Why does stupidity make national news?

I just finished reading this article on Yahoo News about a group of about 50 in Gainesville, FL, is having a "Burn the Quaran Day" this week, on Saturday, Sept.11.  Here's the link if you missed it:  http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100907/ap_on_re_us/quran_burning

According to the article, this group holds to a very strong "anti-Islam" doctrine.  Here is a small group of people, on one hand claiming the Way of Jesus while on the other hand holding a major theological doctrine that, in my opinion, is the opposite of the Way of Jesus.  And they get national and international media coverage? 

The leader of this group says that the Quaran is "evil" because "it espouses something other than Christian biblical truth and"... get this now... "incites radical, violent behavior among Muslims."  Ummm, excuse me Mr. Jones, how is burning a book, one that is held in such high regard by many people, NOT radical, violent behavior?

My prayer is that those following the way of Islam would come to experience and know the love of Jesus, and I am not an expert, but I'm pretty sure that this is not going to lead anyone into such an experience.  The fact that this man calls himself a "pastor" and this group calls themselves a "church" makes more angry than anything else.  The church of the Living God is about standing up FOR love, truth, grace, mercy, and righteousness BY LIVING IT!  Selfish motivation driven by personal agenda leads people to stand against things and people.  The Way of Jesus driven by the mission of God leads people to stand for love, truth, grace, mercy, and righteousness.

"Burning a Quaran incites anger. Loving people softens hearts. Which would Jesus do?" -Max Lucado via Twitter

Reach our hands in fellowship... and service... and prayer...

“God is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ, until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ. Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. Instead, we will hold to the truth in love, becoming more and more in every way like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” –Ephesians 4:11-16 (NLT)

God is doing something in Hot Springs that is more beautiful and inspiring than words can describe.  Under His direction, the whole body is working together to re-present Jesus to our community, while becoming stronger as each part does its own special work!  By the “whole body” I’m talking about something seemingly unheard of: Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Nazarenes, and Catholics working together with the Church of Christ and the Church of God!  Instead of falling apart because of the ways we are different, the body of Christ is standing together because of WHO we have in common! In the coming days, we have an amazing opportunity before us.   I want to share two of these with you.

SHAREFEST 2010 takes place on Saturday, November 6.  Using the Hot Springs High School facility as a command center, followers of Jesus from all over the city will gather to worship in Word and song.  Then we will go out into the community and serve in a plethora of projects designed to bring hope, and the love of Jesus, to our city!  That evening, we will gather again at the High School for a time of sharing what we experienced God doing that day.  In the coming days, we will be choosing the project(s) we will be taking on that day as a congregation.  Also, we will be taking a special offering on Sunday, September 19, which will be used to help financially underwrite and organize the SHAREFEST 2010 event.  More info can be found on the event website: http://web.me.com/morgangolden/SharefestHS/Home.html
 

The 21^st Annual GARLAND COUNTY LEADERSHIP PRAYER BREAKFAST takes place on Tuesday, October 5.  This event takes place at Hot Springs Convention Center in Horner Hall, beginning at 6:20 AM.  This is a wonderful opportunity to join in prayer with, and for, public servants and elected officials representing the city of Hot Springs, Garland County, and the State of Arkansas.  This year’s Keynote Speaker is Ken Hatfield.  We are planning to sponsor the event with our presence.  Table Host cost is $150 per table of 8.  Anyone interested in representing Oaklawn must sign up and pay $19 no later than Sunday, September 19. Checks may be made to Oaklawn church of God and we will write one check from the church.  More info can be found on the event website: www.gcprayer.com
 

Excited to reach our hands in fellowship to every Blood-washed one!

Passion for Jesus or camp high?

This week I had the amazing opportunity to speak four nights to the Next Generation at a Youth Camp in North Carolina.  By the way, check out Camp Walter Johnson - definitely a top-notch campground facility! 

Someone asked me how much different is how I speak to students from how I speak to a multi-generational congregation.  You know, I really don't do it any differently.  My goal every time I speak is to surrender completely to the Holy Spirit so that God can communicate what He desires to.  God speaks through the personality and style of the speaker - in my case, it's usually humorous (at least to me), has a good deal of depth (again, at least to me), and is pretty simple to understand (at... least... to... me).  Every time I am presented with the opportunity to stand before any size group and speak forth the Word of God, I take it as a high honor and huge responsibility.  I prepare well in advance (I've been told I border on over-preparation) and I remain flexible to change gears as the Spirit leads.  I tell stories from my life, I get into history, I show videos and images heavily.  There is really nothing at all I do differently when I stand before a group of teenagers and when I stand in front of our very multi-generational Gathering in Hot Springs. 

This is because God is the same and I am the same.  There is not a "Sunday Steve" and a "Youth Guy Steve."  There is just the God who created me as He saw fit, and is transforming me as He sees fit.  I am madly in love with Jesus no matter who else is around!  Which brings me to the overflowing joy of standing in the middle of a group of teens and young adults who are worshiping God with intensity and passion:

Youth conventions, camps, and retreats for me have all been marked with an outpouring of physical and emotional worship to the Creator and Messiah Jesus.  The number of moments like what I just experienced with some wonderful young adults in North Carolina is beyond me.  Singing out, clapping, hands raised, falling on knees, tears overflowing, and dancing (trust me, it is truly holy!) all to express praise to God and love to Jesus.  I... love... these moments!

