"Let us not glide through this world and then slip quietly into heaven, without having blown the trumpet loud and long for our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Let us see to it that the devil will hold a thanksgiving service in hell, when he gets the news of our departure from the field of battle."
I'm been wondering lately, "Where's my trumpet?" Perhaps it's in my closet...maybe it's lost...or maybe I'm just a sissy. God help me, for I love playing your tunes and fear I have lost the desire to do so.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
a quote on Saint Boniface (from his biographer Willibald)
"But because a mind consecrated to God is not lifted up by the favor of men or sustained by praise, he began, with great care and solicitude, to hasten more intently to other things, and to shun the society of his relatives and connections, AND TO DESIRE FOREIGN PLACES MORE THAN THOSE OF THE LANDS OF HIS PATERNAL INHERITANCE."
~I suppose many of us find ourselves being alienated to that which is homely and familiar on the mere basis of hastening after other things...Godly things.
~I suppose many of us find ourselves being alienated to that which is homely and familiar on the mere basis of hastening after other things...Godly things.
Monday, October 20, 2008
can't get away from this quote about early Christian life...
"Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country nor language nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity, but inhabiting Greek as well as barbarian cities and following customs of the natives in respect of clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly paradoxical manner of life. They dwell in fatherlands of their own country, but only as aliens. As citizens they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as foreigners. Every foreign land is their fatherland and every fatherland a foreign land. They marry as do all; they beget children, but they do not destroy their offspring. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all."
Thursday, July 24, 2008
HIMnI article
Someone recently asked me to write about HIMnI in New Orleans. Here is the link for the article. Or click here, as in here.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Dr. King's thoughts on the Vietnam War
In light of a class I'm currently taking (Intro to Christian Ethics), and in light of some discussion during class, and in light of the recent war taking place in Iraq, I came across a message by Dr. King called "Beyond Vietnam." I've posted some of the speech and I'll give the link to the entire message.
As if the weight of such a commitment to the life and health of America were not enough, another burden of responsibility was placed upon me in 1964. And I cannot forget that the Nobel Peace Prize was also a commission, a commission to work harder than I had ever worked before for 'the brotherhood of man.' This is a calling that takes me beyond national allegiances, but even if it were not present I would yet have to live with the meaning of my commitment to the ministry of Jesus Christ. To me the relationship of this ministry to the making of peace is so obvious that I sometimes marvel at those who ask me why I am speaking against the war. Could it be that they do not know the good news was meant for all men, for communist and capitalist, for the children and ours, for black and for white, for revolutionary and conservative? Have they forgotten that my ministry is in obedience to the One who loved his enemies so fully that he died for them? What then can I say to the Vietcong or to Castro or to Mao as a faithful minister of this One? Can I threaten them with death or must I not share with them my life?
Finally, as I try to explain for you and for myself the road that leads from Montgomery to this place I would have offered all that was most valid if I simply said that I must be true to my conviction that I share with all men the calling to be a son of the living God. Beyond the calling of race or nation or creed is this vocation of sonship and brotherhood, and because I believe that the Father is deeply concerned especially for his suffering and helpless and outcast children, I come tonight to speak for them.
This I believe to be the privilege and the burden of all of us who deem ourselves bound by allegiances and loyalties which are broader and deeper than nationalism and which go beyond our nation's self-defined goals and positions. We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for the victims of our nation and for those it calls enemy, for no document from human hands can make these humans any less our brothers.
Beyond Vietnam full speech
As if the weight of such a commitment to the life and health of America were not enough, another burden of responsibility was placed upon me in 1964. And I cannot forget that the Nobel Peace Prize was also a commission, a commission to work harder than I had ever worked before for 'the brotherhood of man.' This is a calling that takes me beyond national allegiances, but even if it were not present I would yet have to live with the meaning of my commitment to the ministry of Jesus Christ. To me the relationship of this ministry to the making of peace is so obvious that I sometimes marvel at those who ask me why I am speaking against the war. Could it be that they do not know the good news was meant for all men, for communist and capitalist, for the children and ours, for black and for white, for revolutionary and conservative? Have they forgotten that my ministry is in obedience to the One who loved his enemies so fully that he died for them? What then can I say to the Vietcong or to Castro or to Mao as a faithful minister of this One? Can I threaten them with death or must I not share with them my life?
Finally, as I try to explain for you and for myself the road that leads from Montgomery to this place I would have offered all that was most valid if I simply said that I must be true to my conviction that I share with all men the calling to be a son of the living God. Beyond the calling of race or nation or creed is this vocation of sonship and brotherhood, and because I believe that the Father is deeply concerned especially for his suffering and helpless and outcast children, I come tonight to speak for them.
This I believe to be the privilege and the burden of all of us who deem ourselves bound by allegiances and loyalties which are broader and deeper than nationalism and which go beyond our nation's self-defined goals and positions. We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for the victims of our nation and for those it calls enemy, for no document from human hands can make these humans any less our brothers.
Beyond Vietnam full speech
Monday, May 12, 2008
an ideal weekend of ministry...
For some strange reason, although much was previously scheduled, a wonderful weekend of ministry fell into my lap, and I am forever blessed by it.
Let's begin on Friday.
Friday Morning.
I met with 5 of my friends in the French Quarter for Bible Study. I've known most of these guys for quite some time, but I recently become better friends with them through our church's Wednesday night Bible Study. These men, David, Deangelo, Richard, Daniel, and Bill, wanted more. They craved more of the Word, and all they cared about was the Bible. So we decided to meet up every Friday morning for a huge breakfast and for a great time of Bible Study.
I love this so much. I typically go buy the food with Bill or Deangelo, Daniel and David set up the table, Deangelo and I start making the breakfast. Well actually, Deangelo is our cook since all I do is put biscuits in the oven and scramble the eggs.
We eat, and I mean we really eat. Tons of scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits, juice, milk, sometimes chocolate milk, coffee...good times.
After breakfast, we move into the next room and spend some time in prayer before diving into 1 Peter. During our first meeting, we spent nearly an hour examining the first two verses. And none of us got bored. These guys, with the exception of one, all live on the streets, so its amazing to realize we don't have to rush our time in the Word. Reminds me of my time in Malaysia.
Friday, Late Morning and Early Afternoon.
My brother was moving into Uptown, so I decided to help by taking care of his two nephews, Cash and Aylor. We went to one playground, then went to McDonalds, then went to another playground, and finally went for some ice cream. It was soo hot! And I was soo exhausted. Oddly enough, the toughest thing about this part of the day was not chasing them around the playground, but putting them in their car seats! That's exhausting.
Friday Late Afternoon and Early Evening.
HIMnI Volunteer Cookout. HIMnI is our monthly worship gathering in Nola. We decided to grill some hamburgers and sausages in appreciation for all our volunteers. Nathan Cline, who is the man, prepared all the food for us. We grubbed on some good food as we played some bocci ball, volleyball, and hung around and talked with one another. I was loving life because it was a great time to chill, relax, and enjoy one another's company without feeling like we had to do something or be somewhere. Peace be still if you catch my drift. [God help us in this regard]
Friday Late Evening.
