Top Blog Posts of 2010

Thought I'd scroll through the past 12 months and link to my favorite posts of 2010. They are listed in chronological order. See what you think:

Busyness: The Devil's Workshop
IKEA & Toothpaste
Busyness (Part 2)
Interview with Danny & Judy Armstrong
Advice to Public Pray-ers
Why Sin is a Bad Idea
Why the Healthcare Bill Doesn't Bother Me (I got lots of comments on Facebook about this one.)
Interview with Joy Sheraden
New Wine or Kool-Aid?
It's About Time
It's About Time (Part 2)
It's About Time (Part 3)
It's All About the Fundamentals
My Love/Hate Relationship with the Church (Got lots of feedback on this one too.)
Why Money Can't Buy Happiness
What is Discipleship?
Once in a Lifetime?
Do We Really Need More Stuff?
Praying for Your Kids

Lifesaving Door by Door

I originally posted the following in August 2005. I was reminded of it today when I saw a gang pacing up and down our streets making cold calls door-to-door. They looked like the religious type but I'm not completely sure. Our neighborhood seems to be a haven for people going door-to-door to survey, sell, or save.


The Impromptu Football Clinic

I’ve done my fair share of knocking on stranger’s doors in my ministry career. Confrontational evangelism was never my favorite thing to do. I always felt like I was intruding on people’s personal lives when I arrived at their door unannounced between 7 and 8:30 PM on a weeknight. That’s because I was.

I can recall a few victories over the years and I know many churches rely on door-to-door visitation but is it really effective to invade the lives of strangers to share the most important message in the world? Yes, there are periodic victories but how many defeats have there been due to our bad timing? How many forced gospel presentations have hurt the cause of Christ? Wouldn’t non-followers fare better if we took the time to establish a relationship with them instead of bombarding them with the greatest news known to man?

I was reminded of this one day on the beach. My wife and I were in the middle of a wonderful vacation on the Carolina shore enjoying our paperback pursuits when I looked up and saw a father and two boys throwing a football. Of course, this is a common scene at the ocean so there was nothing to note other than the wonderful picture of a father sharing a bond with what appeared to be his two sons. Being an athletic father myself, I stopped and watched them throw the ball around a little. Each boy appeared to be no older than ten-years old. The father was demonstrating how to properly catch the football as they were enjoying the sun and salt air.

Suddenly, their game of catch became an impromptu NFL training camp. A bicycle-riding gentleman in his 60’s approached the trio and obviously felt compelled to stop and share his knowledge of football with the group. Before I knew it, the father and sons were running drills and pass plays on the beach at the command of the Coach who was yelling, clapping and pumping his fist with every perfect play.

“How odd?” I thought. Was this man a NFL scout? A NCAA football coach? A retired high school coach still carrying a passion to share his knowledge? Maybe he was none of these things. Having coached a little football in my past, I knew that the fundamentals that the Coach was showing the young men were sound. How to properly hold the ball. How to catch it. How to do a three-step drop. There was nothing wrong being taught at this spontaneous football clinic. The father played along with the Coach. One boy apparently didn’t want to invest much time into it. He went in for a swim just a few minutes after the session began. The other boy patiently listened and did what the Coach insisted.

Is this what the trio wanted when they started their game of pass? Weren’t they just passing the time away on a lazy day at the beach? Did these boys really have a passion for football? Did they even play organized football? I know they didn’t anticipate Vince Lombardi riding up on a bicycle on the beach and giving them a personal twenty-minute clinic on the fundamentals of throwing and catching a football.

The Coach had the knowledge and obviously had the passion to share his wisdom. Everything that he showed them included proper fundamental football techniques. He apparently knew what he was talking about.

But I had to ask myself, “How was it received? Did the father and sons appreciate the mini-camp experience or did they tolerate it? Don’t they want him to go away?” Chris, the future Hall of Famer who stuck it out the entire time and the only name I picked up throughout the entire event, was tired. He bent over at one point trying to catch his breath. The Coach wore him out in a matter of minutes. When pleasantries were exchanged at the end of the practice and the Coach finally got on his bike to leave, Chris fell into his dad’s arms as they made their way off of the beach to their condo. To hit the showers, I presume.

Is this the effect confrontational evangelists have on people? Do Christians too often bombard people with all of their knowledge of the gospel and life without first building a relationship? Does the confrontational evangelist’s audience just tolerate the twenty-minute impartation of wisdom on life wishing he would go away? Does the reality of the gospel of Christ really sink in over a matter of a few minutes of unannounced coaching?

I confess that I found myself thinking that I was like the Coach many years ago. Thank God I’m in a ministry today where knocking on cold, even warm, doors is discouraged. We let people investigate Christianity and get to know us first before we put on our gospel clinics. I wonder if Chris will ever apply what he learned that day to his football career. I wonder if he played catch with his dad the next day looking over his shoulder for the Coach and on guard ready to run to the ocean if he saw him coming again.