This Sunday will I stand among people this passionate about the God who loves us unconditionally, Whose grace is amazing, and Whose mercy is fresh every morning?  Will I stand with teens and children and adults who love Jesus so much we can't help but shout it out?  Will I stand with people just like me who are not perfect, but are being made perfect as we go, praising God with a united voice for this transformed life?  Will I stand with people who have discovered hope among the ruins of life?

Or will I passionately pour myself out as a worship offering among those who still haven't found what they're looking for?

Random act of BUSTED!

This morning C-man (one of my boys) and I had a plan.  Our neighbor, James, has been out of town for a couple of weeks on his job.  He works for the Forestry Service and has been rescuing birds in the Gulf of Mexico... but that's not what this is about.  My son and I thought it would be a great idea to do a random act of kindness and mow our neighbor's yard on this Saturday morning, as he is supposed to be home Monday.  I know I would be super-happy to come home after a trip away and find my jungle of a yard freshly mowed.

So about 20 minutes into our anonymous good deed, our neighbor's garage door open and he emerges from within his house.  He had a really confused look on his face... like you do.  After my explanation of attempting to just be a good neighbor, and his explanation that he got sent home early due to the approaching Tropical Storm Bonnie (is it weird that I REALLY miss tropical storms?), my neighbor said, "Well, thanks for the thought!" To which C-man and I replied, "Well, since we're here, why don't we finish what we started?"

Always finish what you start, my friends.

Who can you do a random act of kindness for today?

Keeping score

Some of my favorite moments as a pastor have been baptisms.  12 years in this pastor gig, and I still get a rush every time I celebrate another person's life transformation.

On July 4th weekend, one of our sister churches in Hot Springs, LakePointe Church, had their annual Baptism Bash during the holiday fireworks display at the lake Saturday night.  On Sunday morning, I talked about this during my sermon, and we celebrated with LakePointe that they had baptized 56 new followers of Jesus!  (My good friend, Pastor Greg Bearss has since texted me with an update that they actually baptized 63!)  I continued by announcing we would be baptizing 4 new followers of Jesus right here at Oaklawn church the very next week.

Later, someone approached me and said, "Pastor... wouldn't it be great if we could baptize 56 people?"  I was caught a little off guard, I admit it.  I didn't realize we were keeping score, or that this could in any way be seen as a competition.  My reply to my friend was, "We're on the same team, serving the same God, following the same Jesus.  The reason we can celebrate 56 (actually 63!) baptisms at LakePointe is that we're all in this together.  Their 56 (actually 63!) plus our 4 equals 60 (actually 67!)!  My friend replied, "You know, I never thought of it like that before."

What if we stopped keeping score and started celebrating as one family?

Grace & Peace

As I'm finishing up the final sermon that wraps up a 5 1/2 month journey through 2 Thessalonians, I am caught up and fascinated once again by the writing style of Paul (the main letter writer of the New Testament).  I've been going through the openings and closings of all the letters attributed to his authorship, and I've noticed something that is moving me deep in my spirit.  Every letter begins with "grace and peace to you."  Every letter ends with "Peace to you" or "Grace to you."  With Paul, everything begins with Grace and Peace... and Grace and Peace have the final word!

The word for peace in Hebrew is Shalom, and was (and still is) a regular greeting.  Shalom is much more than greeting, though.  Shalom is more than the absence of conflict or war.  Shalom is a way living and being, and means "every kind of good!"  At the beginning and closing of every letter of Paul is "may every kind of good be yours."

In the original Greek that the New Testament letters were written in, the word that translates as Grace means "joy" and "acceptance."  Paul began everything with joy and acceptance, and he gave joy and acceptance the final word.  So, why are Christians today known for such a lack of joy?  Why are Christians labeled as the most judgmental and unaccepting people?

Everything begins with Grace and Peace.  Grace and Peace have the final word.

What if we lived that way?  Not just in the things we write, but in our words and actions.  What if everything we did began with Grace and Peace?  What if, regardless of the circumstances, we let Grace and Peace have the final word?

Vision becoming reality

I received a letter this week from a first-time friend who was at the Gathering last weekend.  His words encourage and excite me about what God is doing in our lives, and what He is doing through us!  What follows is a portion of his note to me, in hopes that you guys will join me in directing all of our praise to the Creator.

"Dear sir,

Briefly some positive input and comments about the bible study, the sermon, and the church in general.  We came to visit because our grandson has chosen to attend along with his friend... His attitude has improved... So thought it prudent to encourage him along those lines.

The majority of the congregation seemed to be younger than my wife and I, and that's ok. The old folks are usually boring and not open to new ideas and concepts.  Friendly.  Hospitable.  In my heart and mind I am still in my 20s, though I am 64 years old.  

As a young person at heart I am in harmony with the young people who like to see the scientific side of Yahweh's existence.  I don't have any interest in tradition.  I live in the real world.  Yet I find in the real physical universe around me more than ample proof that God is real... As the illustration of Star Trek pointed out, it is not wrong to demand proof if some entity claims to be the Almighty.  Moses did, so did Gideon.  His foot prints are everywhere... This more than any other topic gets my heart pounding.

-Bob"

(DISCLAIMER:  I personally do not think that "old folks are usually boring.")

The photo used in this entry is located at www.nasa.gov