Category Archives: Christian Life

Be the well-rounded person God gave you the opportunity to be

4 Replies

Just finished my Saturday workout, usually consists of about an hour of weights or an hour plus of bike riding. Usually when it comes up in discussion, the other person will say something like, I wouldn’t do that, sounds like too much work, or I couldn’t bike 3 miles, and it’s not with an attitude of, “Gee maybe I should be in better shape and try to do something”. It’s more of an attitude on their part that they’re proud they don’t “waste” their time, what’s the point. As if they’re somehow smarter by not getting some genuine exercise.
A lot of people will also give me an attitude that if they can’t be a great athlete well what’s the point. I am by no means a “great”, good, even mediocre athlete. Any competitions I enter, I’m usually a “back of the packer”, but by the same token, I am keeping in shape, I am doing things that keep me in better physical condition. The big topics today are obesity, diabetes is an epidemic, stress, lethargy, depression, all things that a decent amount of exercise would greatly help. It’s getting to the point where I can’t go a day without meeting someone who is obviously over weight and tells me they have diabetes. They talk as if they have been somehow victimized and they should be able to do whatever they want with whatever they want. Furthermore, the things that people put in their bodies that are illegal and what do we as a society do? We continue to legalize marijuana. Seriously is there a doubt in anyone’s mind that the widespread use of illegal substances, not to mention a lot of the junk we consume isn’t resulting in damage to ourselves that we are passing on to our children? ADD the all encompassing answer to everyone’s inability to do anything (although just watch how rapt their attention is when they’re playing computer games or watching a movie they like). I’m sure that in a lot of circumstances autism that has also become widespread is a result of a lot of illicit drug use. I’m not trying to be cruel, but those same people who are always so concerned with their secular “truth”, sure find ways to distort the truth of the things they do that are just not responsible ways to act.
Cut to the chase, as we progress there will be more and more demand for medical attention for conditions that we could have controlled by taking just a little responsibility in our lives. Some reasonable exercise would do everyone a great deal of good.
And parents let’s cut the baloney, making sure your kid goes to baseball, soccer, games sorry, those are just not conditioning programs. Those programs are just not designed for children’s physical fitness. There is just way too much adult ego, vicarious living and need to maintain control. There’s just not enough ‘let’s get out there as kids, run until we drop, help each other, learn, on our own, to be part of a team and enjoy what should be the beginning of life long good habits.
Let’s help our kids develop good habits by being good examples and being out there with them doing real exercise. Sorry but a kid playing right field is never going to get their heart rate up to any level for any time that’s going to do him or her the least amount of good.
Don’t count on government or the medical institution to save you, and I think that realization is slowly beginning to dawn on people. But realizing it isn’t going to do you any good when you’re 55 years old, obese, diabetic and have messed up your joints by carrying around far too many pounds for your joints to support. I can certainly see a time coming that because the medical establishment is becoming so ill-equipped to deal with all of this, that they will stop even trying to treat those who have spent their lives chain-swilling twinkies. Or they will turn you away because you abused your body with drugs and now your children have serious problems because of it.
I know, I can hear it “I have the right! It’s my body, to…” yada, yada. Ya, not really. You certainly didn’t “make” your body, and for those who would use this line of discussion they haven’t done anything to make their body better, they’ve just abused it, poor diet, booze, drugs, irresponsible sex, lack of exercise. So you can’t say you’re responsible for caring and nurturing your body. you expect to abuse it and have someone else take care of you. That’s just not realistic. God gave you the capacity to have a remarkable body and life with it, if you abuse what God’s done for you. If you don’t work to make your body stronger and more able, you have abused the gift you’ve been given.
So take some responsibility now, come on down to First St Johns and learn good aerobic and strength building exercises. And while your there you might also avail yourself of the opportunity to strengthen your spiritual life. To become that well-rounded person that God gave you the capacity to be.

Athiest’s world view

4 Replies

J. Warner Wallace is a Christian apologist, his blog site is “Cold Case Christianity” and I am putting this link to his website. This is a really good website about Christian apologetics, I encourage you to check it out. The link is

http://coldcasechristianity.com/2014/the-inevitable-consequence-of-an-atheistic-worldview/

This particular discussion is from an atheist who responded to one of Mr Wallace’s blogs and it really illustrates the world view that says that there is no God, that if we really are sincere in believing that, we are only responsible to ourselves, then this would probably be your world view:

