine to me, which was a nice thing except he would draw back his hand after offering the envelope to me. He laughed at his prank and said, “You don’t want this, do you?’ He did this every week for seven years. And then he talked for 30 minutes.

Another pastor mentor told me he always worked with his door open. He said you needed to be available to people when they need you, not this afternoon or tomorrow. He was right, of course. I’ve tried to find middle ground in recent years. I guard study time, but look for unplanned opportunities to encourage those with business at the church, or when out running errands, for that matter.

Another thing I’ve found is that I can go to the office early in those busy weeks. I can get there at 6 if I try and then have several hours of uninterrupted study time. And, of course, with the advent of the computer pastors can study and write at night.

Pastors strive to create messages that are relevant and fresh, but also strive to be caring shepherds. It can be an uneasy balance.

On Public Confession Of Sin

Years ago revivals had “quitting meetings” when people vowed to quit smoking, drinking, playing cards or the like. Pastor Alex shocked his congregation when he came to the pulpit one Sunday to announce he was quitting X-rated videos. He’d come clean with his wife, he said, and they’d sought God’s forgiveness.

“And I want you to restore me to fellowship with God,” he said and sat down.

This was in the days of rental video stores. Netflix has a documentary called “The Last Blockbuster” about the last franchise in the nation. Now, sadly, one doesn’t have to find a video store to feed porn since three of the top 14 most visited websites in the nation are “adult” sites.

I can only imagine the atmosphere that morning in Alex’s church. He’d given them something they’d not expected, nor especially wanted to do. In fact, he was relieved of his job that day.

I’d received a call previously from the church when they were talking with Alex about the position. I told the caller I knew him as a committed Christian and a faithful Bible teacher. And his wife was as sweet as sugar. However, Alex had a secret sin I didn’t know.

Can the sin of pornography be forgiven? Yes. God’s grace is sufficient for every need.  We confess to God first of all and ask for his healing power.

But sometimes our bad choices affect others. The Bible teaches confession among believers: “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed,” (James 5:16). And Jesus said, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother” (Matthew 18:15).

Jesus further talked about bringing a matter before the assembly if the erring brother was unrepentant. But what about Alex who was repentant and in full confession mode? I rather doubt any good purpose was served with his courageous, but impulsive, confession. I can imagine the heinous nature of this sin was more openly discussed in that city than the nature of God’s forgiveness.

Since he and his wife and God dealt with the issue, perhaps a better course was to find a counselor to ensure he faced down this sin, and a confidential support group, like Alcoholics Anonymous, to offer accountability. Alex could’ve taken a few days of vacation while he and his wife determined whether they needed to begin the process of moving to another church, or not.

It seems to me that public and specific confession of sin should be rare, and only if the mission, fellowship and reputation of the church is in jeopardy.

Praying From Prison

I used to share an acronym in New Testament class so students could remember Paul’s four prison letters: ECPP, representing Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians and Philemon. One day Amanda spoke up: “Every cool preacher preaches.” Forever after we used her nonsense phrase to remember the four letters.

However, prison is certainly not a cool place.

Just after we moved to Judson College in 1998 my long-time friend Eddie Smith called to tell me he’d been named chaplain at the Bibb County Correctional Facility in nearby Brent. Chaplain Smith gave me numerous invitations to teach and preach at BCCF. And I met Bob Hall at the prison who, at the time, directed the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary’s Birmingham extension. Through Bob, I got to teach a bit for the extension, and got an invitation to do a week-long intensive study in oral communications twice at the Philipps State Prison in Buford, Georgia, where the NOBTS Atlanta extension has an associates degree program.

Since BCCF is a dormitory prison, Philipps was my first experience at a cellblock facility. My classroom was in the gym, but a kindly correctional officer allowed me to visit a cellblock. The two day rooms looked good, but the tiny, closet-sized cells gave me a claustrophobic shudder, especially when I saw the two and one-half inch steel doors.