The cookout was awesome, but we only had half the people show up. Nathan had actually prepared food for 50, which meant we had tons of food left over. All of us were thinking about throwing the food away, when we decided to take it down to Tent City and feed as many people as possible. For those of you who don't know, Tent City is near the French Quarter, in downtown New Orleans, underneath Interstate 10, otherwise known as the Claiborne Bridge, where tons of homeless people live in tents. Originally we were planning to bring the food to Jackson square, since I know the majority of the homeless in that area. But as we drove by tent city, even amongst a great fear of being mauled and mugged, we pulled over on the side of the road and began to hand out food. Parker, Matt, Tiffany, Stephanie, Casey, CC, and myself unloaded chips, hamburgers made to order with all the "fixins", sausage, baked beans, cookies, and soft drinks until we ran out. I think we ran out of food in 30 minutes, and we were completely amazed that there were still so many who didn't get food. I tried to visit Jonathan and Erica, a couple who live in that area that attend our church, but they weren't around. But I did get to meet Jason. I brought him some cookies and some doritos. I hope I'll get to visit him soon.
Friday Late Late Evening.
While the rest of the crew stayed up to watch a movie, I was exhausted and went to sleep. I did, however, join the rest of the crew for some ice cream. Yes ice cream again. King Cake ice cream and Moo Tracks ice cream. (not Moose Tracks, but still very good).
Saturday Morning through Early Afternoon.
I slept in until 11, then got some things done like get measured for a tux for my friends wedding.
Saturday Early Evening.
Stephen and Priscilla, two people from our church, were getting married. It was awesome because their invitations were in french since Priscilla is from France and Stephen is from some French speaking country in Africa. The wedding was beautiful, located in City Park. I went with Trish and Martha Ann, and both of them got angry with me for not going to the reception. Pastor Greg's wife and son were also there. I think this was amazing since I got to meet others like Michele and Mosanda, other unique people who live in this unique and amazing city.
Saturday Late Evening.
After Trish and Martha Ann took me back to my apartment, I met up with Parker for some dinner. We went to VooDoo Barbeque on St. Charles. We had a great time sitting at the bar, chowing down, and talking about "girls and things we like" (that's for Lee if he reads this). Afterwards we came back to my apartment, unaware of what to do next. I talked with my beautiful on the phone for a while, Abby for anyone who may be wondering, while Parker did the same thing with his beautiful who happens to live in Richmond. After that, Parker and I spent about an hour talking about various things, and it was great just to have a substantial conversation that wasn't rushed and full of meaning.
Sunday Morning.
I traveled an hour and a half to preach for FBC Whitecastle, in Louisiana. This is the same church that my dad pastored while he and my mom lived in New Orleans. There must have been about 40 people present for the Mother's Day service. I preached my heart out, and I felt very encouraged and challenged by the gentle eyes that were before me.
Sunday Lunch.
After the service, Fry and Lois Hymel took me to the Nottoway Plantation for lunch. They weren't actually taking me, I just got to participate in a special Mother's Day lunch since I just so happened to preach this Sunday. The food was great, and I really enjoyed catching up with Jim and Sugar, talking with Jim about various places to eat as well as "girls and things we like." The service was extremely slow, but that didn't matter since I didn't have that rushed feeling that I always have. Fry and Lois, they are wonderful people. Whenever I see them, they always subconsciously remind me about the importance of faithfulness. (I have that tattooed on my chest in case you didn't know, which is why I really like being reminded of this.)
Sunday Early Afternoon.
I slept, or at least I tried to. Once I got back to my apartment, I sat down to watch some NBA playoffs and napped for about 30 minutes until I got really excited about playing some basketball. And even though I was more tired than ever, I decided to go play some pick up games on Napoleon and Magazine. Initially I tried the courts near the Fairgrounds, but noone was there. I played four games, and I won all four of them. I only share this because I really earned some respect out there that day. The other guys playing really began to converse with me, and I realized yesterday for the first time that they really did treat me like a regular, not like some stranger who shows up to play basketball every once in a while. These guys really started opening up to me, and I really hope God will provide me the courage to proclaim the good news very soon.
Sunday Evening until Midnight.
Met up with my friend, Ricky, who invited me to a very special ministry. My first invite came on Valentine's Day, but for some reason I didn't go then. And in all truth, I didn't want to go last night. I was completely exhausted and I didn't think I had any left in the tank. This ministry is unique because they minister to Strippers at the Strip Clubs on Bourbon. I'm no stranger to Bourbon Street, since I'm there nearly every week, but I never go near to the strip clubs which I guess makes me a stranger to this type of ministry. When I got to the Dream Center on St. Charles, 10 women were organizing some flowers, mostly roses, and some chocolate for the women on Bourbon. After this, our team, 14 in all, gathered together for prayer and for worship. It was an amazing time as I did my best to get out of the way, and to let the Lord prepare the way. After about an hour of this, we left for Bourbon and spent the next hour or so handing out roses to the women and chocolate to the bouncers. We didn't evangelize much, but we sure did witness to the goodness that is Jesus. And just in case you're wondering, the men did not go into the clubs. We would wait for our women as they went in and out of every strip club on bourbon. As for me, I had three great conversations worth mentioning. First, I talked with a lady who was selling roses on the street. She was extremely angry with us for handing out roses for free. I stayed and talked with her for about 5 minutes, and she told me Jesus was definitely fake because God is ignorant to evil and is a jerk for letting bad things happen like permitting George Bush to be president. But trust me when I say this, and I'm not permitted to tell you what happened, but she left with a favorable impression of the gospel and I'm firmly convinced that she has declared Jesus to be her Lord and her God. !!!! Second, I talked with a guy named Shawn who lives on the Westbank. We were comparing tattoos and I told him that the only tattoos worth getting are the ones which remind you of the marks Jesus put on his body. He had "God" and "Son" put on his forearms. I then started talking trash about how there are no good basketball players on the Westbank, and its a waist of time for me to come all the way over there to play a bunch of scrubs. He said, "Are you serious??" Which led me to getting his cell number. Shawn is gonna find four guys, and I'm gonna find four, and we're gonna play a friendly game of bball. Both of us were very excited, and I pray God will receive great glory from this. Last, I talked with a guy carrying a huge "X" on Bourbon St. His hair and beard were also neon pink. I asked him about it, and he said it was the St. Andrew's cross. I asked him why he was carrying it, and he showed me a whip. He said they use it in strip clubs to tie up girls and whip them, for any guys (or girls) who enjoyed this fetish. I told him, "now that's a dumb reason for carrying a cross on Bourbon." He laughed, I told him I carry a different kind of cross, the only one worth carrying, and then told him to be safe. This little shin dig of ministry ended around midnight, and I finally went to bed after some late night Wendy's. By the way, the drive thru lady, her name is Karen, just like my mom, but she had to work all day during Mother's Day. She didn't have such a good Mother's Day, so I really hope that I can pray she'll have better days.
Conclusion
I share all this to say...I'm exhausted, yet liberated. I ran out of time, yet every single second was well-spent. And I'm so glad Jesus is my sweet Savior and Lord. He permits me to enjoy His activities He has planned for me long in advance, and I pray He will fill my weekends with more of His activities, not mine. Jesus, please continue to order my steps and to plan my days.
Let's begin on Friday.
Friday Morning.
I met with 5 of my friends in the French Quarter for Bible Study. I've known most of these guys for quite some time, but I recently become better friends with them through our church's Wednesday night Bible Study. These men, David, Deangelo, Richard, Daniel, and Bill, wanted more. They craved more of the Word, and all they cared about was the Bible. So we decided to meet up every Friday morning for a huge breakfast and for a great time of Bible Study.
I love this so much. I typically go buy the food with Bill or Deangelo, Daniel and David set up the table, Deangelo and I start making the breakfast. Well actually, Deangelo is our cook since all I do is put biscuits in the oven and scramble the eggs.We eat, and I mean we really eat. Tons of scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits, juice, milk, sometimes chocolate milk, coffee...good times.
