Missing Fathers lead to trouble

I was reading the paper the other day and came across and essay that talked about all of the social ills that are tied to absent fathers.  From poverty to criminal activity, a host of social ills can be easily tied through statistics to men who create children but don't father them.  My first thought upon seeing the title of the article was, "Well, duh, tell me something I don't know."  Anyone who works in the social sciences in any way, interacting with humanity on a daily basis, should be able to see that absent fathers is the biggest problem in our society today.  What drives moral scourge of our society, abortion, if not women left in the lurch by men acting like boys.  What causes promiscuity among young women if not the need for love that their father's did not give them?  What leads boys to try to act tough without any understanding of knowing when to walk away if not the lack of a father who demonstrated how to know the difference?
When I worked for ten years as an alternative education teacher I faced the results of absent fatherhood each and every day.  The vast majority of our students had little or no relationship with their father.  He had either walked away from the family, was in jail, or was never in the picture in the first place.  Was it any wonder that these young boys had aggression issues, or that these young girls felt desperate for male acceptance?  It wasn't their fault that adults had chosen to put their mistakes on their shoulders, but they were the ones having to try to pick up the pieces.  In the end, the ones that stuck with it, that earned their diplomas, made all of their teachers proud because they overcame a burden that society should not be placing upon children.
No society can long endure without two parent homes.  We may tell ourselves that single parents can do just fine; and some are certainly doing heroic things on their own, but the merciless statistics bear out that missing fathers are the harbinger of societal woe.  When will men in this nation begin to act like men?  When will women say "enough is enough" and stop accepting boys when they need men? 
Nobody needs to tell me what is wrong with America, I see it in each broken heart, in each life gone wrong, in each tale of sorrow which confronts my ministry.  Where is dad?  Where are the fathers?

This changes nothing

Whether you're waking up this morning celebrating or moaning the results of yesterday's election it doesn't matter.  That we live in a land where patriots and a merciful God have given us the right to vote certainly matters, but who won or lost this recent election doesn't matter nearly as much as you think.
Why is that?
Today, I still have two Bible studies to lead and prayer group to participate in;  I still need to get over to the Y today and get some exercise; I still have a sermon to work on for Sunday, and a fledgling outreach group (Mustard Seed Mission) to work for.  I am still responsible for this local flock of believers in Jesus Christ, and I am still charged with reaching the Lost with the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  None of this has changed since yesterday.
In America the government has nothing to do, for good or ill, with my church.  We can worship how we choose, and I can preach what the Word of God has laid upon my heart.  There is no government censor sitting in the pews taking notes.  In fact, I can and do broadcast my sermon each week on YouTube without fear of reprisal.
  The efforts of Mustard Seed Mission, to spread the love of Christ through helping those in need and building relationships with them is not affected in any way by the election.  The government officials we're cooperating with are local, there responsibility and heart is local.  We dont' depend upon any government funding (nor would we take any), and nobody can tell us that we cannot share the Gospel when we lend a helping hand.
My ministry, my calling from God to be salt and light in this world is not, nor can it be, changed by an election.  Even if I lived in a land where government officials would seek to take away my liberty for speaking the name of Jesus, my mission would be unchanged.  That I live in America, is a blessing from God; that OUR effort to share the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ continues this day is our responsibility.

Taking a break from all your worries...

I just completed a week of vacation during which my wife and I returned to Michigan to spend some time with family and friends and camp up at St. Ignace during Labor Day weekend.  It was a needed respite for me from the daily requirements of the ministry, a chance to set aside for a while the cares and concerns for God's flock that can seem never-ending to those in pastoral ministry.
Of course, there are plenty of people whose jobs and family responsibilities make my work seem like a cake-walk, but we all need to take some time away from our regular routine now and again in order to gain perspective and remain fresh in our pursuits.
One of the things that pastors miss out on is the ability to attend church as a participant and not a leader.  Our Sunday mornings, and other occasions in which we gather to worship, revolve around preparation and delivery of spiritual food and nourishment for others, but this same nourishment can be difficult to partake of when you're busy working to make it happen. 
My pastoral mentor, Pastor James Frank, once told me that in sermon preparation one has to "preach the sermon to yourself first".  The same holds true in preparing a lesson for Sunday school or getting ready to lead a Bible study; those of us in leadership need to teach ourselves the lesson that is to be learned before we try to teach it to others.  There is another point to remember: we also need to be open to the chance to learn a lesson during the delivery of the message itself.  It may take the form of an insight that you never saw until this moment, or perhaps be in the form of a question or comment from someone afterwards, but those who minister God's Word should always be ready for that preaching/teaching to rebound.
In the end, our vacation was a good one, we spent time with loved ones and enjoyed God's wondrous creation.  Now, as I prepare this week's sermon I can do so with a heart that is refreshed and ready to be taught once more.

Can we change ourselves?

