Mere Discipleship

One of the best things about traveling is the opportunity it affords for extended periods of uninterrupted reading.

Last week's journey to Lubbock for a Workshop Director's Meeting was a prime example.

The flight to-and-(half-way)fro Lubbock allowed me to get through a book I'd had on my reading agenda for over a year: Lee Camp's Mere Discipleship: Radical Christianity in a Rebellious World. Camp's chief aim is to underscore the need for disciples of Jesus to quit talking a good game and start living it.

The book begins with a three-chapter historical reflection on the fallout due Christianity in the conversion of Constantine, which Camp refers to as the "Constantinian cataract." Camp shows how discipleship waned in the aftermath of Constantine's conversion and how power shifted; how the ethics of the Kingdom of God as described in Scripture for all of life were replaced by an emphasis on the kingdoms of this world and the politics of this world. This move, which Camp refers to as the "Christendom reflex," has impacted the history of Christianity by dichotomizing life into the "spiritual" and the "secular." This primarily Western church phenomenon is foreign to the writers of Scripture.

Camp describes the Constantinian cataract this way: "'Christianity' increasingly loses the biblical emphasis upon discipleship, and replaces it with an emphasis upon religious ritual. 'Church,' rather than connoting the New Testament concept as a community of disciples living as the 'Body of Christ,' begins to connote a hierarchy that promotes orthodoxy. 'Salvation,' instead of being construed as the gift of a transformed, abundant life in the now-present kingdom of God, begins to be equated with an otherworldly reward. More crassly put, 'salvation' is increasingly viewed as a fire-insurance policy -- rather than the gift of new life in the here and now that stands confident even in the face of death, 'salvation' becomes a 'Get Out of Hell Free Card,' guaranteeing an escape from the fires of torment and ensuring the receipt of treasures in heaven. In Christendom, the whole world may be dubbed 'Christian,' and yet it is un-Christlike" (22).

As such, Camp devotes chapters four through six to a review of the biblical witness to the Gospel, the Savior and the Church as often misunderstood, yet critical themes in recovering a biblically-based discipleship.

Finally, Camp devotes his final five chapters to the concrete application of discipleship in worship, baptism, prayer, communion and evangelism. Each of these five aspects of faith is discussed as markers of identity for the disciple. These marks of discipleship stand over and against features of modern life like war, political power, capitalism, nationalism and sectarianism that compete for the right to identify mankind.

Perhaps the most helpful section in the book, for me, was the chapter devoted to "The Savior." In that chapter, Camp shows that the coming of the Messiah was a frontal assault on the kingdoms of this world. Camp shows how the kingdoms of this world, with their emphasis on power and control, system and structure are the "principalities and powers" that Jesus died to disarm.

In the final analysis, Camp's book has much to appreciate. It is highly sourced and written on a more intellectual level than devotional level and its implications are uncomfortable. The Constantinian cataract has made following Jesus a safe, comfortable experience in middle-class, suburban America. As such, Camp's book corrects our historical vision disorder and calls us back to following and living the Way of Jesus in all of life.

Only 18 Days

Until Texas Rangers' pitchers and catchers report to the Spring Training complex in Surprise, Arizona.

Baseball is right around the corner...

Yeah!

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Also this morning in my links, I added Kerry Williams' blog. Kerry is the Preaching Minister for the Sherrod Avenue Church of Christ in Florence, Alabama and a dear friend. Give Kerry's blog a read today. You will be blessed.

Have a great day and remember, Jesus sends you into your world as salt and light.

Life as a Citizen of Heaven

"'No one can serve two masters,' declared Jesus to his disciples (Mt 6.24). However, Christians have spent the greater portion of the past two milleniums apparently trying to prove Jesus wrong. We have told ourselves that we can indeed have both -- the things of God and the things of this world. Many of us live our lives no differently than do conservative non-Christians, except for the fact that we attend church regularly each wekk. We watch the same entertainment. We share the same concerns about the problems of this world. And we are frequently just as involved in the world's commercial and materialistic pursuits. Often, our being 'not of this world' exists in theory more than in practice.

But the church was not originally like that. The first Christians lived under a completely different set of principles and values than the rest of mankind. They rejected the world's entertainment, honors and riches. They were already citizens of another kingdom and they listened to the voice of a different Master. This was as true of the second century church as it was of the first.

