It was a real choice mission, and when it was over, I'd never want another.

How to be more like Jesus in 2013, 3 simple steps:

1. Join the church within driving distance most faithful to the Scriptures. If there isn't one that qualifies, move closer to one that does.

2. Ask the leadership for tasks/chores/duties nobody else wants to do.

3. Serve faithfully even though the following be true:

• You are un(der)appreciated.
• Your value isn't recognized by those you serve.

Related Scriptures:

• Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.


• Hebrews 6:10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.


• 1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.


• Philippians 2:3-11 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

You have to ask yourself one question, "Do I feel lucky?"

The following are diagnostic questions* I came up with to help us take precautions regarding the destructive nature of our communication within the body of Christ.

• Q¹: Have I been involved in gossip at Providence Church, teller or hearer?
• Q²: Have I lied about a brother or sister?
• Q³: Have I said things that were true, but not with love? (Eph 4:15)
• Q⁴: Has my anger revealed my unrighteous heart? (James 1:19-20)
• Q⁵: Have my words injured someone, tearing down rather than building up? (Eph 4:29)
• Q⁶: If I answered, “Yes,” to any of those 5 questions, what should my repentance look like? (e.g., confession, restitution, asking forgiveness, etc.)

*I shared these diagnostic questions at Providence Church during Sunday's sermon, "Sticks and Stones." 

I say that big talk's worth doodly-squat.

I have no idea how this was omitted from my "pet peeves" list, but after mentioning this in last week's sermon at Providence Church, I felt inclined to immortalize this via the miracle of the Internet.

Quick Communication/Rhetoric Lesson ...

There is a difference between "vocal" and "verbal" as descriptors. In fact, 93% of the time (at least) I heard "verbal" when the person intends to communicate the concept of "vocal." In other words, this is a common faux pas.

Working Definitions:

• Verbal - of or pertaining to [the use of] words [or symbolic language]; note the Latin verbum for "word"
• Vocal - of, pertaining to, or uttered with the voice [i.e., audible]

Think back to the SAT. Remember the “Quantitative” and “Verbal” sections? Remember how quiet it was in the room, even during the "Verbal" part of the test? Of course, the subject matter was dealing with words, non-vocal words.

N.B. Verbal and vocal are not mutually exclusive categories.  For opposites, we'd have verbal vs. non-verbal and vocal vs. non-vocal. Thus, some communication can be verbal & vocal or verbal & non-vocal.

Verbal communication includes the use of words to convey a message. Non-Verbal communication includes all the ways we communicate apart from words (e.g., gestures, body language, moviment, or posture, facial expressions, eye contact, voice tone, voice volume, rate, clothing, hairstyles, architecture, etc.)

Some Examples:

• Verbal & Vocal - Someone speaking the words, "I'm happy."
• Verbal & Non-Vocal - Someone sending a text, "I'm happy."
• Non-Verbal & Non-Vocal - Someone smiling when opening gift, communicating happiness.
• Non-Verbal & Vocal - Someone loudly squealing with delight when opening the perfect gift, which even someone in the other room would recognize as a happy person.

Verbal communication is perceived through either sight or sound.  However, non-verbal communication can occur through any sensory channel, through sight, sound, smell, touch or even taste.

As an aside, the non-verbal and verbal components of communication may be in conflict.  When that occurs, the non-verbal is typically more readily believed than the verbal.  For example, think back to the last time you saw a child who was made to apologize to another child, especially a sibling.  When the words conflict with the eye-rolling or the sigh that precedes the words or the muffled manner in which they are spoken, the real meaning shines through.

In fact, the vast majority of our oral communication is non-verbal (in the categories of vocal and visual). UCLA Professor (emeritus), Dr. Albert Mehrabian's early communication study is often quoted in support of the belief that the actual verbal content of our communication is relatively small compared to the power of the nonverbal. The conclusion of Dr. Mehrabian's classic study looks like this:

• 7% of meaning is in the actual words spoken (verbal).
• 38% of meaning is in the way words are spoken, or tone - e.g., volume (vocal NV).
• 55% of meaning is derived from what we see e.g., facial expressions (visual NV).
• Ergo, 93% of communication is non-verbal in nature.

From a practical standpoint, this is important to remember because when we talk we tend to put a lot more emphasis on word selection, but when we (or others) listen those other aspects of communication dominate the message.

When I have taught preaching to seminary students I have emphasized this in a lecture dealing with style (word selection and message structure) versus delivery of a message.  How one delivers a sermon, for example, can go a long way to helping or hindering the communication of a message to an audience.

It's been said that one cannot not communicate.  I believe that to be true and I hope we can communicate with precision and with a view toward how our communication (verbal and non-verbal) impacts others, for their good and God's glory.

Okay, I'm done with the soap box.  It's available for anyone else who now needs it.

