The Problem With "Bad Guys"

As I have watched my four year old son play with his action figures, I have realized that he is subconsciously aware of the universal "norm" that there are always good guys and bad guys. I'm not sure how my son decides who the bad guys and good guys are (he often completely disregards the suggestion of the packaging that the action figure came in that clearly tells you whether they are a good or bad guy) but within a few minutes of playing, there is a distinct separation of good verses evil and the battle begins.

"Bad Guys" is such an elusive concept these days. Everybody believes that there are good guys and bad guys in this world but I'm pretty sure that everybody believes that they are the good guys and nobody believes that they are the "bad guys". So who are the bad guys? In the old "western" movies, it seems like the bad guys at least knew that they were the bad guys. Many of them wore black as if to say "I am wearing the official uniform of the bad guys because deep down in my heart I know that I am a bad guy"...but maybe that's just the movies...maybe there's never been a time where the bad guys knew that they were bad guys.

In our modern era of "a diagnosis for everything", we all have a reason for everything that we do. If I cheat on my wife, I have a sexual addiction. If I murder someone, I had a difficult upbringing and "acted out" in rage or I had to kill him/her before he/she had the chance to kill me. If I charge exorbitant prices or cheat a customer, it's because I saw everyone around me making the same kinds of compromises and it's just what you have to do to be "competitive".

The funny thing is, I'm not dismissing any of these justifications as "psychobabble" or anything like that and in many ways, we make similar decisions on a daily basis just maybe to a lesser degree. I understand how addictions and past experiences can very much influence and shape what we do today. We just all have our own reasons (in our minds) for doing what we do. But this again leads us back to the problem of "bad guys". If none of us think that we are inherently bad and have just made a few bad decisions along the way, then who are the "bad guys"? Do the "bad guys" officially become bad guys once they make the news? Did the the Tiger Woods's and the Enron's of the world become bad guys once they got caught but we're still good guys because we didn't get caught for making the same type of decisions?

Maybe the starting point for us as humans is to realize that none of us are the "good guys". I think anyone who is completely honest with his or her self has to come to the conclusion that without outside help, we really are broken inside and we are all the "bad guys". ..and maybe if we just added the word "too" to the end of our "he or she is a bad is a bad guy" judgements, we might find ourselves on the first step of our journey in becoming one of the "good guys".

Romans 3:23 (New International Version)
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

"Things I'd Go To Jail For.."

Being from the south, there is a saying that I've heard and I've actually said that goes something like this.."there's a few things I will go to jail for". Basically, that saying comes in the context of some good ole boy talking about something that someone has done to or said about his wife/girlfriend; or it might come in the context of how he is going to deal with young men mistreating his daughter when she is of "dating age". Basically, the saying implies that there are some situations that I feel so strongly about that I am willing to go to jail for my actions that may come in response to that situation.

There is a very short list of things that I would be willing to go to jail for. I'll mention a couple. Like most, if not all, men, If someone messes (and by 'messes' I mean tries to bring physical harm to) with my wife or my kids, I would be willing to go to jail for the consequences of my actions in defense of them (God forbid that situation ever happen). It's a no brainer because as a man, there is a very deep and primal anger that arises at the thought of someone bringing harm to your family.

Recently, I read a Facebook post that basically dealt with the poster's (my word for "he who posts") desire for people to stop bashing the Bride of Christ (the church). It reminded me of an area in which God has had to deal with me in the past. You see, I like to think of myself as having a "prophetic disposition" but most of the time that simply translates to me having a critical spirit. I have spoken critically about other churches and things that I observe in their methodology and I have also spoken critically and even mockingly about other believers and spiritual leaders. And just so you understand the nature of my criticism, it's very rarely "gossip" issues that I am being critical of; sometimes it's things that I feel strongly about and maybe even perceive as being unbiblical (based on my understanding and interpretation).

But, God clearly spoke to me on this issue in terms that any husband or father can understand. He basically pointed out to me those those churches and individuals that I had spoken critically of were both His Bride and His kids....and I immediately understood the seriousness of this offense.