The church traditionally teaches that the four prison letters were written in Rome. The late Dr. Dale Moody argued for their being written in Caesarea where Paul was for two years in the last chapters of the book of Acts. From Caesarea to Colossae was about 1,000 miles. From Rome to Colossae was about 1,300 miles.

We’ve all been in worship services in which the minister asked us to take a moment to pray for those sitting next to us. We can understand and visualize this. But what about praying for someone more than 1,000 miles away as Paul assured the Colossians he was doing for them?

Modern satellite technology helps us grasp this concept. A ground signal is sent skyward and received by an orbiting satellite. Then the signal is sent to a downlink receiver across the planet with no loss of signal, unlike the old radio and tv towers we used to use.

In prayer, we ask the Heavenly Father for his intervention in the lives of others. Thus we pray to the one who “sits on the circle of the earth” (Isaiah 40:22). He is above all his creation and watches over it. There is no distance in prayer since we can, and should, ask him to work in the lives of people who live in distant lands.

ECPP can remind us that “every committed person prays.”

Keep On Keeping On

Science debates the concept of perpetual motion; that is, once an object is set in motion, is it possible to continue motion forever? Whether this is physically possible is debatable, but that it should happen spiritually is non debatable. The inspired apostle Paul wrote, "Continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast" (Colossians 1:23).

What Paul meant is that if we stop moving forward in our Christian lives, we lose ground. Perseverance is the key to victorious living. Perseverance is much better than a good start and a bad ending.

Jesus taught about a sower whose seed fell in various locales. One group of seeds quickly germinated and sprang up, but withered in the sun. Another group likewise sprung up but had no rootage to sustain them. The point is obvious. A good start isn't enough! I've known some people who seemed to make a good start in their Christian commitment, but who weren't committed for the long term and withered.

Another analogy the scripture uses is infancy. New Christians are called babies, but mustn't remain babies. I don't think I've known anyone whose body remained infantile through adulthood, but I've known several cases in which cognitive skills remained infantile; thus grown men and women had the minds of little children. Both of these cases are tragic, and it's also tragic when believers fail to grow beyond spiritual infancy and remain spiritual infants.

Aesop made famous the story of the tortoise and the hare. What a foolish contest that was since the hare was much faster. But after a good start, the hare took a break. The tortoise made steady progress and won the race. As Aesop said, "Slow and steady wins the race."

We cannot afford to "take a break" from the path of Christian growth. When we stop going forward, we actually go backward.

And it's true that many people along the faith highway have taken the exit ramp.

Jeff Foxworthy makes us laugh with his redneck jokes. For example, "You know you're a redneck if your life has been changed by an episode of 'Walker Texas Ranger.'" He also gave us the redneck dictionary. One of his Southern verbs is "usedtuhcould," as in "Can you dance?" And the response is "I usedtuhcould!"

Their number is legion in Christendom--those who used to be committed to the faith. They used to attend Sunday School, or teach, or give or be a deacon or sing in the choir or have a joyful faith. But now all of this is past tense.

Going forward doesn't mean we don't mess up, for we all do. But it means we get up when we fall and press on to the glory of God.

Beam Me Up, Jesus

Captain James T. Kirk commanded the Starship Enterprise for many years, and in this role, visited planets all over the universe. When he was ready to return to the command ship, he called Lt. Comm. Montgomery Scott and said, “Beam me up, Scotty.” The transponder did its work.

I was thinking lately how easy the Christian life would be if we were transported to heaven immediately upon conversion; a kind of “Beam me up, Jesus” moment. Living in heaven is easier than living on Earth; presumably the only thing we’ll do in heaven is go to choir practice since we’ll sing for 1,000 years, I’m told. But living on Earth is another story. It’s hard to live a holy life in our world. But, alas, that is our calling. We’re not taken to heaven when we’re saved. We’re left to serve in the name of Christ.