P.S. I realize that in much of the English speaking world verbal has become synonymous with something spoken as opposed to written down (e.g., "merely a verbal agreement," implying nothing in writing).  I may be the bad Ag, but I have about as much tolerance for that as I do "I could care less" now being synonymous in usage with the correct "I couldn't care less."

You have to be prepared for the possibility that God does not like you.

Check out "The Culture Culture", an excellent and convicting post on the prevalent biblical theme of differentiation, or antithesis, between God's people and the world, including contemporary applicability.

 An excerpt:

"The difference, the antithesis, between us and the world isn’t that they have sin issues while we do not. The difference is two-fold. First, our sins have already been covered. Jesus died for them, and the Father is not angry with us. Second, we are committed to finding them out, rather than hiding them. Isn’t it gracious of God then to give us the glaring shamelessness of the world to make our own sins more known to us? May He in turn give us eyes to see."  ~R. C. Sproul, Jr.

READ "The Culture Culture"

I love the smell of commerce in the morning.

I don't usually go to the mall, but when I do I prefer THIS happen.

I don't know where you get your delusions, laser brain.

I've been pondering the election and wondering why people vote the way they do.

It motivated me to delineate how MY political views were formed.  This may be an exercise solely for my benefit, but I'd be surprised if you didn't find it helpful to examine YOUR political leanings and trace back why they are the way they are.

As best I can tell, there are 4 main influences that have shaped my political perspective (and subsequent voting patterns).  I share them in chronological order:

1. Living in England during the Reagan Presidency

• I developed a deep sense of national loyalty to my country.
• During this "Cold War," I became keenly aware that there were many places in the world quite unlike the USA, some of which help a deep-seated hatred of the USA.
• Consequently, I've always been a fan of ensuring our national defense and military were top notch.

2. Reading the Bill of Rights

• I realized that we needed the first 2 amendments (i.e., freedom from government involvement in religion, freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, freedom of press, and freedom to take up arms) as a grass roots form of checks and balances on the government itself.
• I realized the 10th amendment, contrary to what's transpired post-Civil War, put the vast majority of governing power in the hands of the individual states, not the federal government.

3. Reading Barry Goldwater's The Conscience of a Conservative

• I gained an appreciation for smaller government, especially in the face of encroaching Socialism.
• I also realized that rather than ensure liberty, governments by nature tend to be the chief instrument to thwart it.
• I also solidified and developed some of the thoughts I'd stumbled upon in the Bill of Rights (e.g., States' Rights).
• FYI - HERE are some pertinent quotes from the book.

4. Converting to Christianity

• I became pro-life, and consequently anti-abortion, seeing it as the murder of one made in God's image, with this being my political issue which trumps all others in evaluating candidates/parties.
• I shifted my confidence to the triune God who controls (Prov 21:1) and raises up and takes down governments (Rom 13:1-7), rather than in government itself.
• Thus, I added prayer as one of the duties a citizen has toward his/her country.

Admittedly, I am biased, but I recommend each of these 4 to you. Also, I'd love to hear what has shaped your political leanings as well.

Coffee is for closers.

What makes for success in evangelism? Is success dependent upon the response of the individual(s) you address?

Let me suggest to you that success in evangelism is clearly communicating the Gospel of Jesus (who He was/is, what He did, and why it's "good news") with a reliance upon the Holy Spirit.  In other words, success in evagelism is faithfulness to the task as His obedient servants.  Whether or not the person responds with faith in the risen Lord is beyond OUR control ... but not His. (John 6:37)

We may plant seeds and/or water them, but only God makes it grow. (1 Cor 3:6-7)  We do not "close the deal." God does.

We do our part and prayerfully ask God to do that which only He can do, which is change a heart (e.g., Acts 16:14).  In other words, the burden for "results" lies with God, not us.

Or, as Hudson Taylor put it in 1865 when contemplating a life as a missionary in China ...

“If we are obeying the Lord, the responsibility rests with Him, not with us! You, Lord, you shall have all the burden. At Thy bidding, as Thy servant I go forward, leaving results with Thee.”

Do you understand the words that are coming out of my my mouth?

“Prayer is primarily a wartime walkie-talkie for the mission of the church as it advances against the powers of darkness and unbelief. It is not surprising that prayer malfunctions when we try to make it a domestic intercom to call upstairs for more comforts in the den… Until you know that life is war, you cannot know what prayer is for: Prayer is for the accomplishment of a wartime mission.” ~John Piper

Our choices are what make us who we are. We always have the choice to do what's right.

Don't even try to call him a racist!

Black Pastor, Bishop Harry Jackson: "4 Reasons I Cannot Support Barack Obama for President."

I blow my nose at you, so-called Arthur King, you and all your silly English knnnigits!

I've heard that all 26 letters in the English alphabet are mute/silent in one word or another. I've included some examples, but am stumped on a few.  Any help with F or V?