“[To] all my Atheist friends.
Let us stop sugar coating it. I know, it’s hard to come out and be blunt with the friendly Theists who frequent sites like this. However in your efforts to “play nice” and “be civil” you actually do them a great disservice.
We are Atheists. We believe that the Universe is a great uncaused, random accident. All life in the Universe past and future are the results of random chance acting on itself. While we acknowledge concepts like morality, politeness, civility seem to exist, we know they do not. Our highly evolved brains imagine that these things have a cause or a use, and they have in the past, they’ve allowed life to continue on this planet for a short blip of time. But make no mistake: all our dreams, loves, opinions, and desires are figments of our primordial imagination. They are fleeting electrical signals that fire across our synapses for a moment in time. They served some purpose in the past. They got us here. That’s it. All human achievement and plans for the future are the result of some ancient, evolved brain and accompanying chemical reactions that once served a survival purpose. Ex: I’ll marry and nurture children because my genes demand reproduction, I’ll create because creativity served a survival advantage to my ancient ape ancestors, I’ll build cities and laws because this allowed my ape grandfather time and peace to reproduce and protect his genes. My only directive is to obey my genes. Eat, sleep, reproduce, die. That is our bible.
We deride the Theists for having created myths and holy books. We imagine ourselves superior. But we too imagine there are reasons to obey laws, be polite, protect the weak etc. Rubbish. We are nurturing a new religion, one where we imagine that such conventions have any basis in reality. Have they allowed life to exist? Absolutely. But who cares? Outside of my greedy little gene’s need to reproduce, there is nothing in my world that stops me from killing you and reproducing with your wife. Only the fear that I might be incarcerated and thus be deprived of the opportunity to do the same with the next guy’s wife stops me. Some of my Atheist friends have fooled themselves into acting like the general population. They live in suburban homes, drive Toyota Camrys, attend school plays. But underneath they know the truth. They are a bag of DNA whose only purpose is to make more of themselves. So be nice if you want. Be involved, have polite conversations, be a model citizen. Just be aware that while technically an Atheist, you are an inferior one. You’re just a little bit less evolved, that’s all. When you are ready to join me, let me know, I’ll be reproducing with your wife.
I know it’s not PC to speak so bluntly about the ramifications of our beliefs, but in our discussions with Theists we sometimes tip toe around what we really know to be factual. Maybe it’s time we Atheists were a little more truthful and let the chips fall where they may. At least that’s what my genes are telling me to say.”
– See more at: http://coldcasechristianity.com/2014/the-inevitable-consequence-of-an-atheistic-worldview/#sthash.kuGEkvUb.dpuf

Come on let’s be honest, if we look at the world today and yes that includes way too many Christians, this is the outlook of those in the world today. It’s all about me, it’s all about my desires, there is nothing else, everything’s an accident, we are just DNA, strictly driven by our chemical composition. He refers to others who are “fooling” themselves by living the suburban life, but hey, what he’s described is pretty much suburban life. They may not call themselves “atheists”, but as is always the case, what you say is muted, or at least hard to hear over your life and your actions. Regardless of where you, the actions are of what this writer describes, that there is no God, there is no one that we are responsible to except our own chemicals and genes, the only thing that keeps us from devolving into anarchy are laws and societal mores/sanctions, that’s pretty much the outlook of the majority of people in the world today.

Why is there such hopelessness, such loss, such anger, antagonism in the world? Because of this worldview. We do not take our relationship with Jesus seriously, we let the rest of the world decide that it’s not important. We, as Christians, don’t care that we have the truth and we could be helping a lot of people with the truth and we simply watch the continued damage. Why? Well it’s wrong to impose my views. Really? We see the damage, the lack of hope, of promise, of turning to God and His Word, His guidance and what it could do in the world and say: “I just don’t want to impose my views.”? If God put you here to be part of the rescue effort and you’re not serving in your part, is that responsible? As the pastor of a downtown church I see so many who just live hand to mouth, they are the extreme example of what this writer has described. They have lived according to their own desires, they have been dumped into the street because their passions have been their master and they have no hope, no promise and they expect me and the government to simply hand them things and let them sink deeper into the muck of a lost, hopeless world. Really where do you think this writer’s attitude will get him? Detached from the world, from family, from society, from the world and even though it may seem he’s got it altogether, the end is not going to be good. I’ve been peripherally involved in two suicides in the last three months. Two people who gave up, who simply did not trust what God was doing and decided they didn’t want to cope. They fatally damaged themselves, they caused those around them profound grief, feelings of failure and yes even feeling more estranged from God i.e. “God, how could you let this happen.” The damage is intense and widespread, the collateral damage is extensive and probably cannot be imagined. I know the response is going to be… Just because of the worldview this one writer articulate? Yes! How can the outcome be any different, even to the extreme of suicide. How can someone have a world view like this and not be completely hopeless and feeling lost, out of control and without any sense that we are in a universe that is completely without redemption or promise.

I just included the raw reply the writer sent to Mr Wallace. You will find the Mr Wallace’s comments very interesting. Please feel free to weigh in and let’s discuss.

Please really consider the discussion and the only logical outcome of the two worldviews. I get the sense from people that they resist because “you’re just trying to impose your worldview, trying to recruit me, trying to deprive me, trying to be smarter than me”. Yes that is where Christian humility comes in and in my position as a pastor I guess that the perception could be “come be a customer of mine”. I genuinely do want what is best for people, the only best is in Christ, plain and simple. If they need to be part of a different style of worship and they genuinely feel led and connected by the Holy Spirit, well via con dios. I see so much hopelessness, so much loss, so much anger and floundering all around me and I can look anyone in the eye and say I sincerely want them to know freedom, peace, hope in Christ. My selfish reason? Because I do want the world to be a place that is more compassionate and loving, where we can become more, instead of just spiraling down. The only way that’s going to happen is through Jesus, to know salvation and lordship through Him. There is just no other alternative and when people come to realize that, well maybe for another selfish purpose, I won’t have to deal with another suicide, or someone else coming to me expecting me to hand them something, we will want what’s truly best for each other.