The work of an unknown author, written about 130 A.D., describes Christians to the Romans as follows: 'They dwell in their own countries simply as sojourners...They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time, they surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men but are persecuted by all...They are put to death...They are poor, yet they make many rich. They possess few things, yet they abound in all. They are dishonored, yet in their very dishonor are glorified and those who hate them are unable to give any reason for their hatred'" (David W. Bercot. Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up. Tyler, Tx.: Scroll Publishing, 1999, p. 16-17).

Why I Love Lubbock

Since my last post, I've been to Lubbock and back. A whirlwind two days, filled with one very long Workshop Directors Meeting in conjunction with the Sunset Lectures, a wonderful Wednesday night at the Greenlawn church, and some wonderful reconnecting with my long-time friends, Dale and Lauri Mannon.

Dale is the Preaching Minister at the Greenlawn church and not only is he my friend, he's my mentor. When in was in junior high, Dale was my youth minister. From that initial relationship has formed a friendship for which I will be eternally grateful. For two summers during college, I lived with Dale and Lauri in West Virginia, where Dale began his preaching career. Those two summers molded me and shaped me as a minister; it was there I learned what study and ministry were all about.

As Dale dropped me off a the airport yesterday afternoon, I told him, "I think I'd be a much better minister if we could get together twice a year!" From marriage to parenting to books to ministry to outreach to Jesus, no stone was left unturned as picked each other's brains and, "like iron sharpens iron," we encouraged and challenged each other in our ministries.

To better understand the depth of Dale's life upon mine, I share with you a letter I wrote to him in February of last year. I was asked to write to both Dale and Lauri as a surprise encouragement gift as a part of a weekend marriage-building retreat. Here's what I wrote and it conveys my heart for a man whose imprint is all over my life:

Dear Dale,

I know you and Lauri are having a wonderful time this weekend on your marriage retreat. While you are retreating together, I am at the Weekend of Champions Men’s Retreat with Prentice Meador at the Westover Hills church in Austin.

When I think back over my life and the people who’ve played a key role in helping me become a servant of Jesus, outside of my immediate family, I rate you as the most influential person in my life. Your faith and love for Jesus has forever impacted me as a person, a servant, a husband and a father.

You’ll never know how often my eyes were trained upon you during those two summers we spent together. I watched how you treated and loved your wife. I watched how you cared for your newborn son. I watched you as you studied God’s Word. I watched you when we made visits together. I watched you as preached the Word. Everything I saw so impressed me because of your integrity and faith through every circumstance. Sure, I thought you were a little tightwad with your money at times (why couldn’t we go to Dairy Queen more on Wednesday nights after church?) and I often wondered why, given that heart of gold, you didn’t let me win more in our competitive games of 1-on-1. But then I remember back to the times you allowed me to cut the grass on the riding mower while you slaved away on the hillside with the push-mower and that makes it alright!

Seriously, the integrity of your ministry made an indelible impression on me. I think back to the way you spent time with the Rollins boys, carving out of your schedule quality time to invest in two young boys who were basically “fatherless” and am reminded of your genuine faith.

Thank you for believing in me, for investing in me, for caring for me, and for teaching me in living color what a godly man, husband, father and minister looks like. During my stay in Hot Springs Village, there were countless times when Buddy and Jo Childers would say to me, “You remind us so much of Dale Mannon.” They never knew those words were such a supreme compliment and endorsement of everything I hope to be!

Paul dared to call the Corinthians to “follow me because I follow Christ.” Throughout my life, I have had an unwavering desire to follow you because I know you follow Christ.

I will continue to pray for you and Lauri throughout this weekend; that God will bless you richly in love for Him and for each other. Thank you for having such an impact on me. I love you for that and will remain eternally thankful that God saw fit to bring our lives and ministries together.

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Do me a favor today and remember Dale's dad, C.E., in your prayers. Mr. Mannon is in failing health and the prognosis is not good. Dale's parents live in Virginia and C.E. has been a long-time minister in Floyd, Virginia. The family needs our prayers and I ask that you find time today to remember this godly family and godly man before God.

