Archive for September, 2004

My Top Ten Movies

Published
by
Mike
on September 29, 2004
in family and movies
. 42 Comments

Today I’m leaving for the Zoe conference in Nashville. Working with this team is one of my favorite things to do. Today as Chris left for school (not my carpool day), my last words were, “I’ll miss you, bud.” His last words were, “Do I have lipstick on my neck?” His mother doesn’t get it!! She could ruin his whole middle school career with lipstick on the side of the neck. I reassured him that he was clean, he hugged me, and scampered off.

Don’t know if I’ll have the opportunity to blog the next few days. Most of the time I no longer carry my laptop with me. But maybe I can sneak into the Zoe/Wineskins office.

So I’ll leave you with something to chew on a bit. Here are my Top 10 movies. Please note this admission: my list is pretty light on classics. No “Casablanca”; no “Citizen Kane”; no “African Queen.” Just trying to be honest here. I’m not a critic. Just like to go with my wife to a movie.

So, here we go . . .

10. “The Emperor’s New Groove.” Actually, some of these are “representative selections.” This one represents all the wonderful movies I’ve watched with my boys when they were young: “Shrek,” “Finding Nemo,” “Ice Age,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Antz,” “But’s Life,” “Lion King,” etc. As the Emperor (David Slade) would say, “Bring it on!”

9. “Peter Pan.” This one is here to remember all the wonderful old Disney animations that Megan and I watched. To be honest, she mostly liked the Disney Sing-a-longs. And the great thing was, she didn’t (in her 10 years) grow out of them! Every niece and nephew has had to endure Uncle Mike singing, “Never smile at a crocodile.”

8. “Chariots of Fire.” Again, a representative movie. I work under the assumption that a bad sports movie is better than a good love story. Catch me on another day, and I might plug in “Hoosiers” or “Remember the Titans” or “Field of Dreams” or “The Natural.” But besides a cool theme song, “Chariots” inspires me to listen first to God.

7. “Rain Man.” Maybe you have to be the parent of a “special child” to get it.

6. “The Apostle.” Of course there had to be a movie about a preacher in here. But this one is better every time I see it. The scenes of sorrow, of remorse, of bold faith. Duvall launching his new church with the words of Psalm 150. Then bringing an opponent (Billy Bob Thornton) to his knees in repentance by refusing to back down. God accomplishes his work despite the disappointing inconsistencies of his servants.

5. “City Slickers.” A short, dark-haired-and-balding, middle-aged guy who is obsessed with death. Hmmm . . . why could this one be on my list? Go ahead, call me shallow. I like the movie!

4. “Fellowship of the Rings.” This, of course, is also representative of the whole trilogy. We’ve watched the first two extended versions to get ready to watch the third film. But we haven’t yet had the opportunity to watch all three extended versions in one day. That moment will come, though. We won’t know what to do this holiday season without a new installment of LOTR coming out.

3. “Godfather 2.”

2. “Godfather 1.” I don’t even know where to begin.

1. “Princess Bride.” It’s all about wuv, baby. Wuv, twu wuv. See, I did have a love story in the list.

What do you think? What did I leave off? Anyone else have a list?

Trained to Be a Professional

Published
by
Mike
on September 28, 2004
in Church and missional
. 24 Comments

I’m not blaming anyone for what I’m blogging about this morning. Really good people were doing the best they knew how to do. The fault is largely mine.

But I was trained to be a professional.

It was great training for a Constantinian world in which the church is the center of all life. But it doesn’t fit our current situation of living in a post-Christian, post-modern world.

One of my graduate school professors insisted that a preacher should spend one hour in study for every minute he preaches. That’s great advice — if the goal is to preach sermons. For much of my preaching life, I’ve preached two sermons a week. That would be 50 hours of study. While in Searcy, I preached three sermons a week. That would be 75 hours of study.

I was trained to do just that. With seven years of Greek and a couple years of Hebrew along with class after class of textual studies, I was prepared to do one thing: study. I had (for the most part) incredible profs. I don’t regret most of the classes.

But I was never taught other things: like how to be missional, how to help form a missional church, how to pray, how to disciple people in the way of Christ, etc.

Again, good people were teaching me what they knew. It wasn’t them–it was more a whole system that didn’t understand what we’re facing. We majored in information transfer. We hardly even minored in formation and transformation.

There was never any training and mentoring in how to connect with lost people, how to move Christians from consumer-demands to kingdom-service, how to start justice-based ministries, or how to plan worship that forms people and prepares to send them out in Jesus’ name.

It’s easier to train professionals. People who know how to caretake the organization. They know how to bring about slow change. How to do studies. How to organize. Basically, how to do all the things really good businesses do.