After breakfast, we move into the next room and spend some time in prayer before diving into 1 Peter. During our first meeting, we spent nearly an hour examining the first two verses. And none of us got bored. These guys, with the exception of one, all live on the streets, so its amazing to realize we don't have to rush our time in the Word. Reminds me of my time in Malaysia.
Friday, Late Morning and Early Afternoon.
My brother was moving into Uptown, so I decided to help by taking care of his two nephews, Cash and Aylor. We went to one playground, then went to McDonalds, then went to another playground, and finally went for some ice cream. It was soo hot! And I was soo exhausted. Oddly enough, the toughest thing about this part of the day was not chasing them around the playground, but putting them in their car seats! That's exhausting.
Friday Late Afternoon and Early Evening.
HIMnI Volunteer Cookout. HIMnI is our monthly worship gathering in Nola. We decided to grill some hamburgers and sausages in appreciation for all our volunteers. Nathan Cline, who is the man, prepared all the food for us. We grubbed on some good food as we played some bocci ball, volleyball, and hung around and talked with one another. I was loving life because it was a great time to chill, relax, and enjoy one another's company without feeling like we had to do something or be somewhere. Peace be still if you catch my drift. [God help us in this regard]
Friday Late Evening.
The cookout was awesome, but we only had half the people show up. Nathan had actually prepared food for 50, which meant we had tons of food left over. All of us were thinking about throwing the food away, when we decided to take it down to Tent City and feed as many people as possible. For those of you who don't know, Tent City is near the French Quarter, in downtown New Orleans, underneath Interstate 10, otherwise known as the Claiborne Bridge, where tons of homeless people live in tents. Originally we were planning to bring the food to Jackson square, since I know the majority of the homeless in that area. But as we drove by tent city, even amongst a great fear of being mauled and mugged, we pulled over on the side of the road and began to hand out food. Parker, Matt, Tiffany, Stephanie, Casey, CC, and myself unloaded chips, hamburgers made to order with all the "fixins", sausage, baked beans, cookies, and soft drinks until we ran out. I think we ran out of food in 30 minutes, and we were completely amazed that there were still so many who didn't get food. I tried to visit Jonathan and Erica, a couple who live in that area that attend our church, but they weren't around. But I did get to meet Jason. I brought him some cookies and some doritos. I hope I'll get to visit him soon.
Friday Late Late Evening.
While the rest of the crew stayed up to watch a movie, I was exhausted and went to sleep. I did, however, join the rest of the crew for some ice cream. Yes ice cream again. King Cake ice cream and Moo Tracks ice cream. (not Moose Tracks, but still very good).
Saturday Morning through Early Afternoon.
I slept in until 11, then got some things done like get measured for a tux for my friends wedding.
Saturday Early Evening.
Stephen and Priscilla, two people from our church, were getting married. It was awesome because their invitations were in french since Priscilla is from France and Stephen is from some French speaking country in Africa. The wedding was beautiful, located in City Park. I went with Trish and Martha Ann, and both of them got angry with me for not going to the reception. Pastor Greg's wife and son were also there. I think this was amazing since I got to meet others like Michele and Mosanda, other unique people who live in this unique and amazing city.
Saturday Late Evening.
After Trish and Martha Ann took me back to my apartment, I met up with Parker for some dinner. We went to VooDoo Barbeque on St. Charles. We had a great time sitting at the bar, chowing down, and talking about "girls and things we like" (that's for Lee if he reads this). Afterwards we came back to my apartment, unaware of what to do next. I talked with my beautiful on the phone for a while, Abby for anyone who may be wondering, while Parker did the same thing with his beautiful who happens to live in Richmond. After that, Parker and I spent about an hour talking about various things, and it was great just to have a substantial conversation that wasn't rushed and full of meaning.
Sunday Morning.
I traveled an hour and a half to preach for FBC Whitecastle, in Louisiana. This is the same church that my dad pastored while he and my mom lived in New Orleans. There must have been about 40 people present for the Mother's Day service. I preached my heart out, and I felt very encouraged and challenged by the gentle eyes that were before me.
Sunday Lunch.
After the service, Fry and Lois Hymel took me to the Nottoway Plantation for lunch. They weren't actually taking me, I just got to participate in a special Mother's Day lunch since I just so happened to preach this Sunday. The food was great, and I really enjoyed catching up with Jim and Sugar, talking with Jim about various places to eat as well as "girls and things we like." The service was extremely slow, but that didn't matter since I didn't have that rushed feeling that I always have. Fry and Lois, they are wonderful people. Whenever I see them, they always subconsciously remind me about the importance of faithfulness. (I have that tattooed on my chest in case you didn't know, which is why I really like being reminded of this.)
Sunday Early Afternoon.
I slept, or at least I tried to. Once I got back to my apartment, I sat down to watch some NBA playoffs and napped for about 30 minutes until I got really excited about playing some basketball. And even though I was more tired than ever, I decided to go play some pick up games on Napoleon and Magazine. Initially I tried the courts near the Fairgrounds, but noone was there. I played four games, and I won all four of them. I only share this because I really earned some respect out there that day. The other guys playing really began to converse with me, and I realized yesterday for the first time that they really did treat me like a regular, not like some stranger who shows up to play basketball every once in a while. These guys really started opening up to me, and I really hope God will provide me the courage to proclaim the good news very soon.
Sunday Evening until Midnight.
Met up with my friend, Ricky, who invited me to a very special ministry. My first invite came on Valentine's Day, but for some reason I didn't go then. And in all truth, I didn't want to go last night. I was completely exhausted and I didn't think I had any left in the tank. This ministry is unique because they minister to Strippers at the Strip Clubs on Bourbon. I'm no stranger to Bourbon Street, since I'm there nearly every week, but I never go near to the strip clubs which I guess makes me a stranger to this type of ministry. When I got to the Dream Center on St. Charles, 10 women were organizing some flowers, mostly roses, and some chocolate for the women on Bourbon. After this, our team, 14 in all, gathered together for prayer and for worship. It was an amazing time as I did my best to get out of the way, and to let the Lord prepare the way. After about an hour of this, we left for Bourbon and spent the next hour or so handing out roses to the women and chocolate to the bouncers. We didn't evangelize much, but we sure did witness to the goodness that is Jesus. And just in case you're wondering, the men did not go into the clubs. We would wait for our women as they went in and out of every strip club on bourbon. As for me, I had three great conversations worth mentioning. First, I talked with a lady who was selling roses on the street. She was extremely angry with us for handing out roses for free. I stayed and talked with her for about 5 minutes, and she told me Jesus was definitely fake because God is ignorant to evil and is a jerk for letting bad things happen like permitting George Bush to be president. But trust me when I say this, and I'm not permitted to tell you what happened, but she left with a favorable impression of the gospel and I'm firmly convinced that she has declared Jesus to be her Lord and her God. !!!! Second, I talked with a guy named Shawn who lives on the Westbank. We were comparing tattoos and I told him that the only tattoos worth getting are the ones which remind you of the marks Jesus put on his body. He had "God" and "Son" put on his forearms. I then started talking trash about how there are no good basketball players on the Westbank, and its a waist of time for me to come all the way over there to play a bunch of scrubs. He said, "Are you serious??" Which led me to getting his cell number. Shawn is gonna find four guys, and I'm gonna find four, and we're gonna play a friendly game of bball. Both of us were very excited, and I pray God will receive great glory from this. Last, I talked with a guy carrying a huge "X" on Bourbon St. His hair and beard were also neon pink. I asked him about it, and he said it was the St. Andrew's cross. I asked him why he was carrying it, and he showed me a whip. He said they use it in strip clubs to tie up girls and whip them, for any guys (or girls) who enjoyed this fetish. I told him, "now that's a dumb reason for carrying a cross on Bourbon." He laughed, I told him I carry a different kind of cross, the only one worth carrying, and then told him to be safe. This little shin dig of ministry ended around midnight, and I finally went to bed after some late night Wendy's. By the way, the drive thru lady, her name is Karen, just like my mom, but she had to work all day during Mother's Day. She didn't have such a good Mother's Day, so I really hope that I can pray she'll have better days.