Our church’s recent study in the Epistle of James has underscored this truth. James wrote, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 2:22). The acid test of Christianity is the rigors of everyday living.

James emphasized this doctrine with an unlikely pairing: Abraham, the patriarch and Rahab, the prostitute. This combination is unique; something like Elvis’s famous peanut butter and banana sandwiches, or the CD best-seller a few years ago featuring duets by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. But both individuals he cited demonstrate the grace of God and the nature of saving faith.

Abraham obeyed the voice of God to go to a new land. There the Lord announced he and his aged wife would have a son—a “child of promise”—who would ensure Abraham have as many descendants as the night stars. Abraham believed God and was made righteous. But later he obeyed the command of God to offer this child as a sacrifice. His obedience was a direct result of trusting in God and a validation of faith.

Rahab lived in Jericho, but believed the hand of God was with the returning Hebrews. She fearlessly hid the alien spies on her rooftop, thus demonstrating her commitment to a new God. Rahab gave her life to another spiritual family and became the great-great grandmother of Israel’s greatest king, David.

The late Dr. Robert Schuller suggested one reason he lobbied for a glass church was so that parishioners would remember as they gazed outward that the world is the object of our service. We do serve God inside the walls of the church through teaching, giving, and worship, but saving faith impels us into a world of need to represent Christ.

Indeed, obedient service is a mirror reflecting a heart changed by the Spirit of God.

What Do You Call Your Pastor?

I found a shocking note on the office door after our Wednesday night Bible study concluded: “I smell a rat!”

Someone had attached this hand-written note to my door. She later confessed, and all in good fun. She did smell a rat. My sense of smell isn’t as keen as my hearing and vision, so I didn’t smell the critter. The next morning I found his corpse in an outside utility room. Our exterminators had done a good job, it’s just that the rat got past the perimeter.

One study found the average pastor spends five-seven hours each week in custodial duties, so I’m accustomed to comments on Sunday like “Thank you for the good sermon,” followed by “The toilet is clogged.” So I added a new item to my resume: dead rat-remover.

I guess those who saw that note may’ve thought the lady was calling me a rat.

I’ve been called a few names over the years.

A deacon once called me “naïve.” He got upset over a group from another racial background who came to our church on a Sunday morning. I told him this is what we did: we invited everyone. I suggested we needed to be colorblind, so he called me naïve. This kind of naivety is a good thing.

Another deacon essentially called me a “naughty boy” when he said he wanted to take me over his knee and spank me. I wasn’t a boy, but a student at Auburn University serving a church in Chambers County. I was full of fire and wanted to save the world, but, of course, I had little knowledge and poor people skills. Later I learned from John Maxwell that this man was an “influencer” because everybody listened to him. I should’ve been smart enough to work with him to get things done, but I didn’t. I thought I knew more than I did. Perhaps a good spanking would’ve been a reality check.

My dad gave me sound advice when this man’s wife got sick. “Stay close to them and visit and pray for her.” I did. I think we became friends.

What do you call your pastor? I hope you call him “friend.” I hope you see him as a flawed person seriously trying to serve God and to move the church forward in this post-pandemic world. He needs your advice, and hopefully knows that he needs it and listens to you. He needs your love. Sometimes he needs your forgiveness.

And most of all, he needs your prayers. Pray for God’s wisdom, God’s leadership and God’s protection for him in a dangerous new world filled with criticism and litigation.

Your partnership can make him stronger and better.

Ego On Parade

It happened when the designated youth minister reveled in the adulation of the youth. Maybe he was strikingly handsome, or she could sing like an angel. When the congregation enlisted others to help, the leader didn’t want to share the spotlight--he or she began to find fault, asked that the helpers be dismissed and, if not, threatened to walk away. A vital ministry to youth who needed encouragement and biblical instruction degenerated to ego on parade.

