A Month From Now

One month from today, America will have a new president-elect. I know he wouldn't admit it, but I bet George W. is counting down the days.

Also, one month from today (Lord willing), Beverly and I will be in Israel. We leave on Monday, November 3rd. And I will admit it: I am counting down the days.
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Crude oil prices are now down below $90 a barrel again. I believe that is probably what the true market value is right now. Last time it was running at that amount, the price at the pump was below $3 a gallon. But we consumers are so gullible, we are just thankful it's not $4 anymore. Let's see what kind of obscene record profit the oil companies post this next quarter.

The Call of Preaching

I came across this article by John MacArthur this morning. I think he comes across a bit harshly on a couple of points. But overall, I think he says some things that today's preachers need to consider. So I have left the article uncut. What do you think?:

I have never aspired to be known as a theologian, a polemicist, or an academician. My passion is teaching and preaching the Word of God.

Even though I've dealt with theological questions and doctrinal controversies in some of my books, I have never done so from the perspective of a systematic theologian. It is of little concern to me whether some point of doctrine fits with this tradition or that. I want to know what is biblical. All my concerns are biblical, and my desire is to be biblical in all my teaching.

Preach the Word
That is how I have approached ministry from the beginning. My father was a pastor, and when I first told him years ago that I felt God had called me to a life of ministry, he gave me a Bible in which he had inscribed these words of encouragement: "Preach the Word!" That simple statement became the compelling stimulus in my heart. It is all I have endeavored to do in my ministry--preach the Word.

Pastors today face a tremendous amount of pressure to do everything but preach the Word. Church growth experts tell them they must address people's "felt needs." They are encouraged to be storytellers, comedians, psychologists, and motivational speakers. They are warned to steer clear of topics that people find unpleasant. Many have given up biblical preaching in favor of devotional homilies designed to make people feel good. Some have even replaced preaching with drama and other forms of staged entertainment.

But the pastor whose passion is biblical has only one option: "Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction" (2 Timothy 4:2).

When Paul wrote those words to Timothy, he added this prophetic warning: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth" (vv. 3-4).

Clearly there was no room in Paul's philosophy of ministry for the give-people-what-they-want theory that is so prevalent today. He did not urge Timothy to conduct a survey to find out what his people wanted. He commanded him to preach the Word--faithfully, reprovingly, and patiently.

In fact, far from urging Timothy to devise a ministry that would garner accolades from the world, Paul warned the young pastor about suffering and hardship! Paul was not telling Timothy how to be "successful"; he was encouraging him to follow the divine standard. He was not advising him to pursue prosperity, power, prominence, popularity, or any of the otherworldly notions of success. He was urging the young pastor to be biblical--regardless of the consequences.

Preaching the Word is not always easy. The message we are required to proclaim is often offensive. Christ Himself is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense (Romans 9:33; 1 Peter 2:8). The message of the cross is a stumbling block to some (1 Corinthians 1:23; Galatians 5:11), mere foolishness to others (1 Corinthians 1:23).

But we are never permitted to trim the message or tailor it to people's preferences. Paul made this clear to Timothy at the end of 2 Timothy 3: "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness" (v. 16, emphasis added). This is the Word to be preached: the whole counsel of God (cf. Acts 20:27).

In Chapter 1, Paul had told Timothy, "Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me" (v. 13). He was speaking of the revealed words of Scripture--all of it. He urged Timothy to "Guard . . . the treasure which has been entrusted to you" (v. 14). Then in Chapter 2, he told him to study the Word and handle it accurately (2:15). Now he is telling him to proclaim it. So the entire task of the faithful minister revolves around the Word of God--guarding it, studying it, and proclaiming it.

In Colossians 1 the apostle Paul, describing his own ministry philosophy, writes, "Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God" (v. 25). In 1 Corinthians he goes a step further: "When I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (2:2). In other words, his goal as a preacher was not to entertain people with his rhetorical style, or to amuse them with cleverness, humor, novel insights, or sophisticated methodology--he simply preached Christ crucified.