Thankfully, this metaphor breaks down (as does every spiritual metaphor at some point) because I also am both the Bride of Christ (as a man I'll never fully understand that concept on this side of eternity) and a child of God. How all that works, I don't know but what I do know is that I definitely don't want to be the guy badmouthing the wife and kids of God Almighty and be the cause of Him making any form of "things I'd go to jail for" statement (and here is the part where the metaphor implodes completely because of the ridiculousness of the thought of God uttering any kind of southernism...especially that one).

What if Bible Studies Were Badges?

Recently, I was in a conversation with a fellow pastor on our staff and he was sharing with me something that a mutual friend of ours had said in a conversation with him. She basically asked "what is up with you suburbanites and your quiet times?".

He responded, "what do you mean?"

"Well, I read the bible once and I closed it and I knew what I needed to do."

Basically, what she was saying was that she didn't see the need to read anymore until she had first acted on what she had already read...and for most of her adult life, she and her husband have chosen to live among the poorest of the poor in the inner city ministering and embodying the Gospel in that environment.

I'm not sure that I am in complete agreement with all of the implications of her statement of "I read it once" (and I am pretty sure she was just making a point and has read the Bible multiple times throughout her journey) but there is a poignant truth in what she is saying and I want to follow that trail for a moment.

In our present Christian culture we have access to some amazing Bible study resources. We have seen great men and women of God such as Henry Blackaby and Beth Moore publish incredibly insightful resources to help us further understand God's word. But, one possibly dangerous mindset that I have observed in myself and in others, is a badge mentality where if we were wearing our Christian uniform, it would be covered with all of these badges that show which bible studies we have completed and subtly, we would take great pride in our vast array of badges. We would have the "Experiencing God" badge prominently displayed on our sleeve and our "Purpose Driven Life" badge hanging off of our shoulder and our chest would be pimped out with a wide mix of Beth Moore and Max Lucado badges...

But here's the problem with badges. If I was in the military and I am wearing an "Expert" level rifle badge, then I am expected to be highly competent with a rifle and be able to fully act on all that the badge implies (marksmanship, assembly and disassembly, maintenance, etc.). If I am wearing the "Airborne" badge then it can be safely assumed that I have jumped out of a plane countless numbers of times and have mastery over every aspect of jumping out of a plane (jumping, landing, shoot preparation, shoot packing, etc.). And If I am to have the privilege of wearing a "Ranger" badge then I can be relied on to be able to and have had experience in carrying out any expectation of a highly elite soldier (the list is too long...think Rambo) and there would be a deep respect for what I have had to endure in order to wear that badge.

What if those same expectations were put on us? What if the accountability that we are held to rises with each Bible study that we have completed? I'm not sure if that's the case but it does make me wonder if I should go back and re-read some of the things I've read to make sure that I am actually trying to live out what I have read.

Here's the thing. I am not in any way being critical of the bible studies that have been written by people like Beth Moore and Henry Blackaby and based on what I know of them and their incredible integrity and honesty, they are only able to publish those Bible studies because they themselves have lived the content more than any of us realize. In many ways, those bible studies really are their own personal badges of testimony to what God has walked them through.

I also don't think we need to stop utilizing the Bible studies and more importantly, we never need to stop studying the Bible...but, maybe we need to lower the quantity of our intake in the same way that you would stop taking as many vitamins because most of them are just passing through and out the body because the body can only absorb so much at a time.

Maybe we should slow down and really chew on how we can live out the information that we now have. I know that for me, there's a lot of Bible studies that I have checked off of my list and stuck on my chest as one more badge I've earned when in truth, I couldn't tell you half of what the content of the Bible study was much less know that I have proficiently acted on the knowledge that I gained from it. I know I'm under grace and I'm so thankful for that but I also know that we as believers will still be held accountable for what we know and what we did with that knowledge....I'm thinking it would probably would wise for me to take some (maybe all) badges off of my uniform of pride and just ask God to help me to get better at acting on what I already know..