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Speaking of friends, Rick and Gail Northen are preparing to set sail on the Ship of Life. Like Dale and Lauri, Rick and Gail have been gifts from God to me. Rick retired from full-time dental work, sold his practice, and now he and Gail are devoting their full-time energy to the mission of Jesus in Cambodia, taking the gospel to the poorest, most remote villages of Cambodia. You can read about their journey here.

Who's Moving to El Dorado?

Tucked away in south Arkansas, near the Louisiana border, is the city of El Dorado. El Dorado has always had a spot in my heart because it was where my uncle coached and where my cousins lived. Visiting cousins didn't require a cross-country trip, just a short jaunt down down Highways 35 and 167 (Fordyce, the hometown of the legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant, was the half-way point on our journey from Benton to El Dorado).

When I was 23, I was offered the opportunity to move to El Dorado and serve as Youth Minister at the College Avenue Church of Christ. The opportunity to work with Dan Williams would have been outstanding, but something about the timing, then, didn't seem to fit with what I believed God was doing in my life.

Had I known then what I learned yesterday, I might have analyzed the will of God differently!

Yesterday, the El Dorado Promise Scholarship was announced. In recent years, El Dorado has become an economically depressed city, as has much of south Arkansas, but El Dorado has a real treasure in Murphy Oil. Murphy Oil's headquarters are located in El Dorado and the higher-up's with Murphy Oil have decided to do something unheard of in the history of public school education.

Murphy Oil is the el dorado of El Dorado.

As a way of giving back to the community and investing in the future, Murphy Oil has committed money ($50 Million) to a trust that will fund full scholarships for all graduates of El Dorado High School who choose to go to college.

That's full scholarships for all graduates to the college of each student's choosing.

When the announcement was made at El Dorado high school yesterday, one young El Dorado high school student sent this text message to his grandmother: "Don't worry. College is PAID for."

In an era of "big oil" company bashing, big kudos to Murphy Oil for their investment in the future.

Children

During this quarter in our Education Ministry at Woodward Park, Mandy and I have been teaching the 3rd and 4th grade class on Sunday mornings. We typically have about 20 kids in our class and they are just wonderful!

Yesterday, our curriculum was based on Jesus's exchange with Nicodemus in John 3.

We talked about the new birth of baptism and the questions that text sparked were absolutely wonderful. You could see the wheels turning in the minds of the kids as they considered sin and the necessity of baptism as the means of contacting the redeeming blood of Jesus.

Teaching children reminds me of Jesus's words about becoming like little children. Children are sponges for truth.

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Tomorrow afternoon, I have to fly down to Lubbock, Texas for a Workshop Directors Meeting in conjunction with the Sunset Lectureship. I was invited by Truitt Adair to speak at the Lectureship this year, but declined. I'll be back to Fresno on Thursday.

Traveling to Lubbock affords me the wonderful opportunity to be with my mentor and friend, Dale Mannon. Dale is the outstanding preaching minister for the Greenlawn church in Lubbock. I'm looking forward to being with Dale again.

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Saturday night, the girls and I made the short trek north to Oakhurst and the Teen Winter Retreat at Yosemite Bible Camp. A group of 80 were there for a weekend of spiritual feasting from Eli Hooper. It was great to be with Eli again and listen to his outstanding teaching on Jesus. Our teens were challenged and edified and I'm looking forward to the positive outcome in their lives as a result of the weekend.

We were also privileged to hear, for the first time, All 4 Him sing. All 4 Him is a singing group of guys from Woodward Park that are just wonderful. Their songs enriched and blessed the weekend.

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Today as you pray, remember Paul Methvin. Paul is undergoing surgery this morning in Sacramento. Paul is the Director of the Tahoe Family Encampment and a dear friend to many disciples of Jesus, especially in California.

There They Crucified Him

Thinking out loud...

*Has there been a crazier week of weather? Ice and snow in central Texas. Snow in the Bay Area on the Oakland Hills. Snow in L.A. county, closing parts of I-5. Over $1 Billion worth of citrus crop lost in the Valley due to the week-long deep freeze.

*Fresno State will beat Nevada, who'll likely be ranked in the Top 10, when they play in the Save Mart Center later this year.

*After the week-long soap opera that is Arkansas Razorback football (and reliable sources say the drama is far from over), I am so incredibly grateful not to have invested a penny in that program in four years. What a mess.