Faithfully preaching and teaching the Word must be the very heart of our ministry philosophy. Any other approach replaces the voice of God with human wisdom. Philosophy, politics, humor, psychology, homespun advice, and human opinion can never accomplish what the Word of God does. Those things may be interesting, informative, and entertaining, but they are not the business of the church. The preacher's task is not to be a conduit for human wisdom; he is God's voice to speak to the congregation. No human message comes with the stamp of divine authority--only the Word of God. How dare any preacher substitute another message?

I frankly do not understand preachers who are willing to abdicate this solemn privilege. Why should we proclaim the wisdom of men when we have the privilege of preaching the Word of God?



Be Faithful In and Out of Season
Ours is a never-ending task. Not only are we to preach the Word, we must do it regardless of the climate of opinion around us. We are commanded to be faithful when such preaching is tolerated--but also when it is not.

Let's face it--right now preaching the Word is out of season. The market-driven philosophy currently in vogue says that plainly declaring biblical truth is outmoded. Biblical exposition and theology are seen as antiquated and irrelevant. "Churchgoers don't want to be preached to anymore," this philosophy says. "The baby-boomer generation won't just sit in the pew while someone up front preaches. They are products of a media-driven generation, and they need a church experience that will satisfy them on their own terms."

But Paul says the excellent minister must be faithful to preach the Word even when it is not in fashion. The expression he uses is "be ready." The Greek term (ephistemi) literally means "to stand beside." It has the idea of eagerness. It was often used to describe a military guard, always at his post, prepared for duty. Paul was speaking of an explosive eagerness to preach, like that of Jeremiah, who said that the Word of God was a fire in his bones (Jeremiah 20:9). That's what he was demanding of Timothy. Not reluctance but readiness. Not hesitation but fearlessness. Not motivational talks but the Word of God.



Reprove, Rebuke, and Exhort
Paul also gives Timothy instructions about the tone of his preaching. He uses two words that carry negative connotations and one that is positive: reprove, rebuke, and exhort. All valid ministry must have a balance of positive and negative. The preacher who fails to reprove and rebuke is not fulfilling his commission.

Years ago I listened to a radio interview with a preacher known for his emphasis on positive thinking. This man had stated in print that he assiduously avoids any mention of sin in his preaching because he feels people are burdened with too much guilt anyway. The interviewer asked how he could justify such a policy. The pastor replied that he had made the decision early in his ministry to focus on meeting people's needs, not attacking their sin.

But people's deepest need is to confess and overcome their sin. So preaching that fails to confront and correct sin through the Word of God does not meet people's need. It may make them feel good. And they may respond enthusiastically to the preacher, but that is not the same as having real needs met.

Reproving, rebuking, and exhorting are the same as preaching the Word, for those are the very same ministries Scripture accomplishes: "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). Notice the same balance of positive and negative tone. Reproof and correction are negative; teaching and training are positive.

The positive tone is crucial, too. The word "exhort" is parakaleo, a word that means "encourage." The excellent preacher confronts sin and then encourages repentant sinners to behave righteously. He is to do this "with great patience and instruction" (4:2). In 1 Thessalonians 2:11, Paul talks about "exhorting and encouraging and imploring . . . as a father would his own children." This often requires great patience and much instruction. But the excellent minister cannot neglect these aspects of his calling.



Don't Compromise in Difficult Times
There is an urgency in Paul's charge to young Timothy: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires" (2 Tim. 4:3). That is a prophecy reminiscent of those found in 2 Timothy 3:1 ("Realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come"), and 1 Timothy 4:1 ("The Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith"). This, then, is Paul's third prophetic warning to Timothy about the difficult times that were to come.

Note the progression: the first warning said that the time would come when people will depart from the faith. The second one warned Timothy that dangerous times were coming for the church. Now the third one suggests that the time would come when those in the church would not endure sound doctrine, but desire instead to have their ears tickled.

That is happening in the church today. Evangelicalism has lost its tolerance for confrontive preaching. Churches ignore the biblical teaching on women's roles, homosexuality, and other politically charged issues. The human medium has overtaken the divine message. That's evidence of serious doctrinal compromise. If the church does not repent, those errors and others like them will become epidemic.

Note that Paul does not suggest that the way to reach such a society is to soften the message so that its people will be comfortable with it. Just the opposite is true. Such ear-tickling is abominable. Paul urges Timothy to be willing to suffer for the truth's sake, and keep preaching the Word faithfully.

