Grace and Faith in the Old Testament

Several weeks ago, I had a couple of posts centering on the Old Testament. Bobby Valentine who co-authored Kingdom Come: Embracing the Spiritual Legacy of David Lipscomb and James Harding with John Mark Hicks emailed me to recommend a book from which he'd benefited greatly. The book is currently out-of-print -- I found it on Abebooks.com, an online site that specializes in rare and out-of-print books. The book is entitled Grace and Faith in the Old Testament by Ronald M.Hals.

In the brief book of just 95 pages, Hals makes the case that our common characterization of God in the Old Testament (wrath and justice) as dissimilar with God in the New Testament (grace and mercy) is incongruous. Hals takes great effort to show that the salvation of God that is by grace through faith (see Ephesians 2.1-10) that proliferates the New Testament does the Old Testament as well, even if the vocabulary of God's grace and mankind's response of faith is often different.

Hals builds his case around the exodus where God demonstrates his saving grace to the children of Israel and leads them to Sinai where the commandments call the people of God to respond to his activity with obedience to his commands, trusting and faithful to his call on their lives.

I thought these words summarized well the position of Hals:

"The Old Testament message of God's gracious, saving acts is, like that of the Gospel message of the Easter victory, an affirmation of God's grace. In this the central aspect of each Testament is alike.

Isaiah's call to trust in God rather than alliances, important though it is, is not as central to Israel's faith as was the message of the exodus. The saving act of God is the foundational center, while the call to trust only in that God is a secondary step -- virtually essential to be sure, and even implicit in the confession of the deliverance from Egypt, but still a second step, only possible after the first and foundational affirmation.

Similarly, the Pauline message of justification by grace through faith, important though it is, is not as central to the Christian faith as is the message of Jesus's resurrection. That God raised Jesus from the dead is the foundational center of New Testament faith, while the call to put our trust solely in that God, rather than any (meritorious) works of our own, is again a second step. Certainly this second step is essential and genuinely implicit in the Easter message, but it is still a second step, only possible on the basis of the first and foundational affirmation" (32-33).

What I appreciated most about Hals's book is the reminder that faith begins and is founded upon God's gracious deliverance of his children. Before God ever lays down the law at Sinai, he first tells Moses to remind the children of the deliverance he provided (see Exodus 19.3-6). In the same way, it is the story of Jesus Christ dead, buried and resurrected (see 1 Corinthians 15.1-8) that provides the firm foundation of the gospel -- the historical fact that in Jesus, God graciously acts to provide eternal deliverance for those who trust and obey.

I've Given my Heart to San Francisco

Back at the beginning of Spring Training, I solicited the opinion of my readers for advice on choosing a National League West team to follow during the 2007 baseball season. My passion remains the Texas Rangers and even though this summer means I'll only get to see them on the road, in their away grays at Oakland and Anaheim, I nevertheless intend to keep my loyalty firmly in the corner of the Rangers.

Nevertheless, living in central California means three options for NL West teams: the Padres, the Dodgers and the Giants. I immediately eliminated the Padres (too far and little media exposure in Fresno), resulting in a choice between the Dodgers and the Giants.

The feedback was overwhelming. I'm not sure any one post on this blog has ever generated as much as my solicitation on whether to follow the Giants or the Dodgers.

But with the start of the season just three days away -- the Mets and Cardinals kickoff the season on ESPN Sunday night baseball at 5:00 PST -- it is time to make the decision.

Drumroll, please...

I've settled on the Giants.

Now, from a purely baseball standpoint, it is foolish to pick the Giants over the Dodgers. The Dodgers are younger, deeper, and have a much higher ceiling heading into the '07 season than the Giants.

My reasons for picking the Giants are these:

(1) Mike Avedikian threatened to take all future Fresno State game tickets away from my family if I didn't choose the Giants.

(2) The legal squabble over the Extra Innings package means my DISH subscription will likely limit my baseball watching to FSN-Bay Area and the KTVU feed of the Giants games over the local Fox affiliate.

(3) The Giants AAA-farm team plays in Fresno.

(4) The concession fare at AT&T Park is superior to any baseball stadium I've ever been to.

(5) AT&T Park is closer to Fresno than Dodger Stadium and the Bay setting of the stadium is unmatched, with the possible exception of PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

(6) The broadcast team of Jon Miller, Dave Flemming, Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper is peerless. Those guys can paint the scene better than any in baseball.

(7) KNBR, the Giant flagship in San Francisco, comes in crystal clear in Fresno 24 hours a day.

(8) Did I say Mike Avedikian threatened to take away all future Fresno State game tickets from my family if I didn't choose the Giants?

So there you have it...I really had no choice! I have officially aligned myself for the 2007 Major League baseball season with the Black and Orange.

Forgiveness Resources

Back on March 15th in a blog post entitled "March Madness", I laid out the following prediction for this year's NCAA Basketball tournament, specifically the Final Four:

Here are my picks: From the Midwest -- Florida; from the West -- UCLA; from the South -- Ohio State; and from the East -- Georgetown.

Not bad, huh? I think this is the first time in my bracket-pickin' life I have nailed all four teams in the Final Four.

Also on March 15th, I made the following prediction about the yet-to-be-decided Final Four:

Just like in the Arkansas AA State Championships, the NCAA Championship will be a rematch between Ohio State and Florida.


I'm going with the Gators to make it a clean sweep.

I'm not feeling as confident about that pick heading into the Final Four. UCLA, following a first-round upset in the Pac-10 Tournament, is looking awfully good heading into Atlanta.

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Today Mandy flies back from Florida into San Jose. Tori, Grammy and I are heading to the Bay Area after we take Trae to school to pick up Mandy and to do a little sightseeing. Hopefully the weather will cooperate (by the way, last night was the first time we've seen lightning in the sky since moving to California. The winds that accompanied last night's cold front reminded me a lot of spring weather in Arkansas).