Conclusion
I share all this to say...I'm exhausted, yet liberated. I ran out of time, yet every single second was well-spent. And I'm so glad Jesus is my sweet Savior and Lord. He permits me to enjoy His activities He has planned for me long in advance, and I pray He will fill my weekends with more of His activities, not mine. Jesus, please continue to order my steps and to plan my days.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
A Homosexual Christian, is it possible...
Recently, someone emailed me about homosexuality, whether someone can truly be a Christian if they practice this lifestyle. And since this is such an important issue at our church and in our culture, I've decided to post my reply, together with the original email, so that anyone who keeps up with our ministry in the French Quarter can know our stance on homosexuality. Feel free to comment, reply, etc.
Rest assured, this is not just a nice, theological discussion at a coffee shop for me. We deal with this question every week in the French Quarter. In fact, at my first Wednesday night Bible Study at Vieux Carre Baptist Church, I remember a woman saying (with tears), "I'm gay, but I don't want to go to hell."
[This email does not address the issue, "Are some born homosexual?" I'm not going there in this email.]
Oh God help us. Help us to know Truth. Help us to walk in Love. And help us to never emphasize one over the other. Both are equally important, and they are both found in You alone, through Jesus alone, by means of the Spirit alone.
Hi Greg
[first paragraph deleted]
My question was in regards to homosexuality and if your church teaches it is ok for a homosexual to continue in their lifestyle, as long as it is monogamous yet still be a follower of Christ. I am very curious where your church stands on this topic (or really any fundamentalists classified sinful lifestyle, not just homosexuality). Please know I am NOT trying to "pick a fight" or "prove my point", I am sincerely wondering where your church stands on such topics and not having the past emails is leaving me in the dark. Specifically, can a person become a born-again christian yet still live a practicing lifestyle of sinning?
Thanks again for your time and I look forward to your response
Steve
Steve,
you and i bounced replies back and forth several times. and I'm fairly certain you even responded to some of them. I'll do my best to look in my sent folder and forward them to you.
i'm very excited that you are earnestly seeking a question to this answer. I do believe the scriptures indicate and right and wrong in several matters, and I would never do anything to steer away from the truth.
If I may, let me tell you what I believe. For the most part, and perhaps all of it, you may assume that everyone else at Vieux Carre believes the same. As far as I know, there isn't a written statement of beliefs for our church other than the generic one's we ascribe to such as the Baptist Faith and Message.
Let me respond by quoting 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.
"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."
To my disdain, someone who practices homosexuality will not inherit the kingdom of God. Up to me, I wish that all were saved and all would inherit the kingdom of God. But that is not what the Book says, and my hearts desire for myself and for the church is that we be people of the Book. We believe it wholeheartedly.
Unfortunately for me, I fit some of those other categories. Example, "idolater," "adulterer," "drunkard," "greedy," and I could go on. That means I too am without hope and completely depraved.
But thanks be to God that he saved me from a life of sin and death, and gave me new life seen through a righteousness that is not my own, but granted to me through the provision of Jesus Christ, by means of his death on a cross.
That's why the next verse then says,
"And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." v. 11
God grants me the ability to walk away from my previous lifestyle, my lifestyle of sin, and embrace a sanctified life, and life full of holiness and purity. And this can only be done through the name of Jesus and by the Spirit of God. God is holy, his holiness demands justice, because He wouldn't be God if he didn't respond to sin. He will respond to sin by means of His wrath. He must, otherwise He is not God because He would be neglecting his holiness, which might be the most important trait about God. His wrath, however, is deflected by means of his love, because God's love is equally as important as his wrath. This is why He sent His Son Jesus. He responded to sin by sending his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus bore the wrath of our sin. Not just so He could pay for our sins, but so we could be set free from our sins. Sins, which include homosexuality, as the Bible indicates.
Can a person practice homosexuality, remain in a homosexual lifestyle, and still claim to be a follower of Christ? Absolutely not. In the same breath, neither can a cheater. Neither can a liar. Neither can an idolater or an adulterer. Sometimes the Bible teaches us to understand right from wrong. And with great sincerity in my heart, since I'm speaking as one who has homosexual friends, I agree with scripture by saying homosexuals will not and cannot inherit the kingdom of God.
Can a believer still struggle with this sin? Can a believer fall back into the temptation of homosexuality? Absolutely yes. But Jesus has overcome the world, He is abounding in love, mercy, and patience. And calls us to repent daily and to live for him. The beautiful thing about this is that Jesus enables and empowers us to be more than conquerers, and to defeat and overcome our greatest sins and temptations. The key issue is godly repentance, not worldly repentance.
"Born again" Christians, as you phrased it, will always struggle with sin in this life until we are perfected when we enter into glory with Jesus, but true "born again" believers don't practice lifestyles of sinning because God has freed us from such a travesty.
I hope this helps and I look forward to your response.
Greg
Rest assured, this is not just a nice, theological discussion at a coffee shop for me. We deal with this question every week in the French Quarter. In fact, at my first Wednesday night Bible Study at Vieux Carre Baptist Church, I remember a woman saying (with tears), "I'm gay, but I don't want to go to hell."
[This email does not address the issue, "Are some born homosexual?" I'm not going there in this email.]
Oh God help us. Help us to know Truth. Help us to walk in Love. And help us to never emphasize one over the other. Both are equally important, and they are both found in You alone, through Jesus alone, by means of the Spirit alone.
Hi Greg
[first paragraph deleted]
My question was in regards to homosexuality and if your church teaches it is ok for a homosexual to continue in their lifestyle, as long as it is monogamous yet still be a follower of Christ. I am very curious where your church stands on this topic (or really any fundamentalists classified sinful lifestyle, not just homosexuality). Please know I am NOT trying to "pick a fight" or "prove my point", I am sincerely wondering where your church stands on such topics and not having the past emails is leaving me in the dark. Specifically, can a person become a born-again christian yet still live a practicing lifestyle of sinning?
Thanks again for your time and I look forward to your response
Steve
Steve,
you and i bounced replies back and forth several times. and I'm fairly certain you even responded to some of them. I'll do my best to look in my sent folder and forward them to you.
i'm very excited that you are earnestly seeking a question to this answer. I do believe the scriptures indicate and right and wrong in several matters, and I would never do anything to steer away from the truth.
If I may, let me tell you what I believe. For the most part, and perhaps all of it, you may assume that everyone else at Vieux Carre believes the same. As far as I know, there isn't a written statement of beliefs for our church other than the generic one's we ascribe to such as the Baptist Faith and Message.
Let me respond by quoting 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.
"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."
To my disdain, someone who practices homosexuality will not inherit the kingdom of God. Up to me, I wish that all were saved and all would inherit the kingdom of God. But that is not what the Book says, and my hearts desire for myself and for the church is that we be people of the Book. We believe it wholeheartedly.
Unfortunately for me, I fit some of those other categories. Example, "idolater," "adulterer," "drunkard," "greedy," and I could go on. That means I too am without hope and completely depraved.
But thanks be to God that he saved me from a life of sin and death, and gave me new life seen through a righteousness that is not my own, but granted to me through the provision of Jesus Christ, by means of his death on a cross.