A: bread, marriage, pharaoh
B: debt, subtle, thumb, numb
C: indict, yacht, scene
D: edge, handkerchief, Wednesday
E: more, height, steak, every
F: fifth ?
G: gnarled, reign, tight, gnome, foreign
H: ghost, heir, through, hour
I: business, seize
J: marijuana
K: knob, sackcloth, knife, knight, knee
L: half, salmon, would
M: mnemonic
N: column, hymn, autumn
O: country, laboratory, people, phoenix, jeopardy
P: cupboard, psychology, receipt, pneumonia
Q: lacquer, racquet
R: February
S: debris, island, aisle
T: gourmet, listen, tsunami
U: circuit, dough, gauge, guard, court
V: ? ? ?
W: answer, two, wrist, wrestle, wreck
X: faux
Y: prayer
Z: rendezvous

They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue.

A sobering reminder of just how different Christians are to be in how they live:

When their feelings have been hurt, people often feel justified in doing anything they want in retaliation. They can leave the church, divide the body, explode with uncontrolled anger, cut people off, lie, hate, and backbite. They try to justify the most wicked, sinful behavior with the simple excuse, “But I’ve been hurt!” Scripture, however, prohibits the spirit of retaliation, the get-even mentality that plagues human nature, with the clear command: “Repay no one evil for evil” (Rom. 12:17; 1 Thes. 5:15; 1 Pet. 3:9). When insulted, we are not to return the insult; when attacked, we are not to retaliate; when criticized, we are not to slander; when hurt, we are not to strike back. The Scripture further forbids seeking personal, private revenge or taking justice into our own hands; “Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’” (Rom. 12:19). It is God’s prerogative to punish evil, and He will see to it…. Rather than seeking retribution, Christians are to “overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21). 

~Alexander Strauch, Leading With Love

a "Jump to Conclusions" mat

The following I shared in a sermon at Providence Church and think you might find it noteworthy as did others.

JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS: 

Once there was an old man who lived in a tiny village. Although poor, he was envied by all, for he owned a beautiful white horse. Even the king coveted his treasure. A horse like this had never been seen before—such was its splendor, its majesty, its strength.

People offered fabulous prices for the steed, but the old man always refused. “This horse is not a horse to me,” he would tell them. “It is a person. How could you sell a person? He is a friend, not a possession. How could you sell a friend?” The man was poor and the temptation was great. But he never sold the horse.

One morning he found that the horse was not in the stable. All the village came to see him.

“You old fool,” they scoffed, “we told you that someone would steal your horse. We warned you that you would be robbed. You are so poor. How could you ever hope to protect such a valuable animal? It would have been better to have sold him. You could have gotten whatever price you wanted. No amount would have been too high. Now the horse is gone, and you’ve been cursed with misfortune.”

The old man responded, “Don’t speak too quickly. Say only that the horse is not in the stable. That is all we know; the rest is judgment. If I’ve been cursed or not, how can you know?”

The people contested, “Don’t make us out to be fools! We may not be philosophers, but great philosophy is not needed. The simple fact is that your horse is gone is a curse.”

The old man spoke again. “All I know is that the stable is empty, and the horse is gone. The rest I don’t know. Whether it be a curse or a blessing, I can’t say. All we can see is a fragment. Who can say what will come next?”

The people of the village laughed. They thought that the man was crazy. They had always thought he was a fool; if he wasn’t, he would have sold the horse and lived off the money. But instead, he was a poor woodcutter, an old man still cutting firewood and dragging it out of the forest and selling it. he lived hand to mouth in the misery of poverty. Now he had proven that he was, indeed, a fool.

After fifteen days, the horse returned. He hadn’t been stolen; he had run away into the forest. Not only had he returned, he had brought a dozen wild horses with him. Once again the village people gathered around the woodcutter and spoke. “Old man, you were right and we were wrong. What we thought was a curse was a blessing. Please forgive us.”

The man responded, “Once again, you go too far. Say only that the horse is back. State only that a dozen horses returned with him, but don’t judge. How do you know if this is a blessing or not? You see only a fragment. Unless you know the whole story, how can you judge? You read only one page of a book. Can you judge the whole book? You read only one word of a phrase. Can you understand the entire phrase?

“Life is so vast, yet you judge all of life with one page or one word. All you have is a fragment! Don’t say that this is a blessing. No one knows. I am content with what I know. I am not perturbed by what I don’t.”

 “Maybe the old man is right,” they said to one another. So they said little. But down deep, they knew he was wrong. They knew it was a blessing. Twelve wild horses had returned with one horse. With a little bit of work, the animals could be broken and trained and sold for much $.

The old man had a son, an only son. The young man began to break the wild horses. After a few days, he fell from one of the horses and broke both legs. Once again the villagers gathered around the old man and cast their judgments.

 “You were right,” they