An appetite for ear-tickling preaching has a terrible end. Second Timothy 4:4 says these people will ultimately "turn away their ears from the truth and will be turned aside to myths." They become the victims of their own refusal to hear the truth. "They will turn away" is in the active voice. The people willfully choose this action. "Will be turned aside to myths" is in the passive voice. It describes what happens to them. Having turned from the truth, they become victims of deception. As soon as they turn away from the truth, they become pawns of Satan.

The truth of God does not tickle our ears, it boxes them. It burns them. It reproves, rebukes, convicts--then it exhorts and encourages. Preachers of the Word must be careful to maintain that balance.

There have always been men in the pulpit who gathered crowds because they were gifted orators, interesting storytellers, entertaining speakers, dynamic personalities, shrewd crowd-manipulators, rousing speech-makers, popular politicians, or erudite scholars. Such preaching may be popular, but it is not necessarily powerful. No one can preach with power who does not preach the Word. And no faithful preacher will water down or neglect the whole counsel of God. Proclaiming the Word--all of it--is the pastor's calling.

Marriage Research

Interesting marriage research results from the UK as reported by John Bingham:

Couples who described themselves as 'happy' recommended regular romantic gestures and time spent without the children. 

A poll of 4,000 couples found that spending at least 22 periods of "quality time" together every month, such as going for a walk or sharing a romantic meal, were also key to maintaining a healthy relationship.

Researchers asked couples who described themselves as "happy" or "very happy" to estimate how much time they spend together in an effort to work out the secret of their success.

Analysis of their responses suggested that couples looking for happiness should aim to spend at least seven evenings in together every month with two proper dinner dates.

Other important elements included two romantic walks a month and at least one visit to a pub or cinema without the children or other friends.

Educational Psychologist Dr Ludwig F.Lowenstein said: "Affection, cuddles and romantic gestures are part of a whole romantic scene which is desired by those entering a relationship.

"They are the safe gestures which say 'I like you, I am glad to be with you, I like and appreciate your support and care.'

"In this busy world we often take our partners for granted whilst we get on with our daily struggles of work and rearing a family.

Looking for Weeds but Missing the Flowers

A story from Yancey's book, Prayer, has stayed in my mind.  I don't know if I will use it in my prayer series, but wanted to share it with you.

When I moved to Colorado I soon learned about noxious weeds.  Unwelcome species such as dandelion, oxeye daisy, Russian thistle, and toadflax are spreading like botanical viruses in my part of the state, threatening the survival of native species.  Wanting to be a good citizen, I bought a hardy weed-puller and began a routine I have kept up through each spring and summer.  I take an afternoon walk on the hill behind my home in search of the noxious invaders.  As it happens, that walk presents an ideal opportunity for prayer.  For a few minutes in the middle of the day I am alone in the beauty of nature, and away from the distractions of my home office.

One day when my wife accompanied me I had an epiphany about my weed walks and also my prayers.  Her keen eyes helped in the process of spotting weeds, yes, but more importantly she changed the entire nature of the walk by pointing out more than twenty species of wildflowers.  I had been so intent on finding the weeds that my eyes had skipped right past the wildflowers adorning the hills -- the very flowers my weed-pulling endeavored to protect!

It occurred to me that I do something similar in my prayer practice.  I tend to bring a tangled mess of problems to God, not unlike the snarl of weeds I carry home in my collection bag, while overlooking opportunities for praise and thanksgiving.  My prayers are essentially selfish, an effort to employ God to help me accomplish my ends.  I look on God as a problem-solver (a weed-puller) while overlooking the striking evidence of God's work all around me.  And when nothing much seems to happen, I grow impatient.

Thanks for the great illustration, Philip.  I do not want to be the type person that is so focused on the weeds that I overlook "the striking evidence of God's work all around me."    

Wednesday Night Church

THIS is my weather!  What an invigorating morning!  I will enjoy all two or three weeks of it (in Texas we call that Fall) and then the two or three weeks we have in March (we call that Spring).  Just kidding.  But it is SO nice after 4 months of 95+.