That's why the next verse then says,
"And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." v. 11
God grants me the ability to walk away from my previous lifestyle, my lifestyle of sin, and embrace a sanctified life, and life full of holiness and purity. And this can only be done through the name of Jesus and by the Spirit of God. God is holy, his holiness demands justice, because He wouldn't be God if he didn't respond to sin. He will respond to sin by means of His wrath. He must, otherwise He is not God because He would be neglecting his holiness, which might be the most important trait about God. His wrath, however, is deflected by means of his love, because God's love is equally as important as his wrath. This is why He sent His Son Jesus. He responded to sin by sending his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus bore the wrath of our sin. Not just so He could pay for our sins, but so we could be set free from our sins. Sins, which include homosexuality, as the Bible indicates.
Can a person practice homosexuality, remain in a homosexual lifestyle, and still claim to be a follower of Christ? Absolutely not. In the same breath, neither can a cheater. Neither can a liar. Neither can an idolater or an adulterer. Sometimes the Bible teaches us to understand right from wrong. And with great sincerity in my heart, since I'm speaking as one who has homosexual friends, I agree with scripture by saying homosexuals will not and cannot inherit the kingdom of God.
Can a believer still struggle with this sin? Can a believer fall back into the temptation of homosexuality? Absolutely yes. But Jesus has overcome the world, He is abounding in love, mercy, and patience. And calls us to repent daily and to live for him. The beautiful thing about this is that Jesus enables and empowers us to be more than conquerers, and to defeat and overcome our greatest sins and temptations. The key issue is godly repentance, not worldly repentance.
"Born again" Christians, as you phrased it, will always struggle with sin in this life until we are perfected when we enter into glory with Jesus, but true "born again" believers don't practice lifestyles of sinning because God has freed us from such a travesty.
I hope this helps and I look forward to your response.
Greg
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Sometimes I think God is naughty...
Sometimes I think God is naughty. Now I know God is not naughty but actually supremely wise and sovereign, yet I can’t help but think that. Some say God lets evil happen, and some believe God is nothing but wrathful. And why shouldn’t they? After all, there are lots of things we can’t explain if we hold on to this dualistic mindset of right and wrong, good and evil. Pain exists, and so does evil. Which also means that sin exists, if you prefer that word, and we all have done our best to explain why God permits such things to exist. I know that I’m not a theologian, so I just think He’s naughty.
I don’t know what the dictionary says about the word naughty, but I believe naughty means being playfully bad, when you know what is the right thing to do. You should obey your mom and clean your room, but you watch cartoons instead. You should study for tomorrow’s exam, but you play Poker with your friends instead. You should take your date home immediately, but you only get back when the sun rises. Getting the picture? In any given situation, you have the opportunity to do what is right, but instead you do what you shouldn’t. In other words, if there was a spectrum of right and wrong, of good and bad, and you found these terms on opposite ends, the word naughty would be close to the middle, but leaning more towards the negative side of the spectrum.
In my mind, God has this awesome story going on. It began with a good thing, and then the good thing became a bad thing. Then this bad thing was fixed by another good thing even though the bad thing still exists. And one day all of the good things and bad things will be dealt with in a manner where God gets all the glory.
And this entire story of this battle between good and bad things is part of God’s story. I don’t think it can be written any other way. I’m pretty sure the laws of time and space do not permit us to go back and rewrite history, so I’ve gotten to a point where I’ve just accepted what has happened, both good and bad, and done my best to discover how this fits into God’s amazing story. I’ve tried to break those laws before, but time and space can be pretty difficult to break. I used to train my mind to transcend the laws of time and space, hoping that I’d magically appear during the American Revolution with a machine gun so the Americans wouldn’t have such a hard time winning the war, but in the end all I’d produce was a great fantasy and a horrible migraine. History is full of good things and bad things, but mostly just bad things that can’t be explained. I don’t know why God would permit such things to happen like the Holocaust, the disappearance of Atlantis and dinosaurs, the early retirement of Barry Sanders, and genocide. I honestly go insane thinking about the why’s of God, so I just say God is naughty, and in some cases, extremely naughty.
My mom used to frequently call me a “naughty little boy.” Every Christmas season my family and I would spend an evening together decorating the Christmas tree while drinking eggnog and listening to Christmas songs. Now I love eggnog, but only when it comes from a metal can. Not the carton eggnog, but the metal one where you have to use a can-opener. All eggnog connoisseurs will know which one I’m talking about.
Anyways, eggnog always made me really fat because I’d drink tons of it during Christmas. Many nights I would get out of my bad, go down to the kitchen, quietly open the refrigerator door, and drink eggnog until my little fat belly was full. I’d leave just enough in the can so that no one would become suspicious since our entire family loves eggnog. Then I would go back to bed with a belly full of eggnog, feeling sick to my stomach and wanting to throw up.
But one night my mom caught me.
My mom is a very proper and polite mom who grew up in South Africa and talks with an English accent as if she has a hot potato in her mouth. So when she first caught me she said, “Greggie, you naughty little boy. Go back to bed.” I think I’ve heard that phrase a thousand times!
For example, I used to rub my hands in my little sister’s face to annoy her, and then I’d hear my mom say it again, “Stop it, you naughty little boy!”
I used to T.P. (that’s toilet paper for you poor sheltered kids out there) peoples yards and my mom would always find out and call me a naughty little boy…again.
I used to trash my friend’s cars with garlic powder, sardines, shaving cream, and saran wrap. My mom would somehow always find out about my pranks and say it once more—naughty.
We’d go on church trips and I would sneak into the girls rooms and my mom actually caught me one time and was greatly disappointed and called me naughty yet again.
My mom always said that I’d have to be held responsible for all my pranks and naughty little deeds, but I’ve always said, “Do the crime if you can do the time.” But that’s probably not a good philosophy.
Naughty, naughty, naughty…
Not bad…
Definitely not evil…
Just naughty.
Even now my mom always refers to me as her naughty little boy. Somehow I think it’s become more of an “I love you” name rather than an “I’m disappointed” name. My mom wouldn’t want me to be naughty, but she never minded because she knew I was just a boy wanting to do childish things. I guess that made her a little naughty since she never stopped it. Sometimes I think she allowed me to be a little naughty.
And sometimes I think God allows Himself to be a little naughty too.
I know what some of you may be thinking, but don’t go there. No, God is not a little boy placing cherry bombs in the school toilet. No, God is not a boy with a magnifying glass standing over an anthill, having fun and being a little naughty. I live in New Orleans, and I do not consider Hurricane Katrina to be a naughty little deed. No, God does not create evil nor does He have anything to do with it. That’s just dumb! Haven’t you heard that God is love?
My brother and I decided to read through the bible in 90 days which probably won’t happen since I’m a little naughty and never finish what I set out to do. But on our first day of reading I came across the story about the tower of Babel.
In Genesis 11, the author mentions how there was a time when “the whole world had one language and a common speech.” The people were coming together and organizing themselves and began to talk about building a tower. When I was younger my Sunday school teachers told me that they built the tower because they were trying to reach God, but I don’t know if that’s entirely true. Verse 4 says, “Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth’.” Now that doesn’t sound too bad. These people just wanted to get as close to the heavens as they could and they wanted to stay together. How could that be bad?
Why did God need to intervene in this moment?
And why are there so many different languages?
I just returned from a trip to Myanmar (also called Burma) where my brother and I helped this man coach a basketball camp for one week. Fortunately basketball has now become sort of a universal language in which we could use hand signals and different demonstrations to teach them certain skills and drills. But it sure was hard to communicate with them. They spoke Burmese, and it honestly sounds like nothing I’ve ever heard before. It was extremely frustrating when I was trying to teach the finer aspects of the game.