Our plans are to tour the Bay Area: the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, Lombard Street, the Financial District downtown, the requisite drive down the Embarcadero by AT&T Park, and the Bay Bridge. I'm excited about spending the day with my mom and sharing in her first-ever experience of the City by the Bay.

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Finally this morning, the last two weeks at Woodward Park have been wonderful as the Word of God has helped us all become more forgiving. In the last two weeks, we've sought to bury bitterness and renounce revenge as options when others wound us.

This coming Sunday, we'll look at Forgiveness through the Eyes of God and learn from Scripture what goes into God's forgiveness of us as a model for our forgiveness of those offenses we receive.

If you are searching for some good resources to supplement your study of the Word regarding forgiveness, I'd like to point you in the direction of two books by the late Dr. Lewis Smedes. His books Forgive and Forget and The Art of Forgiving -- a great book on the How-to's of forgiveness and extremely practical -- are standard-bearers among books that speak to the whole arena (spiritually, emotionally, socially and ethically) of forgiveness.

Remember, "we are never more like God than when we choose to forgive."

Have a great Tuesday!

In Honor of Church Secretaries

What an awesome day at Woodward Park yesterday. Our biggest crowd of the year, two new members added, four responses for repentance/request for prayer. God has certainly blessed our first quarter of this year with 40 public responses for new members, prayer or baptism!

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I love working in the kingdom -- wouldn't trade it for any other occupation in the world. Serving in the kingdom of Jesus is a calling and a privilege. To share and to see growth in the lives of God's children is so rewarding. So fulfilling.

Yet in my time of ministry, I have discovered the backbone of the local churches belong to those who are called "Secretaries."

During the first five years of my work as a Preaching Minister, I served as the Church Secretary. Two smaller churches, unable to afford additional staff, meant most of the secretarial duties fell my way.

I can still remember one particular Christmas holiday season in Hot Springs Village when the demands of fatherhood overrode my ability to get a bulletin prepared for the Sunday-after-Christmas. One of the elderly ladies in the church really took me to task for falling down on the job in failing to have a bulletin ready. "I've been going to this church for over 10 years," she said to me pointedly, "and never once have we had a Sunday worship without a bulletin."

As I learned that day, expectations of those who work in the office of a local church can be rather lofty. It's easy to take the person who produces the weekly bulletin for granted...until one Sunday without a bulletin goes by!

Later on in our time at the Village, we grew to a point where the office administration was handed off to a secretary. Jeanne Lessman became our secretary and was amazing. Jeanne loved ESPN Radio. She participated in a fantasy football league. She had a phone presence and a warm spirit that made everyone who stepped into our office feel like a million bucks.

During our short sojourn in Marble Falls, Texas, Ann George (Ms. Ann as she is affectionately called) overwhelmed me with her work ethic. In her 70's, Ms. Ann could outwork anyone half-her-age! She was tireless and as a leader of the Women's Ministries at Marble Falls, provided guidance and support in tangible, profound ways.

At Woodward Park, I have been blessed to be most closely associated with Barbara Lawley in our office. Neva, Heidi and now Tracy have also worked in our office, but the person who spearheads our office staff is Barbara. Barbara is a multi-tasker extraordinare! Her zeal for her task is top-notch and she coordinates so many good works at Woodward Park from her desk that the work flows seamlessly and effortlessly thanks to Barbara's coordination.

This morning, I am especially grateful to God for these three ladies and for the impact they've had on the effectiveness of my ministry. Not only have they been my personal help, they've been a backbone in the churches where I've worked.

When was the last time you expressed your thanks for the secretary at the church where you attend? It's a demanding task that often goes unnoticed (unless a bulletin is missed) and always under-appreciated. Why not plan today to do something special for your church's secretary.

She deserves it!

If There Were No God

Yesterday afternoon, I checked Trae out of school early and the girls, my mom and I headed up to Shaver Lake. Most of the snow around the lake had melted away, except for the shady places and the peaks. Nevertheless, the scene was majestic. Breathtaking. And left my mom in complete awe.

"How can anyone look at this and claim there's no God?" my mom asked.

Great question.

For David, evidence of God's existence was self-explanatory in nature. "You want proof that God is?" David seems to ask in Psalm 19, "go outside and take a look around." As Don England, former science professor at Harding noted, the Biblical writers do not attempt to argue systematically for the existence of God. Nature evidences the creative design of the Creator.

For David, proof of God's existence was obvious in observing nature. The celestial bodies in the sky speak on God's behalf, arguing for his existence.

For my mom, the proof is in the visible manifestation of the glory of God in nature.

While scientists and scholars argue the when, how and why of creation, nature itself and the testimony of Scripture are undeniable.

God is. God did.

Enough said.

Trading Places

Till next Tuesday, the girls and I have traded out a Mommy for a Grammy!

On Wednesday, Tori, Mandy and I trekked up to Sacramento International to put Mandy on a plane to Jacksonville, Florida. Ironically, my mom arrived into Sacramento at the same gate from which Mandy was leaving.

The excitement on Tori's face as Grammy made her was down the escalator was priceless. Trae didn't get to see Grammy until Bible class at church on Wednesday and, once again, the reunion of a grandmother and her oldest granddaughter was precious to behold.

I count myself especially blessed because of the influence of my parents. My dad has a work ethic out of this world. He has instilled in me a desire to achieve, to perform to the best of my God-given ability, and to sacrifice for the sake of my family. Much of who I am is a result of the effort of my dad and I appreciate him dearly.

My mom has instilled in me a love for Jesus. From the nights in our swing as a child, she sang to me and told me about God. She made God real for me in a way that has eternally impacted my life. My faith in rooted in the love of a mother for her son -- a love that radiated Christlikeness in every way.