*Wouldn't it be great if "the Saints go marching in" to the Super Bowl? A Saints/Colts Super Bowl (Peyton Manning is a "Nawlins" native) would be the perfect balm for a city in needed of healing from Hurricane Katrina.

*What is Jon Daniels thinking inviting Sammy Sosa to Spring Training? Sosa could rediscover his groove, but count me among the skeptics who fear a lack of production on the field and a disruption of chemistry in the clubhouse.

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It's been a couple of years now since Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ reintroduced people to the suffering of Christ. What Gibson did was lift words from a page that many had read repeatedly throughout their lifetime and give life to them. Visibly witnessing a depiction of Christ's suffering was gripping...and discomforting...and tear-inducing.

Sunday, I'm beginning a new sermon series centered on the cross. This morning, I want to resurrect some facts presented in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 255 (March 21, 1986)entitled "On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ."

On scourging practices:

"Flogging was a legal preliminary to every Roman execution and only women and Roman soldiers (except in cases of desertion) were exempt. The usual instrument was a short whip with several single or braided leather thongs of variable lengths, in which small iron balls or sharp pieces of sheep bones were tied at intervals. Occasionally, staves also were used. For scourging, the man was stripped of his clothing and his hands were tied to an upright post. The back, buttocks, and legs were flogged either by two soldiers or by one who alternated positions. The severity of the scourging depended on the disposition of the soldiers and was intended to weaken the victim to a state just short of collapse or death. After the scourging, the soldiers often taunted their victim" (1457).

On the processional to the crucifixion site:

"It was customary for the condemned man to carry his own cross from the flogging post to the site of crucifixion outside the city walls. He was usually naked, unless this was prohibited by local customs. Since the weight of the entire cross was well over 300 lbs. only the crossbar was carried. The patibulum, weighing 75 to 125 lbs. was placed across the nape of the victim's neck and balanced along both shoulders. Usually, the outstretched arms then were tied to the crossbar. The processional to the site of crucifixion was led by a complete Roman military guard, headed by a centurion. One of the soldiers carried a sign on which the condemned man's name and crime were displayed. Later the sign would be attached to the top of the cross. The Roman guard would not leave the victim until they were sure of his death" (1458-9).

On the nailing to the cross:

"After both arms were fixed to the crossbar, the patibulum and the victim, together, were lifted onto the stipes. On the low cross, four soldiers could accomplish this relatively easily. However, on the tall cross, the soldiers used either wooden forks or ladders.

Next, the feet were fixed to the cross, either by nails or ropes. Ossuary findings and the Shroud of Turin suggest that nailing was the preferred Roman practice. Although the feet could be fixed to the sides of the stipes or to a wooden footrest, they usually were nailed directly to the front of the stipes. To accomplish this, flexion of the knees may have been quite prominent, and the bent legs may have been rotated laterally.

When the nailing was completed, the sign was attached to the cross, by nails or cords, just above the victim's head. The soldiers and the civilian crowd often taunted and jeered the condemned man and the soldiers customarily divided up his clothes among themselves. The length of survival generally ranged from three or four hours to three or four days and appears to have been inversely related to the severity of the scourging. However, even if the scourging had been relatively mild, the Roman soldiers could hasten death by breaking the legs below the knees" (1459-60).

On the death of crucifixion victims:

"Not uncommonly, insects would light upon or burrow into the open wounds or the eyes, ears and nose of the dying and helpless victim and birds of prey would tear at these sites. Moreover, it was customary to leave the corpse on the cross to be devoured by predatory animals" (1460).

The King's Dream, Part Three

Michael Lewis has written one of my favorite all-time books, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. I call it a favorite, not because of my affinity for the subject of the book -- the Oakland Athletics baseball team -- but my appreciation for the model Billy Beane and company have installed in building their organization. The success of the A's model has been had to argue against, especially in the last ten years. Their success as as small-market franchise in game marred by fiscal inequities has been incredible.

Lewis has become intrigued, it seems, with sports stories that unearth deeper issues of culture and society. He's done it again in The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game as he reveals why the left tackle on the offensive line has become, in today's NFL, the second most significant position on the field -- second only to the quarterback.