“[To] all my Atheist friends. 

Let us stop sugar coating it. I know, it’s hard to come out and be blunt with the friendly Theists who frequent sites like this.  However in your efforts to “play nice” and “be civil” you actually do them a great disservice.  

We are Atheists.  We believe that the Universe is a great uncaused, random accident. All life in the Universe past and future are the results of random chance acting on itself.  While we acknowledge concepts like morality, politeness, civility seem to exist, we know they do not.  Our highly evolved brains imagine that these things have a cause or a use, and they have in the past, they’ve allowed life to continue on this planet for a short blip of time.  But make no mistake: all our dreams, loves, opinions, and desires are figments of our primordial imagination. They are fleeting electrical signals that fire across our synapses for a moment in time. They served some purpose in the past.  They got us here. That’s it.  All human achievement and plans for the future are the result of some ancient, evolved brain and accompanying chemical reactions that once served a survival purpose.  Ex: I’ll marry and nurture children because my genes demand reproduction, I’ll create because creativity served a survival advantage to my ancient ape ancestors, I’ll build cities and laws because this allowed my ape grandfather time and peace to reproduce and protect his genes. My only directive is to obey my genes. Eat, sleep, reproduce, die.  That is our bible.

We deride the Theists for having created myths and holy books.  We imagine ourselves superior.  But we too imagine there are reasons to obey laws, be polite, protect the weak etc.  Rubbish. We are nurturing a new religion, one where we imagine that such conventions have any basis in reality.  Have they allowed life to exist?  Absolutely.  But who cares?  Outside of my greedy little gene’s need to reproduce, there is nothing in my world that stops me from killing you and reproducing with your wife.  Only the fear that I might be incarcerated and thus be deprived of the opportunity to do the same with the next guy’s wife stops me.  Some of my Atheist friends have fooled themselves into acting like the general population.  They live in suburban homes, drive Toyota Camrys, attend school plays.  But underneath they know the truth.  They are a bag of DNA whose only purpose is to make more of themselves. So be nice if you want. Be involved, have polite conversations, be a model citizen.  Just be aware that while technically an Atheist, you are an inferior one.  You’re just a little bit less evolved, that’s all.  When you are ready to join me, let me know, I’ll be reproducing with your wife.

I know it’s not PC to speak so bluntly about the ramifications of our beliefs, but in our discussions with Theists we sometimes tip toe around what we really know to be factual. Maybe it’s time we Atheists were a little more truthful and let the chips fall where they may.  At least that’s what my genes are telling me to say.”

– See more at: http://coldcasechristianity.com/2014/the-inevitable-consequence-of-an-atheistic-worldview/#sthash.kuGEkvUb.dpuf

“[To] all my Atheist friends. 

Let us stop sugar coating it. I know, it’s hard to come out and be blunt with the friendly Theists who frequent sites like this.  However in your efforts to “play nice” and “be civil” you actually do them a great disservice.  

We are Atheists.  We believe that the Universe is a great uncaused, random accident. All life in the Universe past and future are the results of random chance acting on itself.  While we acknowledge concepts like morality, politeness, civility seem to exist, we know they do not.  Our highly evolved brains imagine that these things have a cause or a use, and they have in the past, they’ve allowed life to continue on this planet for a short blip of time.  But make no mistake: all our dreams, loves, opinions, and desires are figments of our primordial imagination. They are fleeting electrical signals that fire across our synapses for a moment in time. They served some purpose in the past.  They got us here. That’s it.  All human achievement and plans for the future are the result of some ancient, evolved brain and accompanying chemical reactions that once served a survival purpose.  Ex: I’ll marry and nurture children because my genes demand reproduction, I’ll create because creativity served a survival advantage to my ancient ape ancestors, I’ll build cities and laws because this allowed my ape grandfather time and peace to reproduce and protect his genes. My only directive is to obey my genes. Eat, sleep, reproduce, die.  That is our bible.

We deride the Theists for having created myths and holy books.  We imagine ourselves superior.  But we too imagine there are reasons to obey laws, be polite, protect the weak etc.  Rubbish. We are nurturing a new religion, one where we imagine that such conventions have any basis in reality.  Have they allowed life to exist?  Absolutely.  But who cares?  Outside of my greedy little gene’s need to reproduce, there is nothing in my world that stops me from killing you and reproducing with your wife.  Only the fear that I might be incarcerated and thus be deprived of the opportunity to do the same with the next guy’s wife stops me.  Some of my Atheist friends have fooled themselves into acting like the general population.  They live in suburban homes, drive Toyota Camrys, attend school plays.  But underneath they know the truth.  They are a bag of DNA whose only purpose is to make more of themselves. So be nice if you want. Be involved, have polite conversations, be a model citizen.  Just be aware that while technically an Atheist, you are an inferior one.  You’re just a little bit less evolved, that’s all.  When you are ready to join me, let me know, I’ll be reproducing with your wife.