In my opinion, I think God was being a little naughty when he scattered everyone and gave us different languages. I personally think it would be much easier for mankind, especially concerning the spreading of the Good News, if we all spoke the same language.
So God then comes down to the city, sees them building a tower, and decides to do something about it. Verse 6 says, “The Lord said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan will be impossible for them. Come, let us [kinda cool how he includes His entire being in this matter] go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other’.”
Can you imagine God “coming down” to confuse languages? Can you actually fathom that God most Holy and most Awesome and most Powerful and most Sovereign came down merely to confuse us by making us speak in ways we can’t understand one another? Can you imagine when the people began to talk and realized that other people sounded really strange and they couldn’t even understand what other people were saying? Did they remember their original language? Did they begin to make signs to one another as a last great attempt to work together on the tower? I’d imagine that if I was alive during this moment, I’d yell at the top of my lungs with a Chris Farley like desperation, “What is going on here?!!!” But I’d also wonder what language I was yelling. I’d hope my new language would be the one in Africa where they make a bunch of clicking noises.
So there you have it. God was just being naughty.
Come on!! You don’t see it? Being surrounded by the things of God my entire life and growing up in a good Christian home, I have now come to realize that I have to remove my Sunday School tie in order to really think about Scripture.
The people were organizing themselves, trying to reach heaven, and God then says something quite profound. He says, “Then nothing they plan to do will be impossible.”
Am I missing something? Does God not want the best for us? Doesn’t He say that He wants to give us life to the fullest? Does He also say that He has plans to prosper us, not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future?
That’s why I say God is naughty. Two reasons support this. First, God is not evil. Second, God never contradicts himself. Since I fully believe He is neither evil nor contradictory, he has to be naughty. How else can you explain this story about the tower of Babel? And what better word to describe God’s actions at the tower of Babel than “naughty.”
But maybe I’ve been missing something all along.
My two reasons supported my light accusation that God is naughty, but I believe there is a third reason that provides a greater explanation as to why God may be naughty and why God permits language barriers…
and hurricanes…
and tsunamis…
and earthquakes.
God is not evil nor is He contradictory, but more importantly God is not accidental. Behind each moment in life is a divine purpose from the very heart of God.
And that purpose is God.
He is behind everything. What we are doing now at this very moment is a result of God’s very detailed and purposeful story. It’s not a story about me. It’s not a story about you. It’s not even a story about mankind. No, God is creating a story for Himself, for his glory, and for his credit.
The people at the tower of Babel quite possibly were doing a good thing. They were actually unified, which is something we never see, and they were trying to reach the heavens.
But this was not part of God’s story. More importantly, God was not getting any credit. The tower of Babel was about man taking credit for himself, not for God. In modern day terms, it’s like starting a church plant, seeing it grow to thousands of people, and then taking credit for it. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think I’m beginning to see lots of Babel towers around the world. Hmmm…
I do believe with all my heart that God has wonderful plans for us and that He wants to give us full lives, but I believe even more that God should be the one who gives us this. I would love to give myself a full life, and I would love to know that I have created wonderful plans for my life, but I can’t. Only God can do that. Only God can take the credit for such a wonderful thing.
After seeing the Gulf Coast and my beloved city being torn apart by Hurricane Katrina, I began to wonder if God was truly behind every detail of life. I began to wonder if Hurricane Katrina could’ve just slipped by without God noticing. But then I began to think about the tsunami in Asia and the earthquake in Pakistan. If things were slipping by without God noticing, then He sure was missing a lot of things. Hurricane Katrina brought up a question that came from the very depths of my soul,
“Is God really behind every detail of life?”
My heart, my faith, and more importantly the Word of God provided me with that answer. Yes, God has planned and ordained everything. And yes, God purposed Hurricane Katrina. Why? I don’t know. But I’m listening…probably listening now more than ever. I’m beginning to understand even more that everything is planned according to His plans, not mine.
God is naughty, but He’s only naughty from my point of view. From His point of view, I’m willing to bet He’s very meticulous in His planning. I’m willing to bet that He’s planned every event in history very carefully. And I’m willing to bet that He’s carefully planned our lives as well. I’m willing to bet He sees a greater picture in mind that I will never be able to see. Perhaps He doesn’t think He’s naughty by nature at all.
All I’m saying is that God is God, I’m probably the naughty one, and it’s His story. The way I see it, God can do whatever He wants. It’s His story. We play roles in the story. They are very important roles because actors in the end give credit to the playwright just as a book gives credit to its author. We are the words that God continues to use to develop this amazing story about how amazing and wonderful and awesome God really is!
From our perspective, a naughty God permitting evil leads to frustration and pain and grief and anxiety. But from this perceived naughtiness comes a greater good that only God can see. After all, it’s His story.
~written in 2006
I don’t know what the dictionary says about the word naughty, but I believe naughty means being playfully bad, when you know what is the right thing to do. You should obey your mom and clean your room, but you watch cartoons instead. You should study for tomorrow’s exam, but you play Poker with your friends instead. You should take your date home immediately, but you only get back when the sun rises. Getting the picture? In any given situation, you have the opportunity to do what is right, but instead you do what you shouldn’t. In other words, if there was a spectrum of right and wrong, of good and bad, and you found these terms on opposite ends, the word naughty would be close to the middle, but leaning more towards the negative side of the spectrum.
In my mind, God has this awesome story going on. It began with a good thing, and then the good thing became a bad thing. Then this bad thing was fixed by another good thing even though the bad thing still exists. And one day all of the good things and bad things will be dealt with in a manner where God gets all the glory.
And this entire story of this battle between good and bad things is part of God’s story. I don’t think it can be written any other way. I’m pretty sure the laws of time and space do not permit us to go back and rewrite history, so I’ve gotten to a point where I’ve just accepted what has happened, both good and bad, and done my best to discover how this fits into God’s amazing story. I’ve tried to break those laws before, but time and space can be pretty difficult to break. I used to train my mind to transcend the laws of time and space, hoping that I’d magically appear during the American Revolution with a machine gun so the Americans wouldn’t have such a hard time winning the war, but in the end all I’d produce was a great fantasy and a horrible migraine. History is full of good things and bad things, but mostly just bad things that can’t be explained. I don’t know why God would permit such things to happen like the Holocaust, the disappearance of Atlantis and dinosaurs, the early retirement of Barry Sanders, and genocide. I honestly go insane thinking about the why’s of God, so I just say God is naughty, and in some cases, extremely naughty.
My mom used to frequently call me a “naughty little boy.” Every Christmas season my family and I would spend an evening together decorating the Christmas tree while drinking eggnog and listening to Christmas songs. Now I love eggnog, but only when it comes from a metal can. Not the carton eggnog, but the metal one where you have to use a can-opener. All eggnog connoisseurs will know which one I’m talking about.
Anyways, eggnog always made me really fat because I’d drink tons of it during Christmas. Many nights I would get out of my bad, go down to the kitchen, quietly open the refrigerator door, and drink eggnog until my little fat belly was full. I’d leave just enough in the can so that no one would become suspicious since our entire family loves eggnog. Then I would go back to bed with a belly full of eggnog, feeling sick to my stomach and wanting to throw up.
But one night my mom caught me.
My mom is a very proper and polite mom who grew up in South Africa and talks with an English accent as if she has a hot potato in her mouth. So when she first caught me she said, “Greggie, you naughty little boy. Go back to bed.” I think I’ve heard that phrase a thousand times!
For example, I used to rub my hands in my little sister’s face to annoy her, and then I’d hear my mom say it again, “Stop it, you naughty little boy!”
I used to T.P. (that’s toilet paper for you poor sheltered kids out there) peoples yards and my mom would always find out and call me a naughty little boy…again.