Lewis's story is not solely the evolution of a game as he tells the gripping story of Michael Oher. I confess as I share the following review that I have not read the book (I've read several different reviews, including an extensive one in Reader's Digest, and heard an extensive interview of Lewis on Jim Rome's show). The following words from Mike Cope capture the essence of the story...and the essence of the King's Dream:

"It’s the story of Memphis — a city with an invisible Berlin Wall between white and black. Lewis talks about the Christian academies that sprang up quickly with forced integration so wealthy white children wouldn’t have to go to school with black children. He talks about the pilgrimage east — as far away from the problems of West Memphis as possible.

But this story is specifically told through one young man: Michael Oher. He was a child who seemed to have no hope.

He was one of ten children of a crack cocaine-addicted mother. At times they had no shelter. When asked what he remembers about his first years of life, Michael says: “Going for days having to drink water to get full. Going to other people’s houses and asking for something to eat. Sleeping outside. The mosquitoes.”

For a few years they lived in Hurt Village — a community of about 1000 with no — count them, ZERO — two-parent families. Seventy-five percent of the adults there had some mental illness. Drug lords waited with crack in hand at the first of the month when welfare checks arrived in the mail.

By the time he was 15, Michael Oher hadn’t been to school much. He’d been tested, and his IQ came out to be 80.

But all that changed. I’ll leave the details for you to enjoy the book. But the short story is this: he fell victim to the love and nurture of one wealthy, white family in East Memphis. Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy (a former basketball player and a former cheerleader at Ole Miss) welcomed him into their family. He suddenly had a family, including a sister his age and a younger brother. He had a school to attend — Briarcrest Christian School. He had clothes and food. His IQ rose from 80 to 110.

Whether you’re a football fan or not, you’ll love the chapters on the recruiting of Michael Oher. Every college coach in the country began salivating when he saw tapes of Oher treating large opponents as if they weren’t there. In one game Briarcrest played, every offensive play consisted of giving the ball to the running back and telling him to stay behind Oher until he heard a whistle. They destroyed their opponent on that one play.

This is a hard book because of the despair. You realize that most people in the Hurt Villages of our inner cities don’t have a Tuohy family to help them.

But it’s also an inspiring read because this one family — this one white, wealthy, Evangelical family — brought a monstrous kid into their lives before anyone knew he had athletic super-talent. He was lost, and Leigh Anne Tuohy was going to care for him."

The King's Dream, Part Two

Yesterday, courtesy of the holiday, Mandy and I took the girls to Shaver Lake. Shaver Lake is a resplendent, picturesque hamlet in the Sierra Nevadas, elevation over 5000 feet. The climb from the Valley floor to the apex of the mountains is such a testimony to God's creative genius. We had a blast playing in the snow and hiking trails. As Trae pointed out, yesterday was Tori's first experience with snow and she loved it!

It hit me yesterday on the drive home how neat a place Fresno really is. In Arkansas, it's a 24-hour drive west to Colorado to snowski and an 8-hour drive southeast to Alabama and Florida to play on the beach. From Fresno, you can be in the snow in 40 minutes (east) and on the beach in 2 1/2 hours (west).

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I grew up in a segregated town. Benton, Arkansas during my youth was a city with a clear line of demarcation: the "coloreds" lived across the railroad tracks in the Southside community.

The movie theater in my hometown was a clever two-level, two-screened cinema. I say "clever" because the two-level, two-screen setup of my youth masked the fact that when my parents were young, the building housed two distinct theatres: the bottom level for the white folk and the upper level for the black folk.

The Civil Rights Movement, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (which I alluded to yesterday, see here), helped to rectify some of the sad heritage of racial discrimination and civil inequity. Still, though, some of that heritage remains, even if unspoken in the way the races still remain relatively segregated like in my hometown.

When I was a teenager, I joined up with a couple of other guys in the youth group and we determined to build a bridge with the youth group in the Southside community of Benton. What began as an effort to build bridges between kids turned into a larger project. We made friends, not only with the teens, but with every member in the Johnson Street Church of Christ. To this day, I give much credit for my ministry to my friends at Johnson Street who loved me, encouraged me and gave me an open invitation to preach.

Ironically, Johnson Street was founded in the 60's as a "mission point" for my home church. A building was built across the tracks where the African-American Christians in my hometown could worship.

Why? Why did disciples of Jesus allow the segregation of the city to become the model for church?