I can't wait for church tonight.  I LOVE our men's class.  And I hear such good things about Beverly's ladies' class, too.  There is just something special about getting together with the people I love on Wednesday nights.

I think it is because I am a person of habit.  On Wednesdays, Beverly and I go out to eat together before church, and then we treat ourselves to a Brahm's yogurt after church.  And sandwiched in between is great fellowship!  THAT makes for a good evening.     

Start From Scratch

Some days I sit here to write, and nothing seems to come to me.  But here goes anyway.

I am a little surprised at my reaction as we find ourselves in this current economic crisis.  Usually I get antsy and fret.  But at least currently I am totally at peace.  I have no idea what the future holds, but I know that the One who holds it is faithful.

I do wish that there were some way to begin a national movement to vote for anyone running against an incumbent.  I used to enjoy politics.  I even considered going into it at one point.  Now it nauseates me.  I can't remember when there has been more rhetoric and less action than by the current crop of public "servants."  (Since when did servants make the kind of money these folks do?)  I would LOVE to be able to vote them all out -- and start from scratch.  You're probably saying, "But they're not experienced."  Experienced at what?  Politics as usual?

Maybe I should have gone with my gut and just not written anything today.    

Hollywood Talk

Every believer has to go see "Fireproof"!  Beverly and I LOVED it.  The acting is not THE best, but the story is so powerful.  Beverly is thinking about getting some copies and making it required watching for some of her clients.  

And to think:  A great movie that gets down to where people REALLY live -- and not ONE cuss word or questionable scene.  Hollywood would have us believe that can't be done.

PLEASE:  Go see the movie.  

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Speaking of Hollywood:  We lost one of my all-time favorite actors over the weekend.  Paul Newman died of cancer at the age of 83.

I loved movies he was in:  Hudd, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (in my top 5 movies all time), The Sting, Absence of Malice, The Color of Money.  He had a charm about him -- even when he was playing a bad guy.

But I also loved the way he didn't get caught up in Hollywood.  He and his wife of over 50 years, Joann Woodward, lived in Connecticut, far from the limelight.  And he was an extremely benevolent man.  The proceeds of his "Paul Newman Salad Dressing", Spaghetti sauce, etc all went to charity.  Over $175 million!  

Beverly and I were talking about this after his death:  Who is my favorite actor/actress.  Newman was in my top 5.  My list would be as follows:

1.  Denzel Washington

2.  Paul Newman

3.  Harrison Ford

4.  Mel Gibson

5.  Tommy Lee Jones / Sydney Poitier

Sorry, but no women make my top 5.    

Marriage, Football, the Economy, and "Fireproof"

The following is from an article by Sharon Jayson, of USA TODAY:

   Around the house, women rule. And men aren't putting up a fight about it, according to a study from the Pew Research Center that examines how gender and power play out at home and in the community.
   Of 1,260 individuals surveyed this summer— either married or living together — women wield more decision-making power at home. In 43% of couples, women made more decisions — almost twice as many as men — in the four areas Pew surveyed: planning weekend activities, household finances, major home purchases and TV watching.

   The survey also found 43% of men don't have the final say in any of those decisions; they either share decision-making or defer to their partners.

What do you think?  A partnership arrangement has worked well for Beverly and me.  Well, at least she TOLD me it did:)

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What a stunner of a game last night.  Oregon State beat USC!

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I find it interesting that our elected officials can't solve the Social Security problem, but seem to have no trouble coming up with $700 billion to bail out the fat cats on Wall Street. Something tells me that amount of money would make Social Security solvent for a long, long time.  But we the taxpayers are going to be burdened with this debt because of the excessive greed of a handful of powerbrokers.

It just doesn't pay to be poor (I guess that is somewhat of a paradoxical statement).  Read Amos and see what you think God might have to say to a nation with such upside down priorities when it comes to our distribution of wealth.   

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There is a new movie coming out today called "Fireproof."  It is made by a group of Christians who also made "Facing the Giants."  They are hoping for people of faith to make this opening weekend a big one.  Beverly and I are going to the 4 PM matinee today.  

What's Important to God?

