2008 December «

Rebranding Sin?

December 30, 2008 Leave a comment

This is in response to an article in Leadership Journal.

Adultery and racism are today’s big sins, but many other traditionally condemnable vices have fallen off the list in recent years. In fact, some theologians fear the concept of personal sin is almost lost.

I believe in the bible you can find that adultery and racism were huge sins back then too. How about the Jews and Samaritans not getting along. Practically the Jews and anybody else. You were either a Jew or a heathen. One of the two. So to exclude these two sins to today is wrong.

Presbyterian Tim Keller still preaches about sin, but with lots of explanation “because the word is essentially obsolete,” Keller says. His three New York City congregations are mostly young and single. “They do get the idea of branding, of taking a word or term and filling it with your own content, so I have to re-brand the word sin.”

Are you kidding me. “Obsolete.” I get the idea here. The problem is political correctness. It’s not murder, it’s abortion. Black people are Afro-Americans and Mexicans are Spanish-Americans. You don’t call it a trailer park. It’s a mobile home park. I remember a few years back when they wanted to take the red pen out of schools because it was too devastating to the kid to see his/her answers marked wrong in red. So they used purple. You get the picture.

Sin has never been and never will be an obsolete word. Is it too devastating in New York to say “Oh God, I SINNED!?” Let’s just say, “I screwed up” instead.

…A survey by Ellison Research shows that 87 percent of U.S. adults still acknowledge the concept of sin, but what is “almost always wrong” is changing:

Cheating on your spouse? Wrong. (81% call it a sin.)
Sex before marriage? Not so wrong (45%)
Racism? Wrong. (74%)
Gambling? Hardly wrong at all. (30%)

Yep. We acknowledge the “concept” of sin, but we won’t straight up call it sin. That would be hurting someone’s feelings. And Lord forgive us if we make someone mad for the sake of the gospel.

So sin, as a list of acts offensive to God first and foremost, is difficult to sell.

That’s because we have come to letting those outside the church tell us Christians what sin is and isn’t. I thought that was our job. Forgive me for being wrong. Go ahead you quasi-sinner. Tell me what sin is again. I forget.

Filed under devotion Tagged with politically correct, sin

I hate the lottery

December 23, 2008 4 Comments

Let me first say that I voted against it. Biblically, you can’t find anything in the bible that speaks agains the lottery. But the bible is all over the byproducts of lottery: greed, selfishness, love for money, false hope. So I was and still am against it but not only for the aforementioned reasons.

Probably the main reason I am against the lottery today is because of what happened to me and has happened to me more than once. I stopped in to get some gas and used my debit card at the pump. After I filled up, the wonderful little scrolling text comes up and says, “Cashier has receipt”. So I go in to get my receipt. A simple little piece of paper that should take about oh… maybe at the maximum of 10 seconds to receive.

But noooooooooooooo! I have to wait behind a guy for near 6-7 minutes because even though the store has a separate cash register for the lottery to help keep the line moving, they only had one person working and the guy had to buy oh… about um… 20 tickets for the cash drawing. And they had be printed out.

All I want is my stinking receipt. In all actuality I was there first but because the store employees are too lazy (maybe busy, I’ll give them the benefit of doubt) to refill the roll of paper at the pump, I have to wait to get a lousy little piece of paper. I fricken HATE the lottery. Because I have to wait on someone to blow their money on a useless, hopeless attempt to make it rich quick only to blow it on crap and junk if they win. Because let’s face it. How many people you know of that has hit the lottery actually invested it and stayed wealthy? I can’t count on my hands how many people hit the lottery only to file for bankruptcy later. Let’s get real. If they really knew how to manage their money, they wouldn’t be playing the lottery. They’d already be rich. How many rich people you know that has played the lottery. A big fat ZerO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So……….. I digress now!

Filed under life Tagged with false hope, greed, lottery, love for money, lust, TN lottery

At The Foot Of The Cross

December 9, 2008 Leave a comment

At The Foot Of The Cross (Ashes To Beauty)
Kathryn Scott

At the foot of the cross where grace and suffering meet
You have shown me your love through the judgement You received
And You’ve won my heart
Yes, You’ve won my heart, now I can

Trade these ashes in for beauty and wear forgiveness like a crown
Coming to kiss the feet of mercy, I lay every burden down
At the foot of the cross

At the foot of the cross where I am made complete
You have given me life through the death You bore for me
And You’ve won my heart
Yes, You’ve won my heart, now I can

And You’ve won my heart
Yes, You’ve won my heart, now I can

Trade these ashes in for beauty and wear forgiveness like a crown
Coming to kiss the feet of mercy, I lay every burden down
At the foot of the cross
Trade these ashes in for beauty and wear forgiveness like a crown
Coming to kiss the feet of mercy, I lay every burden down
I lay every burden down, I lay every burden down
At the foot of the cross

Filed under music Tagged with at the foot of the cross, bowing, humble, Kathryn Scott

We Got Da Funk

December 7, 2008 Leave a comment

Today’s worship list

When I Think About the Lord

Let me say that our church is facing serious spiritual attack. we are seeing God do great things and the devil is not happy. We are looking at going to two services by the end of January because we have been running near max in our little venue. So today we had maybe twenty people in church. What a discouragement to see this happen. When I got up to lead worship, I just felt a funk come upon the place and then when I finished, Rob came up for the announcements and the funk continued. I mean c’mon. The funk on the announcements. Anyway, after so, Pastor John started to preach and the funk continued and although his message was good, his tongue could not convey what his heart was trying to say and a couple of the scriptures he had planned to use, didn’t come across the way he had hoped.

Corporately, We Got Da Funk

So… I know we tend to grade services on how well the music was played or how intellectual the sermon sounded but I’m reminded in the scriptures in 1 Corinthians 12 that He is made strong though our weaknesses. And that just because we got the funk, doesn’t mean that word does not continue to slice even down to the soul.

Filed under Sunday Setlist Tagged with church, spirit led, we got the funk, worship service

God Men

December 5, 2008 2 Comments

I had an awesome opportunity to attend God Men a couple of nights ago. This, I think, was started by Brad Stine. It was kinda formed to be a small version of Promise Keepers. I can’t go into what all happened that night because it is kinda confidential. But I will say if you live in the Nashville Tn area, you should definitely be there every month. You can check out the website here.

I will say this also. I have seen Brad at a youth leaders convention and also saw him at two Promise Keepers. the guy is for real. My pastor is really good friends with him. You see, when I got there, I was kinda early cause my pastor had to be there early to prepare. While we were working on getting the computer set up, Brad walked in. Suddenly, I’m thinking a freaking celebrity is here. BIG STAR! I introduced myself and thought he was cool. But then my pastor started talking to him and I snuck into the conversation.

Let me tell ya. He is FER REEL!!!!! I gotta tell ya, I think he’s just a great person to know personally. On the way home, my pastor stayed on the phone with him, and I just thought it was the craziest thing. Here I thought big star. Afterwards, when I got home, I’m thinking, cool person. Someone I’d love to just be friends with cause he’s real. He told us a little about his past, and I just can’t say how blown away I was.

Can’t wait till next God men. Bot only because of him, but also because of the idea that’s behind God Men. To be accountable to one another, to sharpen one another, and to support one another, as MEN! God Men is where men can be men at church. What does that mean? A place where you can talk about man things and be understood.