For the next few days, we'll miss Mandy but we'll make some new memories and have a blast with Grammy!

Reminiscing, Part Two: The Rio Trio

This morning, Tori, Mandy and I are on our way to the Sacramento Airport. Mandy is leaving for six days in Florida to see her friend, Tara. My mom is flying in to stay for three weeks. I am so excited about having my mom with us while Mandy is away. She'll be with us through Trae's Spring Break and we are all very excited about her coming.

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I'm still reminiscing about turkey hunting. Here's a post from last spring on what was the single-most successful hunt I've ever experienced.

I can't seem to get the "Rio Trio" out of mind.

Last week, I was blessed to be invited by Dan Burdett to join he and Todd Lewis on Dan's ranch near Childress, Texas for some turkey hunting. The ranch encompasses about 12,000 acres and is spectacular, teeming with wildlife and natural beauty.

I was able to harvest a nice gobbler on Thursday. The gobbler sported a 10" beard and 1" spurs. It was the second Rio I've ever bagged.

But the real action heated up hot and heavy on Friday morning. On Thursday evening, Dan, Todd and I spotted a flock of 33 turkeys feeding in a field. So, after an uneventful hunt at daybreak on Friday morning, we decided to make our way over to the field where we saw the turkeys the evening before. We arrived at a bluff overlooking the field at about 8:30 a.m. and through the binoculars, spotted 17 turkeys one field over from where we saw them on Thursday. There were at least three gobblers strutting for the feeding hens.

I told Dan and Todd I would call like crazy in the hopes of coaxing the gobblers away from the hens. A daunting task? Absolutely! The turkeys were about 400 yards away, with nothing but open fields between us and them. I laid the calling on hot and heavy and they answered nearly every call but seemed disinterested initially in making the long jaunt across the fields.

We placed a jake and hen decoy on the edge of the field and set up just into the woods. We continued peering through the binoculars and noticed the mood of the gobblers begin to change. They began making their way toward us. I continued to call very aggressively and excitedly and each gobble was more vocal and loud -- a sure sign the gobblers were heading our way.

I eased back about 25 yards behind Dan and Todd, just out of sight to the amazing action that was about to unfold. The last time I called, I could tell the gobblers were just out of sight. Then, within a matter of seconds, Todd shot, dropping the two gobblers in the lead. The gobbler in the rear, the dominant bird with sharp 1" spurs, gobbled immediately, startled by the blast of Todd's shotgun. Dan fired, dropping the bird in his tracks, giving us a harvest of three turkeys.

The Rio Trio looked to be composed of a 2 year-old, a 3 year-old, and a 4-year old. Each tom sported a 10" beard.

It was a fabulous way to cap off a great three day time of rest, relaxation, fellowship and pure hunting fun! The Burdett Ranch, two good friends, and the memory of the "Rio Trio" are memories I will savor the rest of my life (originally posted April 23, 2006).

Reminiscing

Okay, I've finally figured out a downside to living in Fresno. It's taken a full eight-and-a-half months to find one, but deep down inside of my reminiscent heart, there is an ache.

For seven years, I was privileged to live within a comfortable twenty minute drive of the Howard Mountain Hunting Lease. With the first hint of spring weather, I would roll out of bed before dawn as often as I could just to hear one, two, three, sometimes as many as twelve adult tom gobblers greet the dawn. Couple the beauty of a Ouachita mountain sunrise with the unmistakable gobble of an adult turkey gobbler and for me...well, life just doesn't get much better!

Last week, I had a need to call my dad. Slipping back into the role of days gone by, my dad, upon hearing my voice on the other end, instinctively asked, "How many did you hear?" That's the way we started every phone conversation for the better part of the four weeks leading up the start of spring gobbler season every year.

According to the California Department of Fish and Game, wild turkeys do not exist within Fresno County. Aarrgghh!

Thankfully, Erick Boggs has come to the rescue with a supposed tried-and-true hunting spot in El Dorado County. Hopefully, we can get up there next weekend as spring gobbler season opens on March 25th in California.

Till then, I find myself reminiscing back to a spring morning in 2005...

This morning I awoke at 4:45 A.M. It wasn't insomnia. It wasn't the cry of a teething one-year old daughter. It was intentional -- my alarm clock awoke me.

It's spring in Arkansas and for me, the advent of spring means turkey hunting! It's only 11 days till the opening of spring gobbler season (4 days until the special youth hunt for children ages 15 and under). I have committed to taking one of the young guys in our youth group this coming Saturday morning. Last year, his big brother and I had great success (we harvested an 18lbs. two-year old gobbler by 6:30 A.M.). This year, it is little brother's turn.

For the men on my dad's side of the family, spring turkey hunting is a passion. It started with my grandfather, was passed down to my father and now to me. And I love it! It isn't simply the challenge of outwitting those wary tom turkeys, but the spiritual opportunity provided from time spent in God's wonderful creation that so invigorates me.

This morning, from an elevated vantage point, I witnessed the handiwork of God. The morning dew formed a light ground fog. The birds awoke (especially five tom turkeys that sounded off). The sun crept over the eastern edge of the Ouachita Mountains.

The magnificence of the sunrise this morning provided more empirical, undeniable evidence of the omnipotence of God! I witnessed with my own eyes the majesty spoken of in Psalm 113.3: "From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised."

My time in nature each spring provides a unique sanctuary. A time for prayer, reflection and praise. God's creative genius, on display this morning, made for a special opportunity to worship Him.

When was the last time you enjoyed a beautiful sunrise and seized the opportunity to worship? It might cost you a few hours of sleep, but the benefits far outweigh the cost
(originally posted on March 29, 2005).