Beverly and I returned yesterday afternoon from Abilene where we attended Summit (once known as Lectureship).  It was really good this year -- with the keynotes all from Romans.  Of course, Beverly his a homerun with her class, and my daughter-in-law, Kayci, taught an excellent class as well. 

I went to a class on Amos that was outstanding.  I am only now becoming convicted as to how important justice is in Scripture.  As was pointed out in the class, when Scripture speaks about justice, it is not in the sense of punishment for crime.  Rather it is about concern for the plight of our "neighbor."  It is about concern for the poor and fair treatment of the "have-nots" as well as the "haves."   

How have we missed that emphasis?  "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."  "You should tithe, but what is more important is justice, mercy and faithfulness."  "Away with your religious rituals . . . let justice roll like the rivers."    

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Jeff Jones sent me the following:

Subject: TOP 10 PREDICTIONS NO MATTER WHO WINS THE ELECTION
1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed teaching
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost.
ISN'T IT GREAT TO KNOW WHO IS REALLY IN CONTROL?!!!!

Religious Beliefs

The Tigerless Ryder Cup begins today.  On paper, it doesn't look good for team USA.  But maybe Tiger's absence will inspire the others to play better.  I don't know if I can take another Sergio Garcia strut and gloat session.

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Baylor University conducted a religious survey in 2007 and the results have just been published.  Among their findings:

55 percent of respondents said they have been protected from harm by a guardian angel.

16 percent said they have received a miraculous physical healing.

Over the past six decades, the percentage of atheists has stayed at about 4 percent.  Recent books by atheists became best sellers because there are more than 12 million atheists who are potential buyers of such books.

82 percent said they are "absolutely sure" or "pretty sure" that heaven exists.

Traditional Christian religion decreases belief in such things as UFOs, the Loch Ness monster and Bigfoot -- while education has relatively little effect.  

The State of Marriage

Let's see:  Crude oil has dropped from $140+ to under $100.  That's a drop of over 40%.  Prices at the pump have dropped about 30 cents.  That's about 7%.  The free-market system is alive and well.  NOT!

And what's with the stock market?  I'm thinking about moving my mutual funds to a passbook savings account.  I could be doing much better.

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According to new findings of a national poll commissioned by PARADE, marriage seems to be working quite well for most.  About 88% say they are happy or reasonably content in their marriages.  Only 12% ranked their marriages at the bottom of the scale, in the range between "It's miserable" and "I wish I could get out."

Those responding also gave positive reasons for why they stayed married, with 71% choosing "deep love" and 73% citing "companionship."  

Compare this to the kind of information being imparted by Oprah: (paste in this link:  http://lifestyle.msn.com/relationships/articleoprah.aspx?cp-documentid=10274156&page=4).

Jury Duty

I have had a last minute call to jury duty this morning, so don't have much time.  

I would greatly appreciate you praying for me through this series I am preaching on prayer.  I want clarity to know what directions to go with it.  I want to challenge myself and others to take prayer to a deeper level.

Thank you so much. 

The Blessing of Kids

Beverly and I had a wonderful trip to Memphis last week.  We were blessed to get to see Josh and Kayci and Truitt in their house and new "environment."  The church facility where they serve is incredible!

Friday night they took us downtown, where we saw the site (made famous in pictures from 1968) where Martin Luther King, Jr was gunned down.  It was moving to me, because I believe he was one of the GREATEST Americans.  Wow!  What an orator.  What a visionary.

We ate supper downtown at a place that is known for its pork ribs.  Lots of famous people have eaten there.  Of course, Beverly and I added two more to that list:)

We feel blessed that our Memphis family has found such a great place to minister for the Lord.

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The trip home was a different story.  Ike was centered over Texarkana at 5 PM on Saturday.  Guess where we were at 5 PM?  And then, we had a flat tire just east of Dallas.  So I changed a tire in the rain, and put on the donut tire.  It went flat about 2 miles from our house.

Still, we are thankful to be home safely.  We are currently enjoying having Jonathan, Jennifer, Jed and Jocelyn staying with us, along with some of their friends from Houston.  They will stay until power is restored.  We even had Jenny and Malaya with us for supper last night.  This is like Christmas!

Would it be wrong for me to pray that it takes a while for them to restore it?  I think most grandparents would understand such a prayer.  Obviously, I am really praying that things will get back to "normal" soon for those displaced by Ike.          