It happened when the music leader enjoyed the adulation of the congregation. Of course few things can be as moving as beautiful music. Most of us in the churches have heard enough out-of-tune pianos to recognize and enjoy really good music! But it’s easy to let worship music degenerate from its intended purpose.

I had opportunity to interview a college choral director for a story about his ministry goals. For 30 minutes he talked about his voice, how unusual it was and how he got compliments all the time on its magnificence. His name wasn’t Sinatra, but he was obviously fixated on his singing and never talked about teaching others to sing. It was ego on parade.

It happened when the preacher found a groove and his words flowed like a river. Perhaps he demonstrated his breadth of knowledge with illustrations from various disciplines, or he struck the right emotional pitch with his exhortations and moved the audience. Sometimes his superbly-tailored clothing and lacquered hair added to his pulpit presence. But with an attitude of “look at me,” he fell short of his mission. It was ego on parade.

Jesus told about proud men who gave, prayed and fasted in order to be seen by others and win their praise (Matthew 6). The summary word he used in all three cases actually means “paid in full.” They received the praise of others as full payment for their actions. Because they’d already been paid, they had no right to expect any further reward from God.

It’s true that 90 percent of the church’s work is done outside the spotlight where faithful people love and serve in obedience to Christ. But some of us labor in the spotlight; we find ourselves in front of others. Thus, one of the foundational questions we must ask ourselves is, “Why do you do what you do?”

New York Yankee legend Yogi Berra said, “On our teams everyone’s ego took a backseat to the team ego. I still like that the Yankees still don’t put players’ names on their backs. The team’s identity is more important.”

Those of us in the spotlight have a responsibility to keep ego in check and to lead our team to honor the Lord.

Sound Theology

My dad was a pipefitter at the Birmingham steel mill, which means he worked with pipes and plumbing. He was also a general handyman who could fix most anything and would at least try. He was on the maintenance committee at church and often spent afternoons repairing toilets or replacing broken windowpanes. But he also developed an interest in the church’s sound system. This was in the days of cassette tapes. He loved to make copies of special music or youth testimonies and give tapes to those who’d sung or spoken. It was a ministry of encouragement.

I had a cassette tape player in those days that allowed me to playback at higher speeds, thus reducing the time it took to hear a sermon or a lecture. Now I’m not sure how one might play a cassette tape, nor have many younger people ever seen one.

I remember another dedicated layperson who helped us with sound years ago in our church. He worked in the textile mill before hearing protection was required. Accordingly, Winston couldn’t hear well. When the sound system squealed and we looked back at him in the booth, he’d just smile back sweetly, unaware of what we were hearing. But he was always in his place and did his best.

I’ve been thinking lately of how audio-visual tasks have changed in our churches.

We remember the corded microphones with their “rat’s nest” of coil. Now cordless and Bluetooth is the standard and modern soundboards allow mixing so that the exact sound is produced.

During the Covid pandemic many of our churches began to broadcast or live stream Bible study or worship. This has presented a new challenge to us. I jokingly told our church that our staff was the “not ready for prime time players”! 

I heard a conference leader lately who said his church had a lighting system that would rival Disneyworld. I’m sure he was using hyperbole. Then he explained that the “traditional” service had bright lights, and the “contemporary” service had dim lights like a music concert. Certainly this is something new and unique to my generation. On those Sundays when I bumble and stumble in the pulpit, I could wish to call for darkness so as to slink off without notice!

Winston and my dad were among the finest Christians I’ve known. They faithfully served the Lord with cassette tapes and microphones. Some churches now use paid sound operators, and this might be something that becomes more common in the days ahead. The audio/visual folk I’ve known have been dedicated volunteers always in place and doing their best. They worked in the background to make us in the spotlight look and sound better.

How Have You Been?

I met him in an unusual place in 1995.

Chuc was president of the Gerald R. Ford Political Items Collectors, a subsidiary of the American Political Items Collectors (apic.us). He advertised in our hobby newspaper about a breakfast with President Ford at his Grand Rapids library. I responded with my interest, and Chuc called me from his home in Michigan.