Resources or Replacements?

So the round of 64 is now down to 16. How does your bracket look?

I didn't fill out an entire bracket, but did pick the Final Four and all of my teams remain alive (Ohio State, Florida, Georgetown and UCLA).

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The Internet can be a preacher's best friend...and his own worst enemy.

For example, I saw the promotion of a new sermon series in a church bulletin the other day. The titles peaked my interest but the unusual creativity of the series caused me to ask, "Is this original?" A quick google search revealed the entire series to be lifted title-for-title from an on-line resource page for pastors.

Look, I don't want to jump on my colleagues too harshly. At one time, I was of the opinion (and the immaturity and lack of confidence that comes from being a newbie in ministry) that using others' material, so long as it was rooted in the Bible, was perfectly legitimate. But growing in faith, hope and love as a minister demands that the truths proposed and preached from Scripture have no value unless they have worked themselves through our own lives first!

The internet provides a treasure trove of resource material. But shouldn't a minister worth his salt use resource material as resources, not as replacements for solid study and for the work of the Word in his own life? When illustrations and stories are lifted, then pawned off as if they were true in the life of the minister, it is unethical.

It is wrong.

I simply share this in the hopes my colleagues in ministry recognize the value of ministering ethically. The great danger in ministry, enhanced by the internet, is a guy can now preach for a lifetime and never prepare an original outline or manuscript. The most effective preaching does not come by lifting creative material from others and teaching it as your own but from sharing truth from the Word that has first worked on and worked out of the life of God's spokesman.

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Back in January, Mike Cope addressed this very dilemma on his blog. I want to refer you to his thoughts on the problem of plagiarism in ministry. Not only are his words appropriate, but so are many of the comments to his blog post. They serve as a warning for the need for ethical ministry.

Girl Scout Cookies and Evangelism

That was a pretty mundane first day of March Madness, wouldn't you say?

The appeal of the NCAA Basketball Tournament is found in the David and Goliath drama; the hope that the little guy can spoil the day for the giant. Apparently, all of the slingshots in David's bag yesterday was poorly aimed.

Only one "upset," at least according to the seeding, as Virginia Commonwealth knocked off perennial power Duke. Obviously, Duke was overrated and the game wasn't quite the cataclysmic upset some have made it out to be.

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From the "Did You Know" Department: In yesterday's Fresno Bee, Bill McEwen had an article addressing the challenges of government services in Fresno County. In the article, he cited a couple of interesting facts of which I was unaware.

"Which states are smaller in territory than Fresno County? I'll give you Rhode Island because every place is bigger than Rhode Island. The others are Connecticut and Delaware.

Now, which states have fewer residents than Fresno County? There are six, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2005 estimate: Wyoming, Vermont, North Dakota, Alaska, South Dakota and Delaware" (Section B, Page 1 of the March 15, 2007 edition).

I never knew that if Fresno County were a state, it would be the forty-fourth largest state in the Union!

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So what is your favorite box of cookies in the annual stash sold by the Girl Scouts?

Wednesday night, I laid claim to four boxes of my favorites (Caramel Delights and Shortbread) from Megan Lee.

I've always thought one of the greatest approaches to evangelism is modeled by those Girl Scouts. For example, have you ever turned down an offer to buy cookies from a Girl Scout? Those little gals are great selling their stuff.

They're bold. They're sweet. They're unpretentious. They're sincere. And they believe you'll buy what they're selling.

I've never met a timid Girl Scout when it comes to selling cookies. They are unashamed about their product and their confidence is transparent.

Could we be a little more like them as we take Jesus to our friends and neighbors? Could we be a little more daring, a little more unashamed, a little more sincere and sweet with a "product" designed not to nourish the temporal hunger of mankind but the eternal hunger in the souls of people?

March Madness

The madness begins today and living on the West Coast means an early tip-off to the madness.

Who do you have in the Final Four?

Here are my picks: From the Midwest -- Florida; from the West -- UCLA; from the South -- Ohio State; and from the East -- Georgetown.

Just like in the Arkansas AA State Championships, the NCAA Championship will be a rematch between Ohio State and Florida.

I'm going with the Gators to make it a clean sweep.

Miscellaneous Missions

For those of you who've heard me preach, you know the affection with which I speak of my grandfather. My granddad is a hero to me.

He became an elder very early in life, a reflection of his spiritual maturity and desire to follow Christ in all things, and was greatly admired and respected as a Bible teacher. When he retired, he invested himself in the kingdom, spending parts of his summers, along with my grandmother, working at Camp Barton. It was there, in 1984, that I was baptized by my grandfather. He took me to all my orthodontist appointments. He came to watch me play baseball. He supported me when I began to preach.

One of the most precious collections in my library is a full volume of commentaries given to me as a gift from my grandfather. They were his personal copies, complete with his handwritten notes in the margins.

On Sunday night, my grandfather had to be taken to the E.R. of Saline Memorial Hospital. After a couple of days of tests, the doctors identified the source of an infection that has been afflicting him. My entire extended family and I covet your prayers for God's well-being for my grandfather.

My uncle George has a blog and two days ago wrote the following about my grandfather:

Sunday my Dad was admitted to the hospital. I spoke with one sister and she said he was ok and I should come tomorrow. Later another sister called (there are 4 of them) and said you should go on down and see him, "it's bad". I dropped what I was doing and rushed down the interstate. Yes, Dad looked terrible and they had him drugged up. I stayed until about 9:30 and drove back home. Went to work until 11 and headed back down there. He was a lot better. He had been passing out for a couple of days and was really weak. The jury is still out right now.