Remembering Both Cowardice and Bravery

Yesterday I mentioned that sermons from the Decatur Church of Christ are now available on line at www.decaturchurchofchrist.com.  The reason I am writing this is:  If you went online and subscribed (which is free), you need to do it again.  There was another tweak made last night that will block your ability to access the site unless you resubscribe.

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It's hard to believe that 7 years have passed since one of the most cowardly acts in the history of the world.  May we never forget that there are people out there who hate us so much they will murder thousands of innocent people -- for what?  So they can hide in caves the rest of their lives?

In the midst of that most cowardly act, we saw the greatness of the American spirit.  Heroic feats of bravery were evidenced in each situation.    

Something tells me we will find Osama Ben Laden -- and fairly soon.  Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part.  What the U.S. has to consider is:  When we find him, what do we do with him?  What is the RIGHT thing to do with him -- politically and morally?   

Sermons On Line

Recently I have been asked with more frequency if my sermons are on line.  I can now say yes -- thanks to Mark Archer and Heather Baker.  If you go to our church website (www.decaturchurchofchrist.com) and click on the link on the left that says "media downloads" -- you can then either listen directly on line or you can download to Itunes.  Thanks to Mark and Heather for working to make this possible.

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From the way the weather forecasters are talking, we may be in for some severe weather on Saturday as Ike makes its way through north Texas.  Beverly and I will be headed back from Memphis at that time.  Please pray for safe travel for us.

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Did you hear about the lady who left her camera at a restaurant, and when she went back to get it -- it was gone?  The report was on GMA on Tuesday morning.  Someone had stolen the camera.  

Well, it just so happened that her camera had a feature where it periodically downloads to her computer any pictures that have been taken.  So a couple of days later, her pictures downloaded.  There were all her pictures of her kids, etc.  And there were pictures of the person who had stolen the camera.

She decided to take a stab at finding him.  So she called the restaurant and sent them the picture to see if anyone might recognize the person.  It was the Head Waiter at the restaurant!

She got her camera back, and decided to not press charges.  However, Mr. Head Waiter-Thief was fired.        

Getting Nostalgic

It is a beautiful Tuesday morning!  Temperature about 70 and it is raining.  I like that!

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Does anybody know a shortcut to Memphis, Tennessee?  Beverly and I are going to see our Tennessee family Thursday afternoon.  We have to come back on Saturday afternoon.  I hear it's about a 9 hour drive.  That used to not bother me at all.  When I was in school at ACU, Beverly and I would often drive to La Marque (near Galveston) on the weekend to see her parents.  But that sure seems like a long drive now.

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When Beverly and I were in San Francisco, we wondered why "The Streets of San Francisco" was never shown in reruns.  I remembered it as a great detective show of the 70s.  It starred Karl Malden and Michael Douglas.  Well, when we got back -- guess what?  It is on one of the local independent stations.  So I started DVRing it, and we have watched several episodes.  The plots are pretty good, but other than Malden and Douglas, the acting seems to be poor.  

And the clothes!  Did we really used to dress like that?

It's funny watching shows from that era.  Typewriters on the desks.  Large, bulky phones.  19" TVs.  HUGE cars.  PAY PHONES!  Telex machines.

The episodes we are watching right now are from the '75 season.  That's the year Beverly and I started dating, so I'm sure we never saw them before.  

There used to be some great detective shows during that time:  "Barnaby Jones," "Kojak," "Columbo."

The genre I am waiting for a return to, however, is westerns.  It seems like 80% of the shows from the late 50s and 60s were westerns.  I still like to see them, too.  "Bonanza," "Rawhide," "The Big Valley," "The Rifleman," "High Chaparral."  And of course my favorite -- "Gunsmoke."  

Prayer

I begin this week with my mind focused on prayer.  I pray regularly -- several times a day.  And yet, I feel weak in this spiritual discipline.  I desire the kind of prayer life I read about in the lives of others who have authored books, etc.  

I feel such a connectedness with Philip Yancey.  He is a man who is on the road of faith -- but doesn't claim to have arrived.  He doesn't have all the "answers" -- but he is brave enough to share his struggles, and admit that he has them.  In books like Disappointment with God and Prayer, he is very honest as he seeks answers.  His struggles are similar to the ones I have.