If I could hop in a time machine and go back and change one decision, it would be the decision the church of my youth made in planting the Johnson Street church across town. Why? Because in a city that needed a shining light for the equality of all men, the church stood positioned to make that statement...and decided instead to punt.

Many through the years have echoed words originally attributed to Dr. King: "it is appalling that the most segregated hour of Christian America is eleven o’clock on Sunday morning."

Thankfully, that isn't true at Woodward Park.

My personal history doesn't mirror our right-now challenge in ministry in Fresno. In the South, the issue is color, black-and-white (although the Latino population is booming throughout the South). In Fresno, California, the issue doesn't seem to be color because every hue of skin on earth can be found here (and I'll devote my blog tomorrow to some statistical analysis of that reality). People in Fresno have long since gotten used to living in neighborhoods where every family isn't a pigmented mirror image. Parents have long since gotten used to the fact that their children's class at school will have descendants from every continent.

Our right-now challenge in Fresno isn't the color of skin because God has brought the nations to our doorstep. Our right now challenge is to affirm the King's Dream: that all men are created equal and all men and women have the same access to salvation in Jesus Christ.

The King's Dream

Last Thursday, Mandy and I went to see Freedom Writers, the gripping true story of rookie teacher Erin Gruwell. Gruwell is hired to teach freshmen English at an integrated Long Beach high school two years after the infamous L.A. riots.

Her class is an eclectic tapestry of faces and races. The atmosphere is charged with territorial rivalry. For her students, caught up in the gangs of Long Beach, their main ambition is to survive another day, literally. Learning English is the farthest thing on their minds.

Through some innovative methods, Gruwell not only accomplishes the mission given her by the school district, she helps bridge the racial gap dividing her students. Her success and innovative methods have led to the founding of the Freedom Writers Foundation.

40 years ago, another innovator was blazing a trail across the American South. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the primary voice of the Civil Rights Movement of the 60's, dreamed of a day in which every American was evaluated "not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Dr. King's life was cut short when, in 1968, he was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, but his legacy endures.

Today, our nation pauses from the routine of everyday life to reflect and remember the life and legacy of Dr. King.

What Gruwell and Dr. King accomplished in their life's mission was not simply a dream rooted in their own values; their dream was born of the King of Kings' dream. Jesus himself dreamed of a kingdom where people saw one another as God does. When Samuel was sent by God to size up the sons of Jesse to anoint the next king of Israel, we discover "the LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16.7). To see people not on the basis of the color of their skin but by the content of their character is to see people as God does.

For the next few days, I want to devote my blogs to pursuing the implications of living as color-blind disciples of Jesus in a multiracial, multiethnic world. Government intervention, such as the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery, can promote behavioral change but only the dream of Jesus can prompt attitude change and new vision, causing us to see every human being as God does -- as a valued soul created in the image of God.

I Love To Tell the Story

"...and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born" (1 Corinthians 15.8).

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul delineates the simple, all-sufficient truth of the gospel: the gospel is the death, burial, resurrection, appearances and ascension of Jesus Christ. Period.

But for Paul, when did the gospel become real? It wasn't real, producing grace and peace in his life, until Jesus appeared to him.

Throughout his letters, Paul typically has to defend himself in the face of trumped-up charges from his opponents. In Galatians, when those sympathetic to their Jewish roots charged that Paul's apostleship and gospel were fraudulent, Paul defended himself and his message by telling a story.

Galatians 1.10-2.10 is a story, a testimony from Paul, rooted in historical facts. Paul tells his story in three veins: pre-conversion, conversion, and post-conversion. He does so to uphold the sufficiency of the gospel and to defend his credentials as a bona-fide apostle of Jesus.

Have you ever written out the story of your salvation? Interestingly, when Jesus exorcised the demons from the man in the Gerasene region in Mark 5, he charged the newly-healed man to return home and tell his story to his family; to witness the qualitative difference God had made in his life (see Mark 5.1-20).

What we call "evangelism," Scripture calls "witnessing" (Notice in Acts 1.22 that in the search to replace Judas in the apostleship, the qualification is not someone who was an "eyewitness" of Jesus, as we often read verse 22, but someone who "must become a witness of his resurrection").

Becoming a witness is rooted in telling two stories: (1) The historical story of Jesus's all-sufficient power to save humanity; (2) The personal story of how Jesus saved you and transformed your life.