While I sat in the room with my parents it made me realize how lucky I was at my age to still have both parents. My mom asked if I would give Dad a shave and it was instantly an retro moment of standing on the closed toilet watching my daddy shave and wanting to do it so bad! He always gave me shaving cream to play with. Now here I am shaving my dad while he lays in a hospital bed. We both get tickled. I tried to put shaving cream between his lip and nose and I think half of it went up his nose. I took forever for me to get the shaving done. Sort of like tying a tie on a little boy. It's all done opposite from what you're used to. It was a good moment. A moment that reminds me of my upbringing.

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Last week, I wore my Texas Rangers BP jersey to Prime Time. Tonight, I received the full rebuttal of my deaf ministry friends. Lee and Brian both wore Oakland Athletics shirts. Mark rubbed it in even more with one of his trademark Oakland Raiders shirts.

Since Mandy, Trae and I began taking ASL classes with Judy, we've begun attending the Tuesday Prime Time class for the deaf. Lee Dial, a young-at-heart elder from the Hanford church, comes to Fresno to teach and does a wonderful job. Jamie Perry sits with Mandy and I and voice-interprets the signs we don't understand.

Our immersion into the deaf ministry has been a baptism by fire, but the blessing has been incalculable. Though our deaf ministry at Woodward Park is not the biggest ministry in our church, it has become one of the most endearing to my family.

Oakland A's allegiance aside!

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Several weeks ago, Jamie's husband, Ken, surprised me late on a Friday afternoon with a gift of Billie Silvey's God's Child In The City: Catching God's Vision for Urban Ministry. Silvey outlines in the first-half of the book the factors related to successful urban ministry. In the second-half, she chronicles a particular ministry within the Culver Palms Church of Christ to provide job training for the homeless and immigrants within the greater Los Angeles area. Silvey's book is highlighting enlightening and motivating, especially for a guy like myself whose primary ministry has been in smaller southern communities. Her insight into demographic factors and the way of Jesus in reaching the marginalized in society is outstanding.

What Would Jesus Do?

On Saturday afternoon, Trae and I enjoyed watching John Hollett's Selma High School Bears baseball team play Sunnyside High School. I must admit that for the first time in awhile, I felt the itch and waxed nostalgic about coaching baseball. For four wonderful years, my full-time ministry was mixed with the blessing of coaching high school baseball in Arkansas.

Being back out at the diamond on Saturday reminded me how much I really miss it!

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The weddings are lining up. This coming Saturday, I have the privilege of officiating the ceremony of Yvonne and Philip. Today, I'll be traveling to San Luis Obsipo for an extended pre-marital counseling session with Joelle and Cory who will be married in July. In June, the girls and I will return to Arkansas for the wedding ceremony of Jessica and Terrance.

Being with all of these couples, even though some are long-distance, reminds me of the beauty of relationship; the beauty of love.

Have you told your mate lately that you loved them?

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"For God so loved the world that he gave..."

How do you respond to the world? Do you love the world in a sacrificial way as God does?

Too often, Christians are much too inclined to ridicule the world. To rail against injustice in the world. To critique, criticize and disparage the world.

And yet the call of God, by his own example, is that we be a people who love the world. That we be a people who promote justice in the world. That we be a people who build bridges with the world for the sake of the kingdom. That we be a people who, like Jesus, "preach good news to the poor...proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (see Luke 4.18).

The mission of Jesus was a mission of mercy. He wasn't content to walk away from injustice in the world without activating his love for the world to make a difference. Grieving mothers, suffering children, timid disciples, helpless outcasts, even tax collectors in trees arrested his attention. Those the world most often overlooked and marginalized were the very ones Jesus centered his attention upon throughout his ministry.

Do you know someone who is outcast? Marginalized in the world? Why not do what Jesus would do today, why not show them the love of Christ by giving? Instead of ridicule, build a relationship. Instead of injustice, promote justice. Instead of criticism, shine the light of Christ.

I Survived my First Earthquake!

So did you feel the earthquake last evening? More about that in a moment...

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Round Two goes decisively to Junction City. The Dragons captured the Arkansas State Class AA Basketball Championship last night by knocking off Jessieville 68-35. James Anderson, bound for Oklahoma State, outscored the Lions by himself, putting up 41 points.

I'm really proud of my ole' Turkey hunting buddy, Zach Sykora, who led Jessieville with 19 points.

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Round Three between Boise State and Fresno State went to the Broncos in the WAC Tournament in Las Cruces (it was a bad night for my favorite sports teams, huh?). The Bulldogs were running away with the game, up 13 at halftime and up 10 in the second half when Quinton Hosley took leave of his senses and cold-cocked George Karl's son, resulting in his ejection from the game.

From that point on, it was all downhill for the Bulldogs.

As soon as the game ended, I jumped over to the computer to check a few message boards. As I was reading and listening to the post-game on KMJ-580, my computer screen started shaking, albeit briefly.

My first thought was, "We just had an earthquake."

I've never experienced an earthquake before. In fact, in the aftermath of the tornadoes that ripped through the south in the last several weeks, the subject of tornadoes versus earthquakes has come up in several conversations. It seems life-long Californians are terrified of tornadoes, having never personally experienced a tornado because of the weather and climate. My response? "Tornadoes, in general, are no big deal but they are awesome to watch!"

That comment has always been followed up with this: "I'm as timid about earthquakes as you guys are of tornadoes!" The typical response, "Earthquakes, in general, are no big deal."

Thankfully, the 4.7 earthquake, centered around Bridgeport, was no big deal but it was a rush for me to experience my first earthquake. I now feel fully a part of the California culture having survived my first earthquake.

The Old Testament

Tonight in the Summit Arena in downtown Hot Springs, the Jessieville Lions will try to make it two-in-a-row against the Junction City Dragons. Back in December, Jessieville knocked off Junction City 20-19 to win the Class AA Arkansas State Championship in football.