I used to trash my friend’s cars with garlic powder, sardines, shaving cream, and saran wrap. My mom would somehow always find out about my pranks and say it once more—naughty.
We’d go on church trips and I would sneak into the girls rooms and my mom actually caught me one time and was greatly disappointed and called me naughty yet again.
My mom always said that I’d have to be held responsible for all my pranks and naughty little deeds, but I’ve always said, “Do the crime if you can do the time.” But that’s probably not a good philosophy.
Naughty, naughty, naughty…
Not bad…
Definitely not evil…
Just naughty.
Even now my mom always refers to me as her naughty little boy. Somehow I think it’s become more of an “I love you” name rather than an “I’m disappointed” name. My mom wouldn’t want me to be naughty, but she never minded because she knew I was just a boy wanting to do childish things. I guess that made her a little naughty since she never stopped it. Sometimes I think she allowed me to be a little naughty.
And sometimes I think God allows Himself to be a little naughty too.
I know what some of you may be thinking, but don’t go there. No, God is not a little boy placing cherry bombs in the school toilet. No, God is not a boy with a magnifying glass standing over an anthill, having fun and being a little naughty. I live in New Orleans, and I do not consider Hurricane Katrina to be a naughty little deed. No, God does not create evil nor does He have anything to do with it. That’s just dumb! Haven’t you heard that God is love?
My brother and I decided to read through the bible in 90 days which probably won’t happen since I’m a little naughty and never finish what I set out to do. But on our first day of reading I came across the story about the tower of Babel.
In Genesis 11, the author mentions how there was a time when “the whole world had one language and a common speech.” The people were coming together and organizing themselves and began to talk about building a tower. When I was younger my Sunday school teachers told me that they built the tower because they were trying to reach God, but I don’t know if that’s entirely true. Verse 4 says, “Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth’.” Now that doesn’t sound too bad. These people just wanted to get as close to the heavens as they could and they wanted to stay together. How could that be bad?
Why did God need to intervene in this moment?
And why are there so many different languages?
I just returned from a trip to Myanmar (also called Burma) where my brother and I helped this man coach a basketball camp for one week. Fortunately basketball has now become sort of a universal language in which we could use hand signals and different demonstrations to teach them certain skills and drills. But it sure was hard to communicate with them. They spoke Burmese, and it honestly sounds like nothing I’ve ever heard before. It was extremely frustrating when I was trying to teach the finer aspects of the game.
In my opinion, I think God was being a little naughty when he scattered everyone and gave us different languages. I personally think it would be much easier for mankind, especially concerning the spreading of the Good News, if we all spoke the same language.
So God then comes down to the city, sees them building a tower, and decides to do something about it. Verse 6 says, “The Lord said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan will be impossible for them. Come, let us [kinda cool how he includes His entire being in this matter] go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other’.”
Can you imagine God “coming down” to confuse languages? Can you actually fathom that God most Holy and most Awesome and most Powerful and most Sovereign came down merely to confuse us by making us speak in ways we can’t understand one another? Can you imagine when the people began to talk and realized that other people sounded really strange and they couldn’t even understand what other people were saying? Did they remember their original language? Did they begin to make signs to one another as a last great attempt to work together on the tower? I’d imagine that if I was alive during this moment, I’d yell at the top of my lungs with a Chris Farley like desperation, “What is going on here?!!!” But I’d also wonder what language I was yelling. I’d hope my new language would be the one in Africa where they make a bunch of clicking noises.
So there you have it. God was just being naughty.
Come on!! You don’t see it? Being surrounded by the things of God my entire life and growing up in a good Christian home, I have now come to realize that I have to remove my Sunday School tie in order to really think about Scripture.
The people were organizing themselves, trying to reach heaven, and God then says something quite profound. He says, “Then nothing they plan to do will be impossible.”
Am I missing something? Does God not want the best for us? Doesn’t He say that He wants to give us life to the fullest? Does He also say that He has plans to prosper us, not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future?
That’s why I say God is naughty. Two reasons support this. First, God is not evil. Second, God never contradicts himself. Since I fully believe He is neither evil nor contradictory, he has to be naughty. How else can you explain this story about the tower of Babel? And what better word to describe God’s actions at the tower of Babel than “naughty.”
But maybe I’ve been missing something all along.
My two reasons supported my light accusation that God is naughty, but I believe there is a third reason that provides a greater explanation as to why God may be naughty and why God permits language barriers…
and hurricanes…
and tsunamis…
and earthquakes.
God is not evil nor is He contradictory, but more importantly God is not accidental. Behind each moment in life is a divine purpose from the very heart of God.
And that purpose is God.
He is behind everything. What we are doing now at this very moment is a result of God’s very detailed and purposeful story. It’s not a story about me. It’s not a story about you. It’s not even a story about mankind. No, God is creating a story for Himself, for his glory, and for his credit.
The people at the tower of Babel quite possibly were doing a good thing. They were actually unified, which is something we never see, and they were trying to reach the heavens.
But this was not part of God’s story. More importantly, God was not getting any credit. The tower of Babel was about man taking credit for himself, not for God. In modern day terms, it’s like starting a church plant, seeing it grow to thousands of people, and then taking credit for it. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think I’m beginning to see lots of Babel towers around the world. Hmmm…
I do believe with all my heart that God has wonderful plans for us and that He wants to give us full lives, but I believe even more that God should be the one who gives us this. I would love to give myself a full life, and I would love to know that I have created wonderful plans for my life, but I can’t. Only God can do that. Only God can take the credit for such a wonderful thing.
After seeing the Gulf Coast and my beloved city being torn apart by Hurricane Katrina, I began to wonder if God was truly behind every detail of life. I began to wonder if Hurricane Katrina could’ve just slipped by without God noticing. But then I began to think about the tsunami in Asia and the earthquake in Pakistan. If things were slipping by without God noticing, then He sure was missing a lot of things. Hurricane Katrina brought up a question that came from the very depths of my soul,
“Is God really behind every detail of life?”
My heart, my faith, and more importantly the Word of God provided me with that answer. Yes, God has planned and ordained everything. And yes, God purposed Hurricane Katrina. Why? I don’t know. But I’m listening…probably listening now more than ever. I’m beginning to understand even more that everything is planned according to His plans, not mine.
God is naughty, but He’s only naughty from my point of view. From His point of view, I’m willing to bet He’s very meticulous in His planning. I’m willing to bet that He’s planned every event in history very carefully. And I’m willing to bet that He’s carefully planned our lives as well. I’m willing to bet He sees a greater picture in mind that I will never be able to see. Perhaps He doesn’t think He’s naughty by nature at all.
All I’m saying is that God is God, I’m probably the naughty one, and it’s His story. The way I see it, God can do whatever He wants. It’s His story. We play roles in the story. They are very important roles because actors in the end give credit to the playwright just as a book gives credit to its author. We are the words that God continues to use to develop this amazing story about how amazing and wonderful and awesome God really is!
From our perspective, a naughty God permitting evil leads to frustration and pain and grief and anxiety. But from this perceived naughtiness comes a greater good that only God can see. After all, it’s His story.
~written in 2006
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Day 1 Part 2 Vieux Carre Mardi Gras
Even though Joelle did fall immediately on his knees in repentance and receive the free gift of salvation, we did realize that God soon elevated a simple conversation into an opportunity to speak light, love, and truth into someone's life. We could tell beyond a shadow of doubt that Joelle truly was touched by our conversation. Naturally there were glitches and personal preferences intertwined into our discussion, but I believe we came away with a fruitful conversation in which a good seed was planted into good soil.