Muscle Memory

I have recently begun to fulfill a lifelong dream of studying the martial arts on an official level. No more practicing Chuck Norris round-house kicks that I saw on T.V. in front of the mirror and and no more conversations with the guys where I talk about fighting as if I have actually had any kind of experience...I am now officially going to a martial arts school (http://www.thetrainingedge.com/) to learn from highly qualified teachers and I am loving every minute of it.

The particular form of martial arts that I am studying is more of a self-defense style. It is built on the concept of reacting and counteracting an other's aggression and because the whole premise of this style is reactive, one's response must be completely reflexive and mindless. In other words, your response absolutely has to be built into muscle memory and the instructor's have clearly demonstrated that the only way to build anything into muscle memory is repetition....a ridiculous amount of repetition.

Through the process of building muscle memory in the martial arts, I have begin to realize that that whole concept translates into so many other facets of life. Greatness in any area of life comes through the mundane repetition of rehearsal. Great musicians have spent countless hours rehearsing scales so that they have built into their muscle memory an expansive vocabulary of note possibilities that allow them to react to any musical situation. Great authors have spent hours writing stories, songs, commentaries, etc. that no one will never read because those unpublicized efforts are the road to writing the great efforts worthy of publication. Great actors have spent countless hours doing acting exercises and watching each and every facial expression in the mirror to see what it communicates verses what they intend to communicate so that when they are on the stage or screen, they don't even have to think about whether the face is communicating accurately because they know that they have spent the time necessary to master each and every expression.

I think the concept of muscle memory also translates to the christian life. So often, I think we as believers just assume that we are going to react in just the right way at the right time knowing exactly what to say. We daydream about how we would share Jesus with the masses with our best Billy Graham altar call and yet we can't even invite our neighbor to church because we're afraid that they might not invite us to the neighbor hood parties anymore. As husbands we like to think that we would ride in on a shiny white horse to give our lives to save our bride and yet we can't get off the couch and help her clean the kitchen and get the kids to bed. Even as I have begun to get more serious about scripture memory, I have found that the only way to memorize God's word is through the monotonous drudgery of handwriting verses over and over again.

When I think about the necessity of muscle memory in my life, I have both an anxious and hopeful reaction. I am anxious because I realize that none of the things that I daydream about will ever just "happen". The greatness of my reaction will be determined by what I am doing today.

But I am also hopeful because I realize that anyone can be great. There is no magic formula. Greatness can be achieved by anyone who is willing to submit to the process of mundane repetition and daily exercise in the little things. It's really just that easy. And who knows, maybe someday we might actually get to live out the daydream of rescuing our wife from bad guys with our sweet chuck norris moves, while quoting an entire chapter of the book of John....now that would be awesome.

A Hopefully Useful Answer To A Seemingly Useless Question

I always get a little nervous any time a spiritual leader (pastor, teacher, or professor) opens themselves up to an "open question" format. The reason for my apprehension is that, in my seminary experience, I spent a lot of time with "that guy". You know, the guy who LIVES for open question time because he will then get to ask a question that he believes no one has the answer for. Questions like "Did Adam have a belly button?", or "Where did Cain's wife come from?", or the all-time genius stumper "Can God make a rock so big that he can't move it?"...These questions are, more often than not, a total waste of time but in my A.D.D. mental wanderings, I have actually wrestled with that last question and I think have an answer for the age old question of God being able to make a rock so big that He can't move it....so here goes..

drum roll please....

Answer: Yes, God could make a rock so big that He couldn't move it...and then...He'd move it. Allow me to defend this answer.

God could make a rock that is so big, that He, at that moment in time, could not move it....and then He'd simply decide to expand in strength and move it. Basically, in any area, be it strength, wisdom, power, or any other trait, God can reach his greatest "limit" and then just will Himself to be more. It's the very same way that God can make snow flake after snow flake and never run out of new designs. It's also the same way that God can make human after human and never replicate himself. Ultimately, it's the way that God never runs out of new ways to meet our needs no matter how impossible the circumstances seem. He's God and He just never runs out of being God.

I'm pretty sure that God doesn't spend a lot of time on this whole "make a rock too big and then move it" drill but I'm glad to know that He can anytime He wants...