Tonight, the basketball teams of the same two high schools go at it in the Class AA State Championship game in basketball. Junction City is led by future Oklahoma State Cowboy, James Anderson, arguably the greatest player in the state of Arkansas this year.

I know many of the pundits and message board posters aren't giving the Lions much of a chance, but the same pundits and message board posters didn't give them much of a chance in the football championship game either.

Go Zach Sykora...and Go Lions!

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My life with the Old Testament has been a rather circuitous adventure. When I was young, I wasn't sure the Old Testament held any value for us, save for the heroic tales of men like Joseph, Joshua, Gideon and David. Sure the Old Testament was in the Bible, but its significance seemed relegated to the mighty accomplishments of God's men.

When I got to college and worked toward my degree, significant time was spent in the Old Testament. I began to appreciate its place in our faith -- as a book not so much about the heroic accomplishments of men but of the mighty works of God. Believe it or not, I actually took an elective class on Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Man, could that class drag at times, but the fruit of that class was a renewed appreciation in my life of faith for the symmetry between the Old and the New.

I began to see the Old Testament and the New Testament not as competing covenants but as two sides of the same coin. And the unifier behind it all was the Sovereign God, working and interacting within his creation to bring about his good purpose, ultimately in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

As I've moved into full-time ministry, I've gained even greater appreciation for the Old Testament. The move of God in salvation history, originally in the promise to Abraham, through Moses and the Law, ultimately to Jesus is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

It is my belief that we short-change our view of God and his activity in history when we do not give due credit to the wisdom of God as revealed in the Old Testament.

In the current issue of "Christian Studies" published by the Austin Graduate School of Theology, there is a wonderful piece by J.J.M. Roberts speaking to the value of the Old Testament in the life of the church:

"The emphasis in the Restoration tradition on 'rightly dividing the Word,' on recognizing the different dispensations reflected in scripture, on seeing a clear distinction between the old and new covenant was a correct and important insight, but even correct insights drag in their wake unintended, incorrect, and harmful consquences. In the Restoration tradition the emphasis on being under the new covenant has led to a serious neglect and even disparagement of the Old Testament as of no relevance for modern believers. Patently false dichotomies between the Law in the Old versus Grace in the New, a God of wrath in the Old versus a God of love in the New, harsh punishment in the Old versus forgiveness in the New, etc., have been widely passed off as true largely because the Old Testament has been little read and seldom seriously studied in our tradition. One does not need to listen long in a typical Bible class to hear such negative, uninformed stereotypes about the Old Testament scriptures, and it is not unusual to hear the complaint that classes on an Old Testament book or sermons on an Old Testament text are a waste of time. After all, as New Testament Christians, of what relevance is the Old Testament for our lives" (15)?

To answer his question, there is great relevance! The Old Testament was the Bible of the first church. Without the benefit of the canon of the New Testament scriptures, the first church leaned on the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms for their spiritual guidance and wisdom. Paul says the things written in the past (speaking of the Old Testament) were written to teach us (see Romans 15.4).

Our faith in God takes an anemic path when we relegate the Old Testament to the scrap pile. May we ever appreciate the Old Testament Law for its moral compass and ethical calling. May we ever appreciate the Old Testament Prophets for their plea for obedience of the people of God in advancing just causes. And may we ever appreciate the Psalms as God's hymnal for a people longing to worship and adore the Real Hero of the Old Testament, God himself.

Tradition, Part Two

Here's more excerpts from Michael Weed's excellent essay entitled "Tradition: A Stranger to the Modern World and Church" found in the current issue of Austin Graduate School of Theology's Christian Studies (Volume 21):

To dismiss the importance of wise practices and traditions that we have received from generations that have gone before us is a recipe for unstable churches and superficial faith. To alter or dismiss a practice because "it's merely a tradition," or to promote an innovation simply because "there's no verse against it" -- much less, "other churches are doing it" -- is an invitation to make the church vulnerable to the shifting winds of the surrounding culture and to discard centuries of Christian wisdom. While we often need a better understanding of the meaning and purpose of existing traditions, lack of understanding is no basis for discarding a tradition.

To revise or replace a tradition wisely is to do so with a better tradition, i.e., a practice that better accomplishes the tasks of guarding that which has been entrusted to the church and of passing on the faith. One should ask, "Does the proposed practice/tradition better enable the church to 'hold fast the traditions' (2 Thess 2.15), to 'entrust to faithful men what you have heard' (2 Tim 2.2), to 'continue in what you have learned' (2 Tim 3.13), and to guard the church against threats both from within and without?" Or does the new practice, however unintentionally, yield to pressures of the surrounding culture -- and perhaps especially the "emerging church" culture? Unless such considerations have been carefully weighed, received traditions should not be abandoned.

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One hundred years from now, if baseball is still being played, baseball players will practice fielding grounders and flies, take batting practice, run wind sprints, honor a curfew, and submit to weight checks. None of these disciplines is required by the rules of the game. They are, however, extremely important for fielding a team capable of playing the game of baseball well and for developing a "winning tradition." Over time, some training practices/traditions change (e.g., many trainers no longer encourage athletes to run stadium steps due to indications this may damage knee cartilage), and new training methods replace older ones because they better accomplish the task of equipping baseball players to play the game of baseball well.

One thing is certain, one hundred years from now, if baseball is still being played, successful baseball teams -- whether Little League or the Cleveland Indians -- will rigorously practice the disciplines necessary for playing baseball well.

Would anyone expect less of churches entrusted with equipping children and adults to live faithful lives?