I know it’s not PC to speak so bluntly about the ramifications of our beliefs, but in our discussions with Theists we sometimes tip toe around what we really know to be factual. Maybe it’s time we Atheists were a little more truthful and let the chips fall where they may.  At least that’s what my genes are telling me to say.”

– See more at: http://coldcasechristianity.com/2014/the-inevitable-consequence-of-an-atheistic-worldview/#sthash.kuGEkvUb.dpuf

“[To] all my Atheist friends. 

Let us stop sugar coating it. I know, it’s hard to come out and be blunt with the friendly Theists who frequent sites like this.  However in your efforts to “play nice” and “be civil” you actually do them a great disservice.  

We are Atheists.  We believe that the Universe is a great uncaused, random accident. All life in the Universe past and future are the results of random chance acting on itself.  While we acknowledge concepts like morality, politeness, civility seem to exist, we know they do not.  Our highly evolved brains imagine that these things have a cause or a use, and they have in the past, they’ve allowed life to continue on this planet for a short blip of time.  But make no mistake: all our dreams, loves, opinions, and desires are figments of our primordial imagination. They are fleeting electrical signals that fire across our synapses for a moment in time. They served some purpose in the past.  They got us here. That’s it.  All human achievement and plans for the future are the result of some ancient, evolved brain and accompanying chemical reactions that once served a survival purpose.  Ex: I’ll marry and nurture children because my genes demand reproduction, I’ll create because creativity served a survival advantage to my ancient ape ancestors, I’ll build cities and laws because this allowed my ape grandfather time and peace to reproduce and protect his genes. My only directive is to obey my genes. Eat, sleep, reproduce, die.  That is our bible.

We deride the Theists for having created myths and holy books.  We imagine ourselves superior.  But we too imagine there are reasons to obey laws, be polite, protect the weak etc.  Rubbish. We are nurturing a new religion, one where we imagine that such conventions have any basis in reality.  Have they allowed life to exist?  Absolutely.  But who cares?  Outside of my greedy little gene’s need to reproduce, there is nothing in my world that stops me from killing you and reproducing with your wife.  Only the fear that I might be incarcerated and thus be deprived of the opportunity to do the same with the next guy’s wife stops me.  Some of my Atheist friends have fooled themselves into acting like the general population.  They live in suburban homes, drive Toyota Camrys, attend school plays.  But underneath they know the truth.  They are a bag of DNA whose only purpose is to make more of themselves. So be nice if you want. Be involved, have polite conversations, be a model citizen.  Just be aware that while technically an Atheist, you are an inferior one.  You’re just a little bit less evolved, that’s all.  When you are ready to join me, let me know, I’ll be reproducing with your wife.

I know it’s not PC to speak so bluntly about the ramifications of our beliefs, but in our discussions with Theists we sometimes tip toe around what we really know to be factual. Maybe it’s time we Atheists were a little more truthful and let the chips fall where they may.  At least that’s what my genes are telling me to say.”

– See more at: http://coldcasechristianity.com/2014/the-inevitable-consequence-of-an-atheistic-worldview/#sthash.kuGEkvUb.dpuf

“[To] all my Atheist friends. 

Let us stop sugar coating it. I know, it’s hard to come out and be blunt with the friendly Theists who frequent sites like this.  However in your efforts to “play nice” and “be civil” you actually do them a great disservice.  

We are Atheists.  We believe that the Universe is a great uncaused, random accident. All life in the Universe past and future are the results of random chance acting on itself.  While we acknowledge concepts like morality, politeness, civility seem to exist, we know they do not.  Our highly evolved brains imagine that these things have a cause or a use, and they have in the past, they’ve allowed life to continue on this planet for a short blip of time.  But make no mistake: all our dreams, loves, opinions, and desires are figments of our primordial imagination. They are fleeting electrical signals that fire across our synapses for a moment in time. They served some purpose in the past.  They got us here. That’s it.  All human achievement and plans for the future are the result of some ancient, evolved brain and accompanying chemical reactions that once served a survival purpose.  Ex: I’ll marry and nurture children because my genes demand reproduction, I’ll create because creativity served a survival advantage to my ancient ape ancestors, I’ll build cities and laws because this allowed my ape grandfather time and peace to reproduce and protect his genes. My only directive is to obey my genes. Eat, sleep, reproduce, die.  That is our bible.