So churches have learned to rely on people who know very little about Christian mission and formation but know a LOT about professional matters.

I remember taking a class on evangelism. The whole class was, of course, a study of evangelism. We spent the whole semester getting ready to perform a skit from GO YE MEANS GO ME. And there was a class on “the work of a preacher” that was basically a study of the pastoral epistles–in other words, another textual class. My class on worship studied the issues of worship and worked toward the big project: of each group preparing a devotional for one class period.

I’m thinking we don’t need any more professionalism. (That isn’t to say, of course, that we want to give up serious study of scripture, including languages!) We need missionaries. Missionaries right here: people who can learn the language, teach the language, learn the culture, teach the culture, mentor, equip, train, reach out.

Here are some realities we’ll have to face:

1. Some don’t want to be missional. They want the organization to work smoothly. They will leave. We need to love them as they struggle, helping them to mature beyond consumer complaints, and then bless them as they leave. Jesus didn’t leave the church so everyone could be comfortable and happy; he left it as an outpost of the in-breaking kingdom. It is not safe!

2. There will be conflict as this happens. But this conflict is best resolved by people staying focused on what the central mission is. As people join hands in evangelism, in feeding people, or in training people for jobs, they tend to learn to accept one another despite differences.

3. The day of megachurches is probably coming to an end. Megachurches are great at offering services. But they haven’t historically been great at forming people into the image of Christ. I’m thrilled when I hear about students (of various majors) eager to go out and start a house church. This isn’t either/or. I’m committed to helping a large church. But I think the future will be smaller.

4. I hope our theological training stays rigorous: in languages, history, theology, etc. But along with all the information we must find a way to form lives. We need to keep raising up teachers who are actively involved in the mission of Christ. (And I’m discovering more and more of them!)

One final word of grace here: God has used all our stumbling efforts–including my own pitiful ones–to his glory. This doesn’t discount any of the sacrifices that others have made. But it’s just a chance to think ahead and dream.

Keeping the Community Attentive to God

Published
by
Mike
on September 27, 2004
in General
. 20 Comments

I wasn’t a good Bible major. My hair was too long. I got devo-ed out easily. And I listened to Three Dog Night and the Stones.

So I can’t really claim that I was a regular Timothy Club attender. Occasionally I did go, though, because of my fanatic appreciation for Jerry Jones, the chairman of the Bible Department at Harding at the time.

But now I’m thinking about how ministers were trained. And about how little much of that training has to do with the actual work and calling of ministry.

There was the Hyper-Discipler who came in from Florida to tell us that if we really wanted to train people, they had found the way. That was pretty early in what became known as the “Crossroads Movement” and later the “Boston Movement,” but it was enough to make several think, “Finally, someone has found THE way,” and several others to think, “uh-oh.”

There was the well-known preacher from Dallas who came in and talked to us about how a minister should dress and how he should negotiate his contract carefully on the front end. You know, Apostle Paul’s sort of issues: what you wear and what you make.

There was the logician who came in from Tennessee to teach us how to prove everything so that you could be absolutely confident that you were right about everything. It was as simple as a “if this, then that; this, therefore that.” Or something like that. Good old gospel syllogisms. The kind Jesus used in his teaching. In some ways it was refreshing, because very rarely in your life do you meet anyone who will outright tell you that he’s right about everything. (Some suspect it, but are too humble to admit it.)

The experts were a bit of a disappointment.

But I contrast that with how much I’ve learned about ministry from some older ministers who have been heroes of mine. I’ve written before about Jim Woodroof and Lynn Anderson. When I grow up, I want to be like them. (I’ve already mastered Lynn’s ability to lose things. But I mean in other, more substantial ways.)

Here’s the truth, though: many of the best models have never been quite as famous as Jim and Lynn. They have ministered faithfully in out-of-the-way churches decade after decade. They nurtured their children, loved their wives, counseled, taught, married, buried, and ate more casseroles than can be counted. They set up chairs, fixed the sound system, and prayed for the lost.

They have done just what Eugene Peterson said faithful ministers should do: “The biblical fact is that there are no successful churches. There are, instead, communities of sinners, gathered before God week after week in towns and villages all over the world. The Holy Spirit gathers them and does his work in them. In these communities of sinners, one of the sinners is called pastor and given a designated responsibility in the community. The pastor’s responsibility is to keep the community attentive to God.”

This morning, I’m thankful for those older ministers who have modeled this responsibility for me. Some are well known; others are tucked away in obscurity. But they have taught me what I so often forget: that my central job is to help keep people attentive to God.