I'm reading Will Mancini's Church Unique right now and a quote he utilized when talking about Church Growth from Gordon MacDonald caught my eye. "I have wondered if our evangelical fervor to change the world is not driven in some part by the inability to change ourselves."
This thought was quickly connected in my mind to all of the enthusiasm I've witnessed over the years to change this law or that, to elect this or that candidate, in the hopes that such a political victory will allow us to change the culture from the top-down.  If we cannot change our neighborhoods, let us change the law and get the government to do the job for us.
An example of this attitude is the abortion issue.  I believe that abortion is a moral evil that should not be legal in any society.  Life, given as a gift from God, is far too precious to squander, from beginning to end.  {this same principle affect my views on using drugs, education, poverty aid, euthanasia, and more}  For nearly half a century abortion has been legal in America.  Over 30 million abortions have occurred in that time frame, not because it is legal, but because millions of our fellow Americans have decided that it is easier to rid themselves of an inconvenient child than it is to take responsibility for him/her.  Included in this number, are millions of church attenders and millions of teens whose parents are/were Christians.  This is not a problem for "them" that those of us within the Church have no responsibility for.  We already know that divorce rates and non-marital sex rates are far too similar for self-professing Christians as they are for those who do not claim Christ as Lord.
Where does this leave us.  When we realize that political solutions, while necessary, will never solve the problem, we can begin to focus our efforts upon helping our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ live in ways that more clearly reflect the mercy which God has shown us in Christ.  The problem is not out "there" among the Lost; the problem is withing the Church, the problem is our own.
It is far easier to change the political landscape and the laws of this nation than it is to reform our churches from within.  It is far easier, but far less effective.  The revival of the Church in America begins in the pew I sit in on Sunday; it begins with us.

The Shame of Joe Paterno

There is no excuse.  That the family is trying to spin the Freeh report to protect his "legacy" is only adding to the shame he deserves.  Joe Paterno may have served his fellow man for decades, and he did, but what will he be remembered for?  Looking the other way to protect his buddy and his football program as children were raped by the man whose office was next door.  The legal ramifications for Penn State will be huge, and they should be, but the moral ramifications are beyond the pale.  Each of those students who gathered to protest the firing of Joe must now look themselves in the mirror and realize that they were helping to protect a man who made an inexcusable evil choice. 
Those of us who serve the public as our life's calling know that everything we have worked for could be ruined by a false accusation.  It makes us tentative, causes us to have rules about ministering alone with anyone, and plays to our fears.  It cannot be helped.  The innocent deserve our discomfort.
If any of these 4 leaders at Penn State (plus who knows how many more further down the ladder) had any sense of courage or honor, they would have gone to the police regardless of the consequences.  It is not a choice, it is an obligation.  Everything else that may be offered in their defense is meaningless.  They knew enough, they knew children were at risk, and they walked away.  Only one person needed to do the right thing to put a stop to Sandusky's predatory rapes of children; at Penn State, to their shame, there was none.
There is no excuse, only shame.

Sermon Video: "A Tale of Two Child Kings" - II Chronicles 33-35

The lives of these two child kings of Judah, Manasseh and Josiah illustrate the responsibility that each man and woman has before God.  Manasseh had a righteous father, Hezekiah, but turned into one of Judah's most wicked kings.  Josiah had a wicked father, Amon, but became one of the nation's most God-honoring kings.  In both cases, these men defied that "apple doesn't fall far from the tree" mentality.  In the end, we must all answer to God for what we do with the situation we find ourselves in.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

With much Freedom, comes much responsibility

As Americans once again celbrate our independence this July 4th with all of the variety and excitement of such a free people, I was reminded of a line from the movie Spiderman.  Peter Parker's uncle Ben tells him, "with great power comes great responsibility".  The same notion holds true for each and every American.  We have been given, by Almighty God and the sacrifices of those who fought for this country, a measure of freedom that would have been beyond the imagining of the writers of the New Testament.  They lived in a world where constraints upon each person's choices were commonplace.  People couldn't live where they wanted to, they couldn't choose the occupation they desired, and they certainly didn't enjoy much in the way of religious, speech, or political rights.  Slavery was commonplace in our world until recent history.  Participation in the political process was reserved for only a select powerful few.
All of this began to change with the American Revolution, and just as important, the Bill of Rights.  It was not an easy road; we too have prejudice and denial of rights in our nation's history, but the end result is a nation in which each man and woman enjoys immense freedom.  The question then becomes, what do we do with this freedom?  How do we live as free men and women?  The Apostle Paul wrote to the Churches in Galitia about the new freedom that Christian enjoyed to live according to the dictates of their conscience.  He reminded them that, "You, my brothers, were called to be free.  But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love." (Galatians 5:13)  Freedom is the birthplace of service to others.  It is when we are the most free that we must choose to set aside our own indulgences to serve others.  This is the great responsibility that comes with freedom.
As men and women created by God, we will all stand before the throne of God and answer for how we served others.  As Americans, we will also answer for how we used this extraordinary gift of freedom.  Did we use our freedom to indulge in selfish pursuits, or did we show gratitude to our Maker by using our gift of freedom to help others? 
Today is our independence today.  Celebrate the freedom that we enjoy with joy and passion, but also remember that as Jesus said, "from everyone who has been given much, much will be required" (Luke 12:48)

Joshua 24:15 "As for me and my household"

I’ve always been partial to Joshua’s advice to the people of Israel when he knew that his days as their leader were coming to a close. “If serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15) Joshua made it clear to the people that he would not be at the mercy of public opinion. His desire to worship and serve the LORD was firm and not to be cast aside no matter what. Joshua also felt confident enough to speak on behalf of his own household. As a husband and father Joshua ensured that his family knew the LORD too; his family, his responsibility.
Another thing that Joshua is saying here is that his household will continue to serve the LORD no matter what happens in the society around him. Too often we see examples of unbelief in our society and we let it discourage us. Instead of letting anecdotes from the big picture influence us, we should be starting at home, ensuring that our family is raised in the LORD from day one. Beyond that, the troubles that we read about various denominations shouldn’t discourage us from taking the responsibility of guaranteeing that our own church remains true to God and the Gospel. No matter what happens outside these doors, WE will serve the LORD!