We deride the Theists for having created myths and holy books.  We imagine ourselves superior.  But we too imagine there are reasons to obey laws, be polite, protect the weak etc.  Rubbish. We are nurturing a new religion, one where we imagine that such conventions have any basis in reality.  Have they allowed life to exist?  Absolutely.  But who cares?  Outside of my greedy little gene’s need to reproduce, there is nothing in my world that stops me from killing you and reproducing with your wife.  Only the fear that I might be incarcerated and thus be deprived of the opportunity to do the same with the next guy’s wife stops me.  Some of my Atheist friends have fooled themselves into acting like the general population.  They live in suburban homes, drive Toyota Camrys, attend school plays.  But underneath they know the truth.  They are a bag of DNA whose only purpose is to make more of themselves. So be nice if you want. Be involved, have polite conversations, be a model citizen.  Just be aware that while technically an Atheist, you are an inferior one.  You’re just a little bit less evolved, that’s all.  When you are ready to join me, let me know, I’ll be reproducing with your wife.

I know it’s not PC to speak so bluntly about the ramifications of our beliefs, but in our discussions with Theists we sometimes tip toe around what we really know to be factual. Maybe it’s time we Atheists were a little more truthful and let the chips fall where they may.  At least that’s what my genes are telling me to say.”

– See more at: http://coldcasechristianity.com/2014/the-inevitable-consequence-of-an-atheistic-worldview/#sthash.kuGEkvUb.dpuf

“[To] all my Atheist friends. 

Let us stop sugar coating it. I know, it’s hard to come out and be blunt with the friendly Theists who frequent sites like this.  However in your efforts to “play nice” and “be civil” you actually do them a great disservice.  

We are Atheists.  We believe that the Universe is a great uncaused, random accident. All life in the Universe past and future are the results of random chance acting on itself.  While we acknowledge concepts like morality, politeness, civility seem to exist, we know they do not.  Our highly evolved brains imagine that these things have a cause or a use, and they have in the past, they’ve allowed life to continue on this planet for a short blip of time.  But make no mistake: all our dreams, loves, opinions, and desires are figments of our primordial imagination. They are fleeting electrical signals that fire across our synapses for a moment in time. They served some purpose in the past.  They got us here. That’s it.  All human achievement and plans for the future are the result of some ancient, evolved brain and accompanying chemical reactions that once served a survival purpose.  Ex: I’ll marry and nurture children because my genes demand reproduction, I’ll create because creativity served a survival advantage to my ancient ape ancestors, I’ll build cities and laws because this allowed my ape grandfather time and peace to reproduce and protect his genes. My only directive is to obey my genes. Eat, sleep, reproduce, die.  That is our bible.

We deride the Theists for having created myths and holy books.  We imagine ourselves superior.  But we too imagine there are reasons to obey laws, be polite, protect the weak etc.  Rubbish. We are nurturing a new religion, one where we imagine that such conventions have any basis in reality.  Have they allowed life to exist?  Absolutely.  But who cares?  Outside of my greedy little gene’s need to reproduce, there is nothing in my world that stops me from killing you and reproducing with your wife.  Only the fear that I might be incarcerated and thus be deprived of the opportunity to do the same with the next guy’s wife stops me.  Some of my Atheist friends have fooled themselves into acting like the general population.  They live in suburban homes, drive Toyota Camrys, attend school plays.  But underneath they know the truth.  They are a bag of DNA whose only purpose is to make more of themselves. So be nice if you want. Be involved, have polite conversations, be a model citizen.  Just be aware that while technically an Atheist, you are an inferior one.  You’re just a little bit less evolved, that’s all.  When you are ready to join me, let me know, I’ll be reproducing with your wife.

I know it’s not PC to speak so bluntly about the ramifications of our beliefs, but in our discussions with Theists we sometimes tip toe around what we really know to be factual. Maybe it’s time we Atheists were a little more truthful and let the chips fall where they may.  At least that’s what my genes are telling me to say.”

– See more at: http://coldcasechristianity.com/2014/the-inevitable-consequence-of-an-atheistic-worldview/#sthash.kuGEkvUb.dpuf

Like it or not, God put me here to be a spiritual father.

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I’ve been struggling with the issue that Kevin Miller raises in a Leadership Journal article (From Relevant Dude to Spiritual Father Summer 2011 pp 45 – 49) whether I am supposed to be somehow “secularly relevant”, your buddy, someone who is cool. Or, am I supposed to be the seel sorger the “soul healer” or “soul doctor”. It doesn’t mean I have to be stuffy or have to put on some kind of superior airs. But to be sure, to be solidly in Christ and not driven by the current fads or worried about my popularity. It’s an issue that I’ve had with a lot of what the church has been in the past few decades, at least dating back to the 1960’s. That somehow I’m supposed to be everyone’s pal, just the cool pastor guy.