“I see you’re a pastor,” he said. “Can you have the invocation at our breakfast?”

I convinced the church this was a ministry, and I should use my travel expense for the trip! And it was a great trip. The president was very gracious. A member showed him an auction catalogue and Ford remarked that he couldn’t believe collectors would pay such sums for items with his name and image. Before we dismissed Ford offered to take pictures with everyone.

I met Chuc at the event and didn’t see him until about 20 years later at another hobby gathering.

“Hey, Mike,” he said, “how have you been?”

Maybe this is something Michiganders ask in greeting like we Southerners ask, according to Jeff Foxworthy, “How’s your momma?”

I thought about this lately when I saw “Airplane II” on late night TV. McCroskey (Lloyd Bridges) said he wanted to know everything that had happened until now. So Johnny responded, “First the earth cooled, and then the dinosaurs came. But they got too big and fat, so they all died and turned into oil . . . .”

In other words, a lot has happened!

I could honestly say that those 20 years were filled with good things and bad. People I love got sick and died. Friends lost jobs and marriages. Politicians we trusted let us down. Churches had big fights and lost their witness.

But many good things happened, too. Our daughter married and is a wonderful mother with three good boys. We now live only 14 miles away. As one of our church members jokingly told her son, “We were stuck with you, but we love our grandchildren!” I got to work in Christian higher education for 15 years and served two great churches during the time. And now we serve a great church in the city of my birth, who seem content to let an old guy steer the ship for a while longer.

So, how have I been? I’ve been good and I’ve been bad. And I venture to say every reader has been good and bad, too.

Through it all we can affirm God has been faithful. We echo the declaration of the psalmist: “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Psalm 37:5).

Searching For A Pastor

The Internet has changed the pastor search process. One Alabama church discovered on another church’s website that their pastor was candidating for a new position. He’d not informed leaders in his present church what he planned to do on his Sunday away, but soon the news was all over the community.

Years before churches had websites, a group from Florida traveled to an Alabama church one weekend to hear a pastor who’d been recommended to them. They discovered the pastor they wanted to hear was vacationing in their home state of Florida. A simple phone call would have saved their long trip, and they might’ve been able to meet on the beach!

The most interesting experience I had with a search committee was after the group appeared on a Sunday unannounced, and then asked if they could talk with me after morning worship. The only substantive question I remember is whether we’d had a divorce in our family. Then the chair pulled me aside and said, “If we decide to pursue this, we’ll call you. If not, we won’t, and we’ll save the church the cost of a long distance call.”

In that day a long distance call was probably 25-30 cents, so it gave me some idea of how tight these leaders were with money. And, actually, they had saved money by not offering to take us to lunch!

Pastors used to ask friends to call or write a recommendation for them since it was unseemly to do this oneself. Now it’s common for interested pastors to respond to ad postings with their resumes.

Changing churches as a pastor or other staffer in our evangelical tradition is a serious time for both church and minister. It’s a time everyone must prayerfully seek God’s wisdom. And even then we’re susceptible to bad decisions. Just because someone knocks on your door doesn’t mean it’s the will of God. Ministers should seek counsel from wise friends in major life decisions such as these.

Of course other ecclesiastical traditions follow different rules of engagement. In some, denominational executives are charged to match church and minister. This system has value since it can make placement based on needs of the church rather than on popularity or personality.

However ministers are called, they must be supported by the church. No pastor can do God’s work alone, and the sweetest words a pastor might ever hear are, “Pastor, I want to help you. Is there something I can do for God and his church?”

When the pastor gets over his initial shock, he will, no doubt, try to match the gifts of the member with the needs of the church and community. God’s work will prosper.