Tradition, Part One

On Thursday night, the WAC Basketball tournament gets underway in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Fresno State enters the tournament on a roll as the third seed and ESPN.com puts the 22-8 Bulldogs as a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament:

Fresno State [22-8 (10-6), RPI: 73, SOS: 151] If there's a second team that can come out of the WAC, it could be Fresno State. The Bulldogs finished third in the league but have been strong down the stretch, finishing season sweeps of New Mexico State and Utah State with wins at very difficult road venues. The Dogs also beat Creighton, although the two-point home loss to Stanford might come back to haunt them. A run to the WAC title game won't be easy -- they open against a Boise State team that has given them fits this year (a split decided by a total of five points), then likely would have to beat host NMSU in Las Cruces again to get a chance at Nevada. If Fresno can do that and show well against the Pack? We know the committee watched the title game last season and tapped Utah State as a surprise at-large. Why not a similar scenario this season?

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One thing I've noticed as a result of my passion for sports is the critical role of tradition in defining a successful team. From East Coast to West Coast, tradition is valued in the delivery of the game to its fans. From the songs the bands play to the cheers of the crowd to the timeouts that illicit fan participation, a game typically offers up the same routine.

The same traditions.

So my question is: why is tradition such a good thing in the sporting world but such a point of conflict in our churches? Why do we so value tradition in the songs our bands play at a game and often complain when traditional songs are sung in our worship assemblies? Why is the routine celebrated in sports and bemoaned in Christendom?

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The Austin Graduate School of Theology, where my buddy Allan Stanglin is working toward a Master's Degree, publishes a periodical in which the faculty addresses relevant issues related to the life and faith of the church.

The most recent periodical (Volume 21) arrived last Friday. It deals biblically with the practices and traditions related to faithful Christian practice. I have so appreciated the insights of the essays that I want to share portions here over the next few days in the hopes it will strengthen your faith and insight, as it has mine.

The initial essay, written by Michael Weed, is entitled "Tradition: A Stranger to the Modern World and Church." Here are excerpts from the article:

The active presence of God in the life of the early church was not understood as having ceased with the apostles and the apostolic church. Rather, as the church continued to make its way through history -- facing challenges and opportunities -- it understood itself as living in the presence of the risen Lord and the Holy Spirit, and equipped with the witness of Scripture. The apostolic exhortation of 1 Thessalonians 5.19-22 well captures the dynamics of the post-apostolic church's stance as it makes its way through the ebb and flow of history. "Do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophesying, but test everything; hold fast to what is good, abstain from every form of evil." Paul's injunctions, "test, hold fast..." and "do not quench the Spirit" stand in tension.

Either injunction, taken alone, may lead the church into disaster. To "hold fast" without being open to new possibilities and opportunities leads to a petrified church, mimicking a receding past, irrelevant to the present and future. Contrariwise, a church that -- however innocently -- embraces everything new as "the work of God's Spirit" is a church whose identity soon becomes overwhelmed by the shifting forces of its surrounding culture and the caprice of human hearts.

The apostolic instructions, collected in Christian scripture, provided the church with fixed points by which to navigate its way through the challenges, opportunities, and uncertainties it encountered in its unfolding history. The church charts its course under the guidance of the unrepeatable and indispensable record of apostolic teachings and instructions incorporated in scripture. Succinctly, all subsequent ecclesiastical, or church tradition is continually subordinated to apostolic tradition. For the post-apostolic church, the New Testament provides "the essential norm against which the Church of every age has to measure itself."

And yet, recourse to scripture does not relieve the church from having to make difficult decisions. Clearly, scripture can be and has been used to underwrite and legitimate ventures that are in fact not consistent with its underlying meaning and intent. It is wise to remember the advice that we more nearly hear the voice of apostolic tradition when we are open to it challenging us and standing against our desires and aspirations -- especially our religious aspirations. Hendrikus Berkhof reminds us: "The history of the church is full of indications that scripture has again and again acted as a guiding, correcting, and liberating counter-authority. There is a subtle but profound difference between usurping scripture for our own views and desires and the willingness to be guided by what it really says."

Jessieville Did It Again

The last three days have been unbelievably beautiful in Fresno! Temps in the 70's and a cloudless sky, coupled with a heavy dose of spring blooms (especially the pear and plum trees...gorgeous!) have made for perfect March weather. Add to that the clean air of the last few days and a picture-perfect view of the snow-covered peaks of the Sierras and you feel as though you've planted in a postcard.

It's amazing to stand in one place and visibly witness two different seasons (the birth of spring in the Valley; the dead of winter on the mountains).

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During our seven years in Hot Springs Village, Mandy and I were blessed to be affiliated with the Jessieville School District. Through volunteering, substitute teaching, coaching baseball, and eventually my service on the school board, the Jessieville School District became a big part of our lives; a part, frankly, that we miss.

So in December, when the Jessieville Lions football team won the Class AA football State Championship, I was ecstatic!

Now it is time for the basketball state championship games and guess what? The Senior High boys and girls teams have both made it to the state championship games. The boys will rematch with Junction City, the same high school they faced in the football final. The girls get perennial girls power Carlisle.

I'm so happy for both teams, but especially Zach Sykora (boys) and Mandy Masino (girls) -- they're two great kids who love Jesus and deserve all the accolades they're receiving this year.

The "God in a Box" Fallacy

As a follow-up to yesterday, highlighting the utter fallacy of humanity to even think we can contain God, consider the insights of John Alan Turner:

The people of 1 Samuel 4 thought they had God in a box. They had, after all, the Ark of the Covenant — a visible reminder of God’s abiding presence with his people. As long as they could see the Ark, they knew that God was there with them.

They figured that if they took the Ark into battle with them, God would have to fight for them. God would defeat their enemies. God would deliver them.

He just had to.

But he didn’t. And the unthinkable happened. Not only was the army of Israel humiliated, they had to retreat in disgrace, they suffered heavy casualties, the two sons of Israel’s elder statesman (Eli) were killed and — this is the worst of all — the Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Philistines.

Imagine the shock and horror of this. A rough, uncouth, callous, pagan people have our God in a box. It’s one thing for us to try and cage him up — after all, we’re going to use him for noble purposes. But for them to have him…that’s unthinkable. It’s like nuclear weapons falling into the hands of terrorists.

Only worse.

The Philistines had knowledge of the sea and weapons of iron. Now they’ve taken our God away, parading him through the streets, hurling insults at him, mocking him. “He said he could save his people; he can’t even same himself!”

Word gets back to the people of Israel, and panic erupts. Eli falls over dead. Eli’s daughter-in-law, now a widow, goes into premature labor. As the midwife is trying to encourage her and assist in the birth of her baby, she says, “Don’t be afraid! You’re giving birth to a son! There’s hope in the midst of all this despair!”

The new mother, with her dying breath, musters the strength to utter a curse: “Name the boy Ichabod, because the glory is gone.”

The Ark’s presence meant the presence of God. It meant the presence of chabod — everything weighty, everything majestic, everything glorious, the promise of justice in an otherwise cruel world. It meant hope.

But with the Ark captured, there is none of that. No majesty, no glory, no justice, no hope. Name the boy Ichabod so that no one will pretend life is better than it is. Let us put away childish stories about a God who makes great promises and fails to come through on them.

Here’s how Walter Brueggemann describes the event:

"One can picture the ark with its invisible occupant, perhaps in a caged wagon, the God of the Exodus looking wearily between the bars as the procession moves toward Ashdod; or not on a wagon, but staggering in despair in the long, humiliating walk to Dagon’s shrine [the god of the Philistines]. The daughter-in-law dies; her death in bodily ways matches the fate of Israel and the condition of Israel’s God…humiliated, shamed, powerless, void of conventional claims, absent of the marks of splendor to which Israel had become accustomed in its God."

It’s a wonder this story is even in the Bible. It makes you wonder what kind of God would allow this to happen. What kind of God allows himself to be captured by the enemies of his people and paraded through the streets in humiliation, leaving his people confused and afraid?

Perhaps it is the same God who willingly put himself in a box of flesh, lived among us for 30-plus years, was captured by a different pagan people, paraded through their streets, mocked and humiliated and strung up like a common criminal.

Perhaps it is that same God who, suspended between heaven and earth, cried out, “Father, why? Where are you? Why is my name Ichabod?”

Perhaps it is the same God who says, “I would rather they do this to me than to my people.”

But be careful. Remember that they took his body down from that cross on Friday evening and put him in a box, even going so far as to post a guard to make sure there would be no funny business.

But this God, we keep forgetting, refuses to stay in his box. He refuses to do as he’s told. He is wildly unpredictable, and that’s frustrating for us. But that’s the only kind of God I would ever want — a God who refuses to be reduced to something and demands to be dealt with as someone.

The Tomb of Jesus

Monday night, I fought off a bout of insomnia by watching television late into the night. Following the evening news, I watched ABC's Prime Time and a significant segment of the program was devoted to James Cameron's upcoming documentary on the supposed tomb of Jesus.

Apparently, a tomb was unearthed by archaeologists some 27 years ago with an inscription of "Jesus" on the ossuary. Cameron is claiming this to be the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth, along with his wife and son.

From ABC Prime Time's website comes this significant statement often overlooked or under-emphasized in mainstream reporting:

Two years earlier, Israeli archaeologist Amos Kloner was the first to find the tomb. He found the tomb and the ossuaries — the urns or vaults used to hold the bones of the dead — interesting but of no particular archaeological importance. He said there are more than 900 buried tombs just like the "Jesus" tomb within a 2-mile radius of Talpiyot. Of them, 71 bear the name Jesus and two Jesus, son of Joseph. The tomb in Talpiyot is one of them. But the inscription, he said, was barely decipherable and therefore questionable.


At the time, Jesus was a very common name, as was Mary...Simply because the tomb is labeled a tomb that "belonged to a Jesus, doesn't make it the tomb of Jesus Christ," Kloner told ABC News.

The reality of our world today is claims such as Cameron's, while shocking, should not be surprising. For some reason, the last couple of years has seen an incredible rise in the proliferation of books written about the supposed "lost books of the Bible", such as the Gospel of Thomas, or the irascible claims of skeptics against the authenticity of Scripture, such as the DaVinci Code and Cameron's new-found claim.

I realize it is popular within society at-large these days to be fascinated with the new while discrediting the old. The tried and true that has withstood the test of time and the passing of history is viewed by many as archaic in the modern information era. Those who stake their faith on centuries old claims revealed in Scripture are often dismissed as simpletons.

But as for me, I'll take the old, old story of Jesus and his love...and his empty tomb...any day!

To believe Cameron's lie is to dismiss the testimony of the eyewitnesses, such as Peter, James, John, the other apostles, including Paul, and the faithful women who were instructed to relay the reality of the resurrection to the apostles (see Mark 16.1-7). In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul goes so far as to say that over 500 people saw Jesus alive, following his death and burial, at the same time.

The claims of Christianity are staked to the truth that Jesus Christ died, was buried and rose on the third day. That is the essence of the gospel story (see 1 Corinthians 15.3-8 in the link above). To buy Cameron's lie is to dismiss the entire foundation of history; the old story that has withstood the test of time claiming that the purposes of God were realized in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I'll take my stand on the truth of the Word of Scripture; the reality that on Sunday following his crucifixion, the stone was rolled away and eyewitnesses were given a peek inside the tomb of Jesus to declare to the world that Jesus had risen. They gave their very lives, not for a James Cameron-esque lie, but for the truth, spoken by God's angel: "He is not here, He is risen!"

He is risen indeed!