From both Jesus and Paul, I learn that the power of the gospel is not only found in the factual retelling of the historical story of Calvary but in the personal testimony of how Calvary makes a difference in my life.

What might help us in our quest to be more effective evangelists is an exercise that would be great, not only for those you seek to reach with the good news of Jesus, but also for yourself and your children. Write out your own conversion story. How has Jesus changed your life? Tell about your life pre-conversion. Tell about the moments surrounding the time when Jesus became real to you -- the critical understanding that led you to conversion and the confession that Jesus is Lord and Savior, the Son of God. Tell about your life post-conversion. How has obedient faith in Jesus made a qualitative difference in your life?

Taking the time to write out your story arms you with evidence of the difference Jesus can make the lives of those you seek to reach. Like the Samaritan woman who ran back into Sychar and told her friends about the difference Jesus had made in her life (see John 4), your friends and most especially, your children and grandchildren will appreciate knowing how the gospel has the power to change lives on a personal level.

Gaining Approval

So Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn were both voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday. My question is: how did those two not amass 100% of the vote? Ripken garnered 98%; Gwynn 97%. While their vote totals are the two highest totals ever in the history of Hall of Fame voting, I'd be curious as to who did not vote them in?

Whoever it was should immediately have their Hall of Fame voting privileges banished.

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I love Paul's letter to the Galatians. It is chock-full of practical theology on the simplicity and sufficiency of the gospel to justify mankind in the eyes of God. What Jesus accomplished at Calvary -- signified by his declaration, "It is finished" from the cross -- was the turning point in all history; the moment when the redeeming work of man was done.

Throughout Galatians, Paul's principles ring truth into the hearts of men and women, calling them outside of themselves and their comfort zones for the sake of the gospel. Galatians is a radical call away from cultural and national imperialism -- evidenced by Paul's adamant stance against imposing the requirements on Moses upon disciples of Jesus -- as Paul makes clear the salvation found in the gospel is available to all mankind.

Galatians also calls us out of ourselves and our incessant quest to win the approval of our peers. As disciples of Jesus, our aim should be righteousness in the sight of God, even if that quest prompts some social disapproval along the way. Consider these words from Scot McKnight

"We need to examine ourselves to see if we are 'seeking to gain the approval of men' or succumbing to social and peer pressure (see Galatians 1.10). Probably no feature of life is more difficult than this: discerning where our own line of approval is actually going. Is it going in the direction of God or is it being rerouted through the approval of human leaders, spouses, and friends? Are we doing what we think is right or are we trying to be diplomatic or political? This rerouting can be subtle indeed: from the glance of a spouse during a conversation to a letter to a Christian friend. When the conviction of our own faithfulness to truth and the apostolic gospel gives way to the desire of approval from a friend, we have joined the ranks of those whom Paul attacks.

There is a fine line between being approved by others and having such approval as our motivation. Our motivation must always be to please God and him alone; if others disapprove of us when we know God approves of us, we must disregard their disapprovals. Our fear must be of God, not of humans" (The NIV Application Commentary: Galatians. Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1995. p. 67-68).

Who's Number 2?

Florida 41, Ohio State 14. LSU 41, Notre Dame 14. Coincidence?

Imagine for a moment you have a vote in the final college football poll. As is typical for a college football season -- since college football doesn't decide their champion through a playoff system -- you are left with as many questions as answers.

Who do you select as #2? Do you go with LSU? How about USC which crushed the team ranked #2 going into the bowls, Michigan? Is Boise State deserving, considering they are the only undefeated team in the NCAA at season's-end?

Had I a vote, here's how it would look:

1 - Florida
2 - LSU
3 - USC
4 - Boise State
5 - Wisconsin

Incidentally, if the poll looks anything like mine, that would mean Arkansas's four losses this year would have been to teams finished the season ranked #1, #2, #3 and #5.

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Hey Woodward Park'ers, do me a favor and keep Barbara Lawley, our wonderful secretary, in your prayers today. She is going in for major eye surgery this morning at 9:00 A.M. (the procedure is scheduled to take three hours).

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Jimmy has some pictures posted of his new baby girl. Go here to see Jenniva.

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N.T. Wright, in a recent Q&A with Christianity Today's Tim Stafford, offered this insightful analysis of the presentation of the gospel in a post-modern world.