First, I have had a lot of experience in the secular in my past life and I am doing things now, such as “Christian in the Workplace”, our employment support group, our pro-life efforts, helping to organize a community radio station here at the church and other areas where I am doing things that are very relevant, as it were, to the individual’s life in the world. I’ve done the politics thing and the government thing, and that’s fine. Martin Luther’s church isn’t opposed to or ignorant of the secular. Luther was very straight forward in terms of his teaching about the two kingdoms. There is the kingdom of the left (the secular, government, commerce, etc) and the kingdom of the right (the church). Luther talked a lot about vocation and how we relate to our neighbor whether he/she is Christian or otherwise. In respect to those teachings, I am responsible for the furtherance of the church in the world. It seems that I am expected to be somehow cool, to somehow be a bud, sometimes even an enabler. Does God love you? Yes? “For God so loved the world, that He sent His only begotten Son.” Somehow though, many see that as the promise of the “Great Enabler”. “God wants me to be happy.” “God wouldn’t want me to “suffer”” (that is without alcohol, or drugs, or sex or fill in what you want). That one’s bizarre, I want to ask them “you have no idea what suffering is do you?” Many attribute this to a growing disrespect of authority. Perhaps, but it seems more like a selective attitude towards authority. It’s not about what is truly good and edifying for me, it’s all about tell me what I want to hear. Is it better to be popular or is it better to be faithful? Am I a minister of the people, or of God (Richard Foster’s question).

I’m not here to enable, to let you have guilt free indulgence. I’m here for you to grow in your relationship with Jesus, to become spiritually mature, and in doing this, to help you to serve others, to become a meaningful member of the Body of Christ. Where you are helping others to grow and mature in Christ, not to constantly take and require attention, but to contribute and serve others who are in legitimate need, to help others know true life and salvation in Jesus. But today it’s all about me, what’s in it for me. Rector Miller relates the following: “Chris, a young guy in my church …explained to me: ‘The highly relevant pastor is bro’. There’s certainly a place for pastors to be in tune with culture and to be relatable. But where do i find a man of God who will nurture my spiritual life? That’s what I need. Relevance is easy to find. But when I stumble in that same old sin that I keep slipping in, I need someone with wisdom and maturity to go to. It’s fine if that person also happens to know about some great new indie bands, but in those moments, I need something else. I need depth.'” Yea, sounds like he’s on his way. But too many aren’t and frankly just don’t care.

Miller also observes: “…though people resent church discipline and push back against it, usually deep down they know they need it. And even if they don’t like it (or me), to be a spiritual father means I must take the risk and plunge into bringing guidance and living discipline to my spiritual children…When people sense that your correction comes because you know them and you love them, the majority of people accept discipline and grow through it.

Sometimes I shake my head and wonder, Why do they stay? My theory: They’ve never known a world without internet porn and access to strong, compulsive powers. Deep down, they are saying, ‘Protect me from the forces in my life that are raging out of control and threaten to consume me.’ Discipline, caringly administered, makes them feel loved and secure.”

That has to be the focus, dealing with the forces of evil that are pressing in around us. It’s not just the obvious sources, but there are things that seem so benign and we get taken in and trapped. We all need help with that. I’ve had spiritual mentoring from the start and it is important to be dedicated and consistent. It takes a long time, it takes patience, it’s understanding that it’s about you digging deep and being guided to the things that are in you. You don’t sit and take notes, you get into deep discussion, helped along and making the decisions that truly bring you into that relationship with the Father and with your pastor and with your brothers and sisters in Jesus.

So this is what Rector Miller suggested and what I will be working on. (I will need someone to work with me, you are most welcome to take me up on this). “…’Transformation Conversations’, extended times of listening to another man helping him form a spiritual-growth plan for the coming year… It generally takes two 90-minute conversations before I feel I know the shape of someone’s soul well enough to offer a few ‘pastoral invitations.'”

“At times I look at how much time these conversations take, and I think, This is painfully slow and inefficient. The raw truth is that spiritual fathering is something you can’t accelerate, microwave, chart, whiteboard, measure or scale.

But there is no substitute for being known by another. This is parenting, meaningful spiritual intimacy. People say these conversations are changing them, but even if they weren’t, I know they are changing me: as I listen deeply to someone , I care more deeply for him and I can’t help but pray for him.”(p 47) Growth in anything is very uneven, very time consuming and also very emotionally draining. But as in anything, it’s worth it and when it’s worth it there is a price.

We all have things to deal with, that we struggle with. We have a pastor who is there to serve, by truly helping you in your relationship with God. As I’ve written before, the church is a unique place, there’s a pastor there who in an emergency can be there pretty much 24/7, but is available to meet with on a regular basis. Hmmm, tell me another place where you can call someone and they will take time to talk to you and setup a time to meet in person. Who knows you, who’s been there to provide guidance, maybe married you or even baptized you? Who wants to spiritually guide you and raise you up to be a leader in your home, in your church and in your community? To be spiritually grounded and to grow into a person that others will look to for discipling.

 

Why I do it

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Thank you for reading and staying with me. It would be nice to hear from folks, if I’m accomplishing anything or rambling into cyber space.

I thought that I would buttress my fulminations (did ya like that?), with some of my pertinent background. I was raised in Brockton, Ma. That was where Rocky Marciano lived and Marvin Hagler, who is just a little older than me. It was not a gentle place to grow up, an old blue collar mill city, where every guy in junior high thought he was Rocky (the real Rocky). The only sports I was barely decent at were football and swimming.