After Joelle left, Ricky and I found a new strength that only God could provide. We felt so refreshed to know that God brought that conversation to us, and we could be ourselves, and that Jesus was still proclaimed and that we never compromised the message. It's especially tough to do so when everyone in New Orleans wants His love but not his righteousness, his mercy but not his justice.
Shortly thereafter, Ricky and I quickly made our way to Bourbon St. Our goal was to simply pray. We decided we would pray at every intersection. This soon turned out to be a very difficult task. I can remember showing up to the corner of Bourbon and St. Ann, and the Spirit then leading us to talk with the man at the hotdog stand. His name is Dave, he's been in New Orleans for quite a long time, and is so grateful to have the love of his life, Sylvia. He knew we were about to pray for him, because he told us its easy to recognize who's a Christian.
We quickly prayed for him, his boss then showed up to make sure he was doing his work, and that was that.
Ricky and I continued down Bourbon, praying as we went along, speaking love into people's eyes whenever they passed. The closer we got to Canal, the more crowded it became. During this time I became overwhelmed with a severe headache. I told Ricky that we needed to get off Bourbon for a while. As we walked one more block, we soon heard the praises of a small group of believers singing "hallelujah." This thrilled our hearts.
We decided to wait awhile and enjoy the sound of praise. For a while, even I joined in the chorus and praised him with great joy. I think God brought this about to relieve me of my headache...
next blog
After Joelle left, Ricky and I found a new strength that only God could provide. We felt so refreshed to know that God brought that conversation to us, and we could be ourselves, and that Jesus was still proclaimed and that we never compromised the message. It's especially tough to do so when everyone in New Orleans wants His love but not his righteousness, his mercy but not his justice.
Shortly thereafter, Ricky and I quickly made our way to Bourbon St. Our goal was to simply pray. We decided we would pray at every intersection. This soon turned out to be a very difficult task. I can remember showing up to the corner of Bourbon and St. Ann, and the Spirit then leading us to talk with the man at the hotdog stand. His name is Dave, he's been in New Orleans for quite a long time, and is so grateful to have the love of his life, Sylvia. He knew we were about to pray for him, because he told us its easy to recognize who's a Christian.
We quickly prayed for him, his boss then showed up to make sure he was doing his work, and that was that.
Ricky and I continued down Bourbon, praying as we went along, speaking love into people's eyes whenever they passed. The closer we got to Canal, the more crowded it became. During this time I became overwhelmed with a severe headache. I told Ricky that we needed to get off Bourbon for a while. As we walked one more block, we soon heard the praises of a small group of believers singing "hallelujah." This thrilled our hearts.
We decided to wait awhile and enjoy the sound of praise. For a while, even I joined in the chorus and praised him with great joy. I think God brought this about to relieve me of my headache...
next blog
Friday, February 1, 2008
my Vieux Carre Mardi Gras experience
Day 1
My friend Trish dropped me off at the church around 11am. If not for two flat tires, I would've taken my bicycle. Afterall, its only 3 miles from Gentilly to the French Quarter. The church was already busting at the seems with groups from various places coming to Mardi Gras for street evangelism. Pastor Greg and I waited around the church until his wife, Wren, could meet us for lunch. While waiting, David, my closest friend who lives on the street, and I spent our time observing beer trucks drop off beverages at the neighboring Gold Mine Saloon as well as the occasional odd couple who walked down Dauphine Street. Our good friends Cajun and Troy, both street musicians, sat in their van just outside the church doors as they patiently waited for the streets to fill with wandering tourists.
And as we waited for Wren, amidst hunger pains and anxious thoughts, both Pastor Greg and I knew this day would soon collide with the night...for Mardi Gras is upon us.
After subtle salutations and short orientations with the groups at the church, my friend Ricky and I decided to meander at on the streets to see what God had planned for us. I knew I had to send a few emails, so we both decided to walk a ways on Bourbon St., then head towards CC's (Community Coffee) on Royal St.
While on Bourbon, we felt like cowards. Prior to our entry we asked God for courage and boldness to speak. But being so overwhelmed with the chaotic condition we found ourselves in, we soon discovered that even handing out a simple gospel tract became a direct act of God. I told Ricky about my fear of presenting the gospel message, especially when presented like a plan or a formula. Ricky reminded me to let God guide our steps, our words, and our conversations, and He will surely open the door.
And speaking of doors, we came to CC's and for a brief moment thought it was already closed because the door was slightly jammed. It made an obnoxious sound after I forced it open, disturbing the peace in an otherwise peaceful coffee shop. A few seconds later, the man behind me did the exact same thing, and we both began to joke about it while ordering our drinks.
I chose a seat next to the wall, and that same man decided to sit down next to Ricky and me despite the availability of several other tables. Amidst tardy emails and scattered conversations, Ricky and I slowly began to talk with Joelle about life, travel, and as always, the present state of New Orleans. Nearly all New Orleans still talk about the depressing state of the city, and everyone is always providing the two cents worth of wisdom on how to alleviate the situation.
As for Joelle, who currently resides in Germany but is visiting family until mid-February, told us that he wonders if there really is a true solution to the dilemma that is New Orleans. Ricky and I, without hesitation, knew this was an opportunity to share about Jesus, the only true Restorer and Redeemer....
next blog..
My friend Trish dropped me off at the church around 11am. If not for two flat tires, I would've taken my bicycle. Afterall, its only 3 miles from Gentilly to the French Quarter. The church was already busting at the seems with groups from various places coming to Mardi Gras for street evangelism. Pastor Greg and I waited around the church until his wife, Wren, could meet us for lunch. While waiting, David, my closest friend who lives on the street, and I spent our time observing beer trucks drop off beverages at the neighboring Gold Mine Saloon as well as the occasional odd couple who walked down Dauphine Street. Our good friends Cajun and Troy, both street musicians, sat in their van just outside the church doors as they patiently waited for the streets to fill with wandering tourists.
And as we waited for Wren, amidst hunger pains and anxious thoughts, both Pastor Greg and I knew this day would soon collide with the night...for Mardi Gras is upon us.
After subtle salutations and short orientations with the groups at the church, my friend Ricky and I decided to meander at on the streets to see what God had planned for us. I knew I had to send a few emails, so we both decided to walk a ways on Bourbon St., then head towards CC's (Community Coffee) on Royal St.
While on Bourbon, we felt like cowards. Prior to our entry we asked God for courage and boldness to speak. But being so overwhelmed with the chaotic condition we found ourselves in, we soon discovered that even handing out a simple gospel tract became a direct act of God. I told Ricky about my fear of presenting the gospel message, especially when presented like a plan or a formula. Ricky reminded me to let God guide our steps, our words, and our conversations, and He will surely open the door.
And speaking of doors, we came to CC's and for a brief moment thought it was already closed because the door was slightly jammed. It made an obnoxious sound after I forced it open, disturbing the peace in an otherwise peaceful coffee shop. A few seconds later, the man behind me did the exact same thing, and we both began to joke about it while ordering our drinks.
I chose a seat next to the wall, and that same man decided to sit down next to Ricky and me despite the availability of several other tables. Amidst tardy emails and scattered conversations, Ricky and I slowly began to talk with Joelle about life, travel, and as always, the present state of New Orleans. Nearly all New Orleans still talk about the depressing state of the city, and everyone is always providing the two cents worth of wisdom on how to alleviate the situation.
As for Joelle, who currently resides in Germany but is visiting family until mid-February, told us that he wonders if there really is a true solution to the dilemma that is New Orleans. Ricky and I, without hesitation, knew this was an opportunity to share about Jesus, the only true Restorer and Redeemer....
next blog..
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