"For generations the church has been polarized between those who see the main task being the saving of souls for heaven and the nurturing of those souls through the valley of this dark world, on the one hand, and on the other hand those who see the task of improving the lot of human beings and the world, rescuing the poor from their misery.


The longer that I've gone on as a New Testament scholar and wrestled with what the early Christians were actually talking about, the more it's been borne in on me that that distinction is one that we modern Westerners bring to the text rather than finding in the text. Because the great emphasis in the New Testament is that the gospel is not how to escape the world; the gospel is that the crucified and risen Jesus is the Lord of the world. And that his death and Resurrection transform the world, and that transformation can happen to you. You, in turn, can be part of the transforming work. That draws together what we traditionally called evangelism, bringing people to the point where they come to know God in Christ for themselves, with working for God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. That has always been at the heart of the Lord's Prayer, and how we've managed for years to say the Lord's Prayer without realizing that Jesus really meant it is very curious. Our Western culture since the 18th century has made a virtue of separating out religion from real life, or faith from politics.When I lecture about this, people will pop up and say, 'Surely Jesus said my kingdom is not of this world.' And the answer is no, what Jesus said in John 18 is, 'My kingdom is not from this world.' That's ek tou kosmoutoutou. It's quite clear in the text that Jesus' kingdom doesn't start with this world. It isn't a worldly kingdom, but it is for this world. It's from somewhere else, but it's for this world.

The key to mission is always worship. You can only be reflecting the love of God into the world if you are worshiping the true God who creates the world out of overflowing self-giving love. The more you look at that God and celebrate that love, the more you have to be reflecting that overflowing self-giving love into the world."

Babies, Bowls and Books

I want to begin again post-vacation with a congratulatory note. Last Friday afternoon, Mandy, Tori and I were in the grocery store shopping when my cell phone rang. The voice on the other end was new daddy, Jimmy Mitchell. Jimmy and Liz welcomed their baby girl into the world on Friday evening, naming her Jenniva Elizabeth. She tipped the scale at 8 lbs. 15.5 oz.

I can't think of two people who are primed to be ideal parents for a little girl than Jimmy and Liz. Little Jenniva will be one fortunate little girl to grow up under the guidance and nurturing of her parents.

Congrats, Jimmy and Liz...and I miss you guys dearly.

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I have watched so many football games in my life I couldn't even begin to fathom the number. But, I have never seen an ending to a game as exciting as the Boise State win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's night. Three touchdowns in the final 1:26. Overtime. Trick plays by the Broncos to upset the heavily favored Sooners. And a marriage proposal from Ian Johnson, Boise's star running back to his cheeleader-girlfriend in the post-game interview.

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So with the girls back in Arkansas, I had a chance to catch up on some reading. I promised you I'd share the books I read while they were away. Here they are:

Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen's The Drama of Scripture: Finding our Place in the Biblical Story. This book details the Bible as a narrative, a story that tells the redemptive work of God in the world. The drama is told in six acts: Creation, Israel, the Inter-testamental period, the mission of Jesus, the mission of the church, and the return of Jesus.

The overarching idea advanced in this Genesis to Revelation story is that God's originial intention in creation, marred by sin, is reborn in the redemptive work of Jesus at Calvary. Jesus came to earth, not simply as the Son of God but as a King to reestablish the kingdom of God. In Jesus, the kingdom breaks into the world and is advanced through the church, the agent of God to tell the redeeming story of God through Jesus Christ.

Kevin Starr's Coast of Dreams: California on the Edge, 1990-2003 is a 765-page look at the contemporary history of California. Starr tackles the tough issues of immigration and how California struggles to integrate such a vast, eclectic collection of ethnicities and cultures into one coherent whole. Starr's commentary, based on many facts from census data and news accounts, is an invaluable resource for anyone ministering in California as it gives great insight into the critical social and cultural issues facing a state as diverse as California.

Peter Schrag's California: America's High Stakes Experiment is another contemporary look into life in California. Like Starr, Schrag details the modern history of California and exposes the effects of immigration, globalization and technology on life in the state. Schrag, moreso than Starr, examines many of the political challenges and issues that have affected everyday life within California, touching on the school system, crime, and cost-of-living factors. Again, this book was invaluable in helping me gain insight into how and why life is as it is in the Golden State.