Praying for the Kingdom That is Not Fully Come

Published
by
Mike
on September 24, 2004
in Church, General and missional
. 32 Comments

Have you seen the new Jaguar commercials? They’re trying to sell their newest cars by appealing to four of the seven deadly sins: lust, envy, wrath, and pride. This is the funny thing: we still try to think of our country as a “Christian nation” in the most superficial ways, while we promote luxury items by appealing openly to things that historically Christianity has called “deadly sins”! (Note: This isn’t to pick on Jaguar. They’re just trying to sell cars. But some marketing firm has convinced them that in the USA the way to sell cars is to appeal to lust, envy, wrath, and pride.)

It does the church no favors to live with the illusion that we’re a “Christian nation.” It weakens the church, for Christianity is best lived against the grain. (To see what happens to the strength of the church when Christianity is commonly accepted as the national religion, look back to the time of Constantine. Not a pretty scene–even though Christianity was declared the official religion of the empire.)

Opening our eyes to realize that this is a post-Christian environment will help us return to our missional nature. Instead of positioning ourselves for a larger share of “the market” (by catchy billboards, bumper stickers, yellow pages ads, etc.) we’ll have to live out and proclaim the faith that we believe. That wouldn’t be a bad thing, would it?

And this will open our eyes to greater concerns than whether or not our taxes will be cut. We’ll realize that 8000/day are dying of AIDS in Africa; that 300,000 are left with nothing after the hurricane in Haiti (and that this is just a step below where normal life in Haiti is); that there is a genocide going on in Western Sudan; and that babies are being abandoned in many places of the world.

Open our eyes, Lord. Someone who was visiting at Highland recently filled out an “encouragement card” for me in which they screamed: WHY ARE YOU PRAYING THAT THE KINGDOM WILL COME WHEN IT’S ALREADY HERE? I understand the (poor) theology that is behind that question. But for the love of God, open your eyes!! How can we blindly believe that the kingdom has come and God’s will been done on earth as it is in heaven? Yes, the kingdom has broken in. But it is certainly not yet fully realized.

2 Cor. 4:16 and My Bald Spot

Published
by
Mike
on September 23, 2004
in General and faith
. 15 Comments

You may have noticed: I have a bald spot. I don’t see it often because it’s in the back of my head. But sometimes I’ll catch it in a mirror and, of course, I can feel skin rather than hair.

It doesn’t bother me one bit. I joke about it quite often.

But it wasn’t always that way. It was a very big deal to me when I first realized, at about age 20, that hair wasn’t staying put back there. All through my twenties, I worried about it.

Is that another advantage of aging? Now I’m thinking, “It’s just hair. It falls out now or maggots eat it later. But it’s just hair.” I think you also realize as you age that NOBODY CARES. You get past thinking that people notice and/or care.

On those rare moments when my priorities are lined up properly, I appreciate Paul’s perspective: that though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

Our Parenting Dance

Published
by
Mike
on September 22, 2004
in family
. 3 Comments

I keep hearing that CBS-gate (”putting the BS back into CBS“) is going to hurt their ratings. But in the short run, it’s helped their ratings in our house. We never, ever watch CBS news. We are Brokaw people. (And as I’ve mentioned before, I’m like Rainman. It’s hard to pull me out of my ruts.) But last night I watched Dan Rather just to see what would happen. It was a surreal experience listening to CBS report on “the CBS story.” I’m thinking someone forgot the lessons from first year journalism about checking sources.

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Tonight I’m preaching from Jeremiah 32. What an amazing story of hope. I love God’s response to Jeremiah’s prayer: “I am the Lord, the God of all people. Is anything too hard for me?” Next week Randy Harris will begin a 3-week series entitled “How I Got to Be So Humble.” Vintage Randy!

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I figured out part of the dance of our parenting skills last night. Diane is the bedtime Nazi. I am the vegetable Nazi. She’s passionate about a sixth grader getting to bed RIGHT ON TIME! I’m looking for more of a ballpark bedtime — after one more inning of the Rangers game, or one more story, or one more game of ping-pong. I’m passionate about learning to eat vegies when you’re young. It’s no secret that our diets need lots of vegetables, fruits, and nuts — and it’s hard to learn better eating habits when you’re older. Poor Matt survived my eating fanatacism, but it’s funny to hear him tell about how much he looked forward to Sundays when (to celebrate the Lord’s Day, I guess) he was allowed to have a breakfast bar instead of “healthy” cereal. (Bad news, Matt. I’m still a Nazi vegetable dad, but I’ve caved a bit on breakfasts. While my “Fiber One” and “Good Friends” cereal boxes are still around, Chris has other boxes of sugared cereals. Maybe this is another advantage of having older parents. They’re too tired to fight the same battles.)