While it just sort of happened, I was accepted into the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve in a program that required that I had to already be accepted into a college program. Nothing fancy, but a very good State College (hey I’m pretty much middle everything). While at Bridgewater State College, I met my wife Margie and we have been married 35 years in June of this year, we have three children who are grown, Erica, James, Timothy and we have three grand children.

There is no doubt in my mind that God takes a hand in each life, especially if we just go with it and don’t try to force our own agenda. I was not raised a Christian and hadn’t been a Christian, that really doesn’t matter to God. He is God of all creation, and we are His creation, He is still in control and when I look back in my life He was certainly guiding my life, as He does every life. Quite often though, we mess ourselves up through sin, through our own agenda, our own weaknesses which we allow to separate us from God.

Along with three other guys straight from bootcamp we reported to Group Boston, they had orders to further report to Point Allerton Station, one of the most historic boat stations in the Coast Guard. I had orders to work in an office at Group. They already put  me to work at Group, but I could hear the conversation with the CO at Pt Allerton, who asked (well when it’s a Warrant Officer 4, it’s not a question, it’s a direction), is there anyone else? Yes… Send him. So I was saved from a career of filling out forms, filing, typing, to doing Search and Rescue, Law Enforcement, port security, environmental, etc. Had a lot of adventures, made life-long friends and a lot of life-long lessons. The Coast Guard Reserve is not like other military reserves. We are assigned to a station and we are expected to have the same or better qualifications as the equivalent active duty people assigned to the station. So when we were there we were expected to perform the same jobs; search and rescue, law enforcement, port security, aids to navigation, environmental, etc. It was through a pretty serious situation on a case that made me do one of those there are no atheists in foxholes. The next Sunday my wife and two children, rather confused, were going with me into a Methodist Church. Neither one of us really knew where to go, we went there because my younger brother was part of the youth group there. From there God continued to set the course of my life. In the Coast Guard I was awarded a Navy Achievement Medal, Presidential Unit Commendation, Secretary of Transportation Unit Commendation, Unit Commendation, 2-Meritorious Unit Commendations, Bi-Centennial Unit Commendation 6- Team Ribbons, Special Operations Ribbon, Humanitarian Service Award, 2- Armed Forces Reserve Medals, War on Terror Service Medal, six -Meritorious Service Commendations and Joshua James Operational Achievement Award,

Did two years of college majoring in Political Science, got married, and like most people who go to college for one thing, they end up working in finance, and I got an opportunity to work for Chase Manhattan, financing computer systems. Spent three years at Chase, moved on to Motorola, went to Fleet National Bank in Providence R.I. for two years, then back to Motorola total of six years, one year with the Massachusetts State Treasurer, then Entex Information Systems for four years, then Robert Half International for three years. While at Robert Half, 9/11 happened and I became an active duty member of the Coast Guard. At the time I was with Naval Coastal Warfare which is a deployable unit to provide force protection for foreign or U.S. ports. We were able to transport all our gear, set up in ports and live in tents etc. Just before 9/11 I did a 4 week deployment to do seaward security on Vieques which is an island off of Puerto Rico, the year before did security for Tall Ships in Puerto Rico for four weeks. Our first deployment after activation was to Taragona, Spain, doing force protection for a NATO exercise in Spain. This unit was demobilized, but I was put back on active duty to be part of a mobile security unit (Small Boat Tactical Team) in New England to do security at various locations in District One. After this I went back to Pt Allerton Station for two years, did a month of port security down in Staten Island, NY. Did a lot of search and rescue at Pt Allerton and some Law Enforcement, had some great adventures, which I will happily share on demand.

I was a candidate for various local  offices in my (basically) hometown, I served four years as the Chairman of the Republican City Committee and served with other civic organizations. During this time, Margie and I were the State Coordinators for the National Day of Prayer in Massachusetts I had the great honor to organize a state committee that consisted of Ambassador Raymond Flynn, former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican and Prof Elie Wiesel of Boston University, Holocaust survivor and Pulitzer Prize winning author, among other prominent church and state leaders, While state coordinators we had the opportunity to organize programs at the Massachusetts State House as well as to work with local coordinators across the state. One of the most active members of the state committee was a lady named Margaret Schatkin a professor at Boston College and a member of the Lutheran Church. One thing led to another, Professor Schatkin had me meeting with a few different Lutheran leaders up to the District President and just before I finished active duty learned that I had been accepted to Concordia Seminary in St Louis.

Academically I finished my Bachelors Degree at Lesley College, in Cambridge, Ma. BS in Business Management. After I did four years of active duty in the War on Terror, we moved from Brockton, which we both lived most  of our lives and raised our children there and moved to St Louis.  In 2010 I finished four years of seminary and received a Masters of Divinity Degree. Margie and I were put through a weekend vetting and designated as “church planters”. Our first call, though, was to a grand old church in York, Pa. and we were charged with putting our church planting skills into a “Renewal” project at First Saint John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. This is a grand old church, with a great group of Christian brothers and sisters, who truly want to reach out in the world to lead others to Jesus. I have served as pastor since 2010 and have seen God do some great things, there is still a long way to go and we welcome all to worship and to become members of the Lutheran Church and First St. Johns.