Boys And Girls, Elmer's Glue and God

Vacation Bible School--what memories it evokes! When I was a child, we had two-week schools instead of today’s one-week or three or four days of classes. We marched in, saluted the flags and learned about missionaries. We heard from interesting guests, made a few field trips and learned the books of the Bible. And we made some neat things. Most of the items we made in craft class found their way to the refrigerator door, to dad's desktop or to that special box of treasures our mothers always kept.

My mother for many years displayed some of my childhood VBS handiwork: a framed print of a rooster trimmed in colored popcorn and kidney beans. I can’t remember now, but I suppose the biblical application had something to do with the familiar story of the cock crowing after Peter denied he was a follower of Jesus.

A special part of VBS for me as an adult has always been the classroom visits when the pastor is invited to the various rooms to teach that day’s Bible story. It's interesting to hear the boys' and girls' questions and their responses to the Bible or missionary stories.

In one church I was asked to teach Psalm 23 to the children. The theme was loneliness. I wanted to stress that we’re never alone, for God is always with us.  

“Although David was in the wilderness alone with his flock,” I said, “he had a special friend who was with him at all times. Who was it?”

Denise, a freckle-faced bundle of sweetness replied, “He had the sheeps!”

We had a good laugh, for, of course, she was right.

The highlight of VBS is the decision time when boys and girls have opportunity to accept Christ as savior. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14, NIV).

Our denomination's church growth experts insist that we gain more new converts through Vacation Bible Schools than through revivals. Revivals are another tradition that many churches follow in late summer or early fall. I remember these sometimes went from Sunday to Sunday in my boyhood church, though I don’t see as many of these among our churches now. Of course the Covid pandemic prevented many things over the past 15 months.

Many of us bear on our souls the fingerprints of mentors who taught us in the summertime about God’s love. They paved the way for a life of faith for so many of us.

Pastors can’t do VBS alone, so many thanks to hosts of dedicated teachers, leaders, refreshment coordinators and musicians who still make it all possible.

A Better Way To Criticize

A noted Alabama pastor often has opportunity to speak to younger ministers, and he insists they’ll face three certainties: discouragement, fatigue and criticism. This is not all they’ll face, but it is certainly a part of ministry.

I think we see all of these factors in the story of ancient Israel wandering in the wilderness.

According to Numbers 11, the “rabble” amongst them began to complain against God and Moses. The basis of their complaint was their dissatisfaction with manna. We still don’t know what manna was, nor did the Hebrews. In their language they called it “man hu,” or “what’s that?” We generally think of it as a bread-like substance only because they ground it and fashioned it into cakes. Whatever it was, they had it three times a day for forty years and grew rather tired of their bland diet. They began to long for the return of their days in Egypt when they had fish, cucumbers, onions and garlic.

“It was well with us in Egypt!” they proclaimed.

Well, no, it wasn’t. In Egypt they had fish to eat, but the commentators say fish was the food of slaves since it was plentiful and cheap. The point is they had been slaves in Egypt and cried out for deliverance. God heard their cries. He raised up Moses as his chosen redeemer to bring the Hebrews to a new place of freedom and plenty.

The Hebrews had a selective memory if they overlooked their days of servitude. They also forgot that their rebellion prolonged their days in the desert. They could have been in Canaan eating milk and honey but for their failure to trust God.

Moses was so disappointed in their criticism that he asked God to remove him from leadership. “This people is too much for me,” he said. He experienced severe depression and asked God to take his life.

But God did a gracious thing. He told Moses to gather 70 elders—the wise men of the tribe, as opposed to the rabble. Then God took some of the spirit of Moses and distributed it to the elders. This spirit is perhaps understood as wisdom or favor or administrative ability. In other words, God gave Moses some help. He lifted Moses’ burden and encouraged him with the faithfulness of others.

Perhaps the finest way to criticize another is not to raise a hand threateningly, but to offer a hand lovingly; to ask, “how can I help?”

Essentially this is what God did for Moses in  this story. He offered assistance.

We can follow this heavenly example by investing ourselves in the work of others. This is the finest way and the kindest way to criticize