Mary...moms will be moms

John 4:3 - 5 When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said "They have no more wine".

"Dear woman, why do you involve me" Jesus replied, "my time has not yet come."

His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

This passage cracks me up. It is such a sweet picture of Mary. Jesus very respectfully tells his mother that the time for his glory to be revealed has not yet come and Mary seems to just completely disregard her son's statement. In a modern day context, I can almost hear Mary say with a very New York Jewish accent "I don't care if you are the Savior of the World...I'm still your Muthah!!"...and amazingly, Jesus honors his mother's request.

I don't think that Jesus honors his mother's request just because she is his mother and is simply obeying the fifth commandment or that he's afraid that she might pitch a fit and make a scene. Jesus may have decided to honor his mom's request based on what she didn't say.

By going to Jesus with this problem, Mary is giving evidence that she knows who her son really is because the problem at hand is a problem that can only be solved miraculously. She goes to Jesus because she believes he is the only one capable of a miracle. Simultaneously, she is acknowledging both his divinity as the Messiah and his humanity as her son...a son who greatly loves his mom. Jesus clearly demonstrates this love when he sees his mom's concern about the wine shortage and how it might reflect on the bride and bridegroom (who were more than likely friends or family) and makes it his problem to solve regardless of whether or not it was time to reveal his deity.

As a son, Jesus shows us how much he loved and honored his mom in this passage; giving us a tender glimpse of an adult son still honoring the request of his momma.

As the Son of God, Jesus gives one of many evidences to come that He has a soft spot for honoring the requests of those who truly believe in Him and will meet their needs no matter how inconvenient the timing or how impossible the circumstance.

Song Leader

One of the terms that is very rarely used anymore to describe my role in ministry is song leader. Maybe it's not used much anymore because it smells of hymn books and church pews but the more and more I wrestle with what I do, the more comfortable I am with that term.

When I think of the title "Song Leader" I think of my grandfather, Papa (pronounced PawPaw). Papa was the song leader in his church. He would get up every Sunday and lead the congregation; singing songs out of the hymnal. He had a good voice but not a great voice. He didn't play an instrument but was able to rely on the church pianist (or maybe organist..I don't remember) to accompany his singing. Papa wasn't on the church staff but was there at the church almost as much as the Pastor simply because he loved serving. Papa didn't have a seminary education (his education experience only went as far as fifth grade because he was forced to work in a Civilian Conservation Corps Camp to help feed his family) but he offered what gifts he had to serve the church.

I think what Papa did is the purest expression of what a worship leader/pastor is...a song leader. Papa was on the stage to facilitate worship but the congregation knew that the act of worship through singing was their responsibility (maybe that is one of the great aspects of a hymn book. By it's physical presence in each row, there is an implication that each person is obliged to carry out their act of worship through song). There was not a choir or a praise team to worship on behalf of the congregation, that responsibility was the church's and the song leader was just there to keep everything moving and encourage the people on those mornings where it was just hard to sing.

At my church, we utilize a choir and a praise team and a full band and all of the technical bells and whistles that many churches are utilizing these day so I am not speaking judgementally towards the "megachurch" worship style (whatever that is) because we are one. In fact, when used properly, all of those things greatly facilitate an environment that is conducive to worship. But I also see a very subtle mindset that can slip in where those of us who are in the worship ministry (which technically, the congregation is the worship ministry..thanks Jeremiah Halstead for that) begin to think that we are the modern day Levites who worship on behalf of the congregation even though the New Testament clearly tells us that we are a priesthood of believers and we all have the responsibility of worshipping and ministering to our God.

In a culture where song leaders have become worship leaders who have become 'worship artists', I think we can travel a great distance from the purest form of worship facilitation.

I think the question that nags me most is "do I have a place for someone like Papa (in his Polyester suit and coke bottle bottom thick glasses) in my worship ministry?" or would I require him to wear skinny jeans and an unnecessary neck scarf (thanks to http://www.stuffchristianslike.net/ for that imagery) to fit into the worship culture at my church...