He shares the following story in his book on prayer.  It is the story of Ben Patterson, a preacher who had ruptured a disc and was ordered to 6 weeks of total bed rest.  Reading was virtually impossible.  While in that condition, he learned some important lessons about prayer.  

   I was helpless.

   I was also terrified.  What was this all going to mean?  How was I to take care of my family?  What about the church?  I was the only pastor it  had, and I could do nothing for it.  Out of sheer desperation I decided to pray for the church.  I opened the church directory and prayed for each member of the congregation, daily.  It took nearly two hours, but since there was nothing else I could do for the church, I figured I might as well pray for it.  It was not piety that made me do it, it was boredom and frustration.  But over the weeks the prayer times grew sweet.  One day near the end of my convalescence, I was praying and I told the Lord, "You know, it's been wonderful, these prolonged times we've spent together.  It's too bad I don't  have time to do this when I'm well."

   God's answer came swift and blunt.  He said to me, "Ben, you have just as much time when you're well as when you're sick.  It's the same twenty-four hours in either case.  The trouble with you is that when you're well, you think you're in charge.  When you're sick, you know you're not."   

Maybe our problem is that we are too WELL-off?

Taking The President-Speaking Vote

Watching John McCain deliver his speech last night, I couldn't help but think about how different his speaking style is from what we heard from Barack Obama a week earlier.  As I look back over my life, I have seen some presidents who were gifted orators (Kennedy, Reagan, Clinton) and some who were not (LBJ, Ford, Bush III).  I'll beat some of you to the punch (Jeff):  I never heard Lincoln speak, but I bet he was good.  Being a professional speaker myself, I am inspired by good orators.  However, it doesn't necessarily mean that their policies / ideas are better.

Who would you rank as the BEST speaker-President? 

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I keep thinking about McCain being in a prison camp for 5-1/2 years.  I cannot get my mind around that.  That's a LONG time!  I can't imagine the post-traumatic stress he must still deal with.  And bless his heart, he can't even lift his arms above parallel to the ground.  Yet he led the fight to reestablish diplomatic relations with Viet Nam.  Go figure.  I hope that I would be that big a man. 

My Attack on the PAC

"A government of the people, by the people and for the people."  Those are great words.  They have been quoted in great speeches by Lincoln and King.  But is it just a dream?

I was listening to a report this morning on PACs ("political action committees").  You probably already know how I feel about them.  Last week, they invaded the Democratic Convention, and now they are at the Republican Convention.  ACLU, NRA, the pharmaceutical companies, defense contractors, big oil, and I could go on and on.  They court the politicians and give their campaigns megabucks -- in effect buying their votes.  Thus, the politicians' loyalties are not to the people, but to the PACs.  It is legal bribery, and it is SO opposed to the idea of "of the people, by the people, and for the people." 

The report was telling about new rules as to the parties PACs can throw for politicians.  They are not to serve foods that require a fork and knife.  The intent is to not allow them to throw a sit-down banquet -- but only serve "finger foods."  So at the Democratic Convention, they served things that could be eaten with a spoon.  At the Republican Convention, they are serving the food in Martini glasses.  Any way to skirt the rules.

I am of the opinion that PACs are THE leading cause of corruption and partisanship in American politics.  Even if I believe in the causes of the PACs, I think they are ethically wrong.  One person, one vote -- THAT is a democracy.  

 

Good morning, Class

Happy Labor Day!

Observations about the upcoming Presidential election:
There will be a number of 1st for me in this election no matter who wins. For one, this is the first time that the winning ticket will have someone on it that is younger than I am. Both Obama and Palin fit that bill.

For another, this is the first time in American history that the winning ticket will have an African-American or a woman on it -- regardless of who wins.

This isn't a first in history, but it will be a first for many of you: There has not been a senator elected as president since LBJ. We tend to go for governors more than senators. Gerald Ford was a Representative and Bush, Sr. had been an ambassador and held other appointed offices. Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Clinton and Bush, Jr. -- all Governors.

So that is your political science lesson for today. Class dismissed.