Having an Older Dad

Published
by
Mike
on September 21, 2004
in family
. 10 Comments

We haven’t been youth group parents since May of 2000. But we’re back! Now with a sixth grader, we were back in the meeting of youth group families a couple Sundays ago.

It’s nice to be out of children’s ministry, to be honest. Not that we wanted our youngest to grow up. But some of the other parents were starting to look like they could be our children.

We’re not Abraham and Sarah, of course. We were 35 when Chris was born. But that’s quite different than being 25 when Matt was born or 28 (me) and 27 (Diane) when Megan was born.

Matt had a dad with more energy. At the end of the day–no matter how early it began!–I was ready to wrestle and throw a ball for as long as he wanted after dinner. Plus, my back didn’t hurt.

But . . . there are some advantages to having children when you’re older. Chris has a more patient dad. For the most part I don’t let things get to me so easily, following a “life’s too short” philosophy. There’s still been plenty of wrestling, baseball, and soccer — but not every night. I figured out that I don’t like traveling as much, so I’m around more. Our marriage is happier. (That’s a bit delicate to put right here in the blog. But it’s true.) And as a coach this time around, I have more moments when I remember that there are bigger issues than winning.

It used to bother me that I’d be 54 when Chris graduates. But that’s looking younger all the time!

I Am a Loser (of Things!)

Published
by
Mike
on September 18, 2004
in General and memories
. 15 Comments

I am a loser. Not as in “winners and losers.” But as in “finders and losers.”

I lose things.

I hate to point fingers here, but it seems to have been passed along to me by a maternal gene. But enough of that. If my mom wants to start her own blog and make her own confessions, that’s fine.

I spend so much of my time looking for things I’ve lost: my sermon notes, phone numbers, CDs, keys, glasses (a particularly hard item to look for!), my wallet, my pocketknife, and my cell phone. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to call my cell phone to find it. I wish I could call my wallet.

My current list of things I’ve lost: a Brueggemann book, notes for a message I’m supposed to give in late October, and my wedding ring.

I know the last item sounds alarming. But I’ve lost it so many times, we’ve learned to not be anxious. It always finds me. I’m Frodo.

To be honest, it isn’t THE ring. It isn’t the one my beloved slipped on my finger in May of 1978. That one is long gone. I think this is the second ring; Diane believes it is the third. In some ways (given my history), it’s amazing that I’ve had this one 17 years. And the one before it was stolen from a locker in the men’s faculty dressing room at Harding (not by a faculty member, obviously).

It isn’t that I’m unorganized. I just set things down with my mind already giving full attention to something else.

The most grievous thing I’ve lost (and I hate to say this after mentioning that I lost a wedding ring) is my NIV Bible that I’d had from seminary days until about 1996. I searched forever for that beloved book.

The one I now have, I’ve held onto since then. I’ve tried to lose it, but each time it has returned. I’ve had to call a rental agency in Memphis and a church on the West Coast. But both times, it was FOUND!

What a great thing it is to find something. I’m guessing that my life has had bursts of joy that many of you have never known because you don’t lose things. Nearly every week there is some moment of ecstasy when I realize that something I thought might be gone for good is still around.

Everyone loves the story of the lost sheep and the lost son. But I have a special appreciation for Jesus’ story tucked in between those two better-known ones: the parable of the lost coin. “And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’”

That’s good news.

The High Price of Paradise

Published
by
Mike
on September 17, 2004
in General and memories
. 10 Comments

We know every inch of that beautiful beach (Pensacola Beach) so well. For 16 years, we’ve gone every summer. With the toll bridge out–thirty to forty feet missing–and the Navarre causeway damaged, there is no telling when there will be accurate assessments of the damage.

Much more significantly, there are so many displaced people further inland. In Pensacola, my sister lost her whole house. Apparently, only the garage is still standing. It sounds like much of her neighborhood got leveled.

You’ve probably seen the “for sale” sign up somewhere in Florida this morning: “1 Charley, 2 Frances, 3 Ivan, 4 Sale.”

The high price of paradise.

Desperate

Published
by
GKB
on September 16, 2004
in General
. 8 Comments

Waiting for further word from Pensacola . . . . My sister and her husband lost their roof in the storm. Who knows what Pensacola and Pensacola Beach (and several other communities) will look like when cameras move in later this morning.

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I’ve listened to the new Zoe CD called “Desperate.” It’s incredible. Great job Brandon and gang. See you all in a couple weeks. (I hope several in this blog community will be there. Registrations have been closed–maxed out at about 1050.)

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John Lackey gave up one run and struck out 10 last night in 7 2/3 innings . . . and didn’t get a win! Come on, Angels.