Hi I’m Jim and I’m a sinner II

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[Continuing Gordon MacDonald’s article in Leadership Mag Winter 2014 pp 29-32]
…”‘I woke up at four this morning and couldn’t wait until it was time to get here. I need you people so much. I’m a much stronger person after the meeting is over. I can go without a drink for another 24 hours.’ I imagined church people saying this about Sunday worship.” Yea, amen brother Gordon! So the issue is how to get people stoked to want to be at worship all the time. I do a Matins worship on Thursday 9am, if I had the interest [because so far attendance is, me], I’d do it every day, I’d love to start every day at Matins. No one in the church has ever given it an honest chance [I do it on Sundays at 8:30 too]. I like to get there and worship like that every morning. How do you translate that to people so they “couldn’t wait until it was time to get here”?
“In all the months I attended AA. I never learned a last name, or what anyone did for a living, or even what anyone’s socio-economic position was. These things made no difference. The primary issue was recovery, nothing else.”
Yea, Hi I’m Jim and I’m a sinner. That’s all that matters. Clearly that is not the understanding of most people in the church, they want to be part of the museum of saints. Unfortunately, in reality, the church is a hospital for sinners. Until such time as you treat it as such, you will never be healed, you will never know new life, you will be stuck where you are at, a museum display.
“‘You don’t get it,’ he responded. ‘In an AA meeting, there are no homeless men and there are no prostitutes. We’re just a bunch of drunks helping each other stay sober for one more day. Where we sleep or how we make our living has little to do with our addictions.'”
Again, what would it be like if we worshiped together and were never the least bit concerned if we were worshiping with a gay prostitute, or the most successful, handsome man or woman you can imagine. You’re not there to sweat the other person, you’re there to worship God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You are also there to support and be supported by those who are brothers and sisters. Yea, maybe you’d never have anything to do with that person on the street, but in that church, before the altar of Christ you are brothers and sisters in Jesus and I mean that in the best sense.
“Alcoholism is as illustrative of what the Bible calls sin as anything I know. It is a spiritual disease that warps the brain, destroys common sense, generates selfishness and twists the truth. A classic alcoholic is a habitual liar, sure he’s never wrong, convinced that everyone else is to blame for his problems.”
I’m not going to say that most people are these extremes, but like Jesus did, sometimes using hyperbole makes us think a little. We all have our sin problems, church is to help us to grow in holiness and away from our sin problems, but they will always be there. Do yourself a huge favor, acknowledge it in yourself and give yourself a break and even more so acknowledge it in everyone else with you in worship and give them an even bigger break.
“Transparency. The alcoholic’s price of admission to an AA meeting is acknowledged brokenness.” That’s the way we should all go to worship, and as I said cut ourselves and each other some slack. And please, give me a break, I’m not looking to have a whole group of contrite sinners in front of me while I show everyone how holy I am. If you think I’m getting a little too full of myself and holier than thou, then you just trot up to me and let me know. Better know what you’re talking about, but I’m as accountable (probably more so in reality) to the congregation as the congregation is to me. When either one of us loses sight of that, then we are just playing church and going through the motions, we no longer know true worship or being in Christ.
“Acceptance” You have to accept others, even the unlovely and they have to accept you. Our Savior embraced lepers, sorry, but you don’t know anyone even close to leprosy, there isn’t anyone you can’t at least shake hands with.
MacDonald described a woman really up against it, just completely unlovely and without hope. “[Marilyn] sober for more than a dozen years. She reached with both arms toward Kathy and pulled her close …’Honey, you’re gong to be OK. You’re with us now. We can deal with this together. All you have to do is keep coming. Hear me? Keep coming.'”
I’ve said that to people in as many words, but under much less dramatic conditions.
If we had that heart of Christ and hey, I’m as lacking as anyone. We all have to be more empathetic and accepting, let’s help each other do that.
Having said all that, I do have one criticism of AA/NA. Yea, it’s worked, and I understand the rationale with the “higher power”. But hey guys maybe it’s time to get real, get off your high horse (cause I have gotten that kind of attitude from people in AA, when I was talking to someone who really wanted to know about Christ). I have to wonder, how many people got left behind because the focus wasn’t on the one true higher power, Jesus Christ? No more then in the rest of the world, AA is not a place to get all up in how you can change, and should be all about how God the Father, brings new life, how God the Son died so you could be saved from your old life and God the Holy Spirit works that transformation in you. Anything else? Sorry! Just doesn’t work. Having said that, there is a lot in AA that we in the church could learn from. I really do like being with my brothers and sisters in Christ, I like being their pastor and I hope they like being a part of the congregation I have been led by God to pastor. So let’s show that compassion, empathy and willingness to help and sacrifice for those around us.