A Christmas Riddle

Once upon a time, a perfect man and a perfect woman met.  After a perfect courtship, they had a perfect wedding.  Their life together was, of course, perfect.
     One snowy, stormy Christmas Eve, they were driving their perfect car along a winding road, when they noticed someone at the side of the road in distress.  Being the perfect couple, they stopped to help.
     There stood Santa Claus with a huge bundle of toys.  Not wanting to disappoint any children on the eve of Christmas, the perfect couple loaded Santa and his toys into their vehicle.  Soon they were driving along delivering the toys.
     Unfortunately, the driving conditions deteriorated and the perfect couple and Santa Claus had an accident.  Only one of them survived the accident.
     Who was the survivor? (See answer below.)







Answer:

The perfect woman survived.  She’s the only one who really existed in the first place.  Everyone knows there is no Santa Claus and there is no such thing as a perfect man.  (Women stop reading here.  Men should continue reading for the next answer.)







Second Answer:

If there is no perfect man and no Santa Claus, the perfect woman must have been driving.  This explains why there was an accident.  By the way, if you’re a woman and you’re reading this, this illustrates another point: women never listen either. (FYI: Georgia News and Views)

Strange but True Christmas Story

Be careful if you get a mysterious package in the mail. Here's why:

In 1990, the Wilkinsons, a family in Sussex, England received what they thought was a gift package of herbs from Australian relatives.  They stirred the contents into a traditional Christmas pudding, ate half of it, and put the remainder in the refrigerator.
     Soon after, they heard from their Aunt Sheila that Uncle Eric had died.  She wanted to know if they had received his ashes for burial in Britain.
     The Wilkinsons quickly summoned their priest to bless and bury Uncle Eric’s leftovers.  (The Wall Street Journal, 12/18/90)

A Christmas Story

And there were in the same country, children keeping watch over their stockings by the fireplace.  And, lo, Santa Claus came upon them; and they were sore afraid.  And Santa said unto them; “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people who can afford it.  For unto you will be given great feasts of turkey, dressing, and pies; and many presents; and this shall be a sign unto you, ye shall find the presents, wrapped in bright paper, lying beneath a tree adorned with tinsel, colored balls, and lights.  And suddenly, there will be with you a multitude of relatives and friends, praising you and saying, ‘Thank you so much, it was just what I wanted.’ 

And it shall come to pass as the friends and relatives have gone away unto their homes, the parents shall say to one another, ‘Wow!  What a mess to clean up!  I’m too tired.  Let’s go to bed and pick it up tomorrow.  Thank goodness Christmas only comes once a year!’  And they go with haste to their beds.”
 

Praying for Your Kids. When It Comes to My Kids, I Only Pray for 3 Things.

At this time, my son is 23 and my daughter will be 21 next month. They are awesome kids! They have been a tremendous joy and a blessing to our lives. We’ve enjoyed them at every stage of life and it is exciting to see them grow up and mature as adults. I’ve been praying for my kids even before they were born. Like every praying parent, I prayed for a long, long list of things for them for many years.

Now, however, I only ask God to give them three things every day. First, I pray for their health. Second, I pray for their protection and safety. Third, I pray that they will be focused on their relationship with God.

I used to pray that they would choose the right influences in life. If they are focused on God, they will.

I used to pray that they would be wise when temptations came their way. If they are focused on God, they will.

I used to pray that they would be wise with their money. If they are focused on God, they will.

I used to pray that they would seek God's will daily. If they are focused on Him, they will.

I used to pray that they would influence those around them. If they are focused on God, they will.

I used to pray that they would grow to be strong disciples of Christ. If they are focused on Him, they will.

When you are focused on the right thing, right things happen.

Does that make sense?

Are you focused on your relationship with God?

Sunday Night Brain Dump

I haven't had a brain dump on here in a long time. A brain dump is just stuff I've been pondering or doing lately.

• I recently read a small book by George Orwell titled, Books v. Cigarettes. It's a collection of essays written in the '40's by the author of 1984. The most moving essay is called How the Poor Die which describes the pitiful conditions of a public hospital in France. The worst part is not that the poor, indigent patients weren't treated well medically, but that they died alone.
• I haven't been posting as much on this site because most of my writing time has been devoted to writing material for a new website that I will unveil early in 2011. Stay tuned.
• The last two weeks at TrueNorth Church may have been the best two Sundays in a long time. Last week, 41 people were baptized. Many different cultural backgrounds and socio-economic groups were represented. A taste of heaven? Today we had our Christmas communion service. Awesome!
• In about 10 days, my baby girl will fly to India for a 2 week mission trip. It's one thing when I go halfway around the world. And it's another thing we my wife goes halfway around the world like she did last July. But it's a whole new thing when your baby daughter flies to Asia. Pray!
• You need to check out Advent Conspiracy and Gifts of Water soon. Make room in your Christmas budget to spend money on others in need, not just you and your family.
• Random question of the day: Why do sportscasters wear suits?
• 95% of all trained Christian workers are in North America. Why?
• Beth and I have watched the last 3 episodes of Sarah Palin's Alaska. That show probably drives Democrats and, especially PETA, crazy. Gotta love the beautiful scenery in Palin's home state though. I think I'll put "Go to Alaska" on my bucket list.