Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee

Great job tonight at the Fall Festival and Fall Festival part Deux! John Morgan, your awesome! Thanx for having my back! I appreciate you from the moment we moved to Mobile. You have been a great friend. Greg and Andrew did an awesome job with the music. Greg, great job with the youth band! They have come a long way in a short time. Thanx for allowing God to use you! Neil, thanks for your help. You looked great as Slash. Whitney, thanx for your help. You looked great in you comstume. Angela, congrats on being on TV. Can I have your autograph? It was a great time. Thanks again.

Joe Kennedy, emergent newsletter and Jason Burns all have written about the tragic death of Kyle Lake yesterday while performing a baptism. Wow! Life is short. I remember when he started University Baptist Church in Waco, TX. I was in seminary @ Southwestern and was hearing about this radical church in a “baptist” college town. Waco is also where David Koresh lived. UBC was doing cutting edge ministry. David Crowder has been the worship leader there for years. My heart hurts for his family and his church. I can’t imagine how horrifying that must have been for his family and church to see him die while performing one of the ordinances of the church!

You just never know when God will call us home. My father had 2 fine young college students working for him with Campus Life named Marty Jordan and Brown Matthews. They were unbelievable worship leaders and song writers. While traveling to a church to lead in worship they were involved in a tragic car accident. Brown was killed instantly. Why would God take a 23 year old young man who was serving Him? When I lived in Jacksonville, NC I had a 16 year old young man named Harold Geilow who led our youth worship that was killed in a tragic car accident. He had just told our church he was called into vocational ministry. Why would God allow this to happen? I don’t have the answers. Dozens of people accepted Christ at Brown’s funeral. I led Harold’s memorial and 6 adults accepted Christ there! I have no idea what God will do with UBC and Kyles family. It just convinces me more for the need to press on and do relevant ministry. In fact if there is a way to honor Kyle and other pioneers like him, is to push the envelope and as Jason says Seize the Day!

I have been a evangelical Christian since I was 5 years old. My dad was on staff with YFC/Campus Life for 30 + years and now with Campus Crusade’s Military Ministry. I have been a member of a Southern Baptist Church for most of my life. I am even a North American Mission Board Missionary. Recent events make me embarrassed to be to be labeled either. In fact events since I was in seminary have made me want to hide. While at Southwestern the seminary trustees fired our President Russell Dilday. He is a fine man. He was 62 at the time and would retire soon but because they wanted to show their power.

Tom Brokaw hosted a show on NBC last night about evangelical Christians. The show made us all look like we were right-wing Republican zealots! I am as conservative as they come but politics and government are not going to change the world. Only Jesus can! We can’t legislate morality and no law is going to make this a Christian country. I am glad our President is a follower of Christ. But I don’t think Jesus is a member of any political party.

Then Joe Kennedy posted this article. Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about alcohol. You can put all of the alcohol I have ever had in a small cup. The only time I have ever drank alcohol is at an Episcopal church communion. I have never even tasted beer. I’m not being a prude, its just my Grandfather was an alcoholic and I don’t want to end up like Jim on TAXI. Anyway, I don’t believe drinking alcohol is a sin, BUT I do believe it is a bad testimony in today’s society. Back when Jesus was on earth the worst think that could happen if you go drunk is you could fall off a camel. Today, you can kill someone if you drive drunk or fly drunk! Too many people in my opinion in the “emergent” movement think that they can flaunt their “freedom” in Christ by drinking alcohol. On the ooze I converse with people who put beer as their avatar. I don’t think Jesus died for that.

However, I can’t believe that some SBC leaders decided not to hand out free water just because it came from Anheuser-Busch. Do you think Jesus really cares? Maybe Anheuser-Busch supplied the water to Jesus to change into wine. Maybe not. However, we need to choose our battles a little more carefully. Boycotting Disney? Please! It makes us look like we hate Mickey Mouse. I’m for being for stuff rather than against it! Jesus was pro people. He loved sinners and I am one! Lets pick our battles a little better in the future.

Proverbs 4:5 New International Version Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.

Proverbs 15:33 New International Version The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 19:8 New International Version He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who cherishes understanding prospers.

James 1:5 New International Version If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

I am grateful for knowing many wise people. I pray daily for wisdom. But I know any wisdom I get is not from my own smarts. I get wisdom 1st from God, second from family and friends and lastly from my studies. This week I spent time seeking wisdom from God. Even more so I talked to friends from all over the country. I am grateful for their friendship and their wisdom. I respect them not because they are smart (which each one is) but because they are close to God. Everyone of them has a close, intimate relationship with Jesus and it shows. I have made bonehead decisions in my life. That is why I am so grateful for these wise people. Some are men, others are women. Each of them is known for their prayers. I pray for them and I know that they pray for me.

Wayne Cordeiro said in a recent message I watched on his website that wisdom comes after we go through difficult times. James 1:2-4 New International Version Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. So we ask for wisdom after we go thru difficulties. I’m just glad that God thinks enough of me to allow me to go thru trials. I ask God to give me wisdom daily. I thank God He has given me wise friends and family members.

I can take criticism when I know the one doing it cares about me. There are certain people in my life who have earned the right to point out areas I need to work on and I will listen and usually work on what they have pointed out. My parents esp. my dad has a way of lovingly pointing out areas in my life I need to change. Cassandara does also. My friend Thomas Hammond is a get in your face type of guy but I know he cares about me. Jason Burns has also helped me greatly. Rob Jackson in Decatur, AL is very wise and eventhough our styles of ministry differ I respect him greatly. Dr. Bob Horner my former pastor has earned the right also. I would gladly listen to Angela, John, Whitney, Greg, Soup, Neil, Dana and Steve and maybe a few more @ FBTC because I know they care about me. (Just for the record, this isn’t happening now, it was just on my mind from the past.)

There are other people who I feel have agendas. Not a church, but their own agenda. They want the music a certain way. They want their family ministered to, they want to be fed…… Ugghh! John Morgan sent me a quote that said churches don’t have a eating problem, they have an exercise problem. I am convinced that most criticisim would go away if people would just do ministry. If they would get involved and make a difference for Christ. I’m sure we all have agendas, including me. I have given my agenda to God and I hope that His agenda is becoming me rather than the other way around.

Now even evil or agenda driven people can have good points. Eventhough their method may stink or hurt, we can’t ignore their criticism. A few years ago I had an ugly incident where several “well meaning” men called me out @ night to talk about their concerns in the church. They had wrong motives and what they said hurt. But I had to realize that some of what they said was true. They had an agenda, but I made some necessary changes in my life even through the ugly stuff they said.

I am grateful for those who care about me enough to help me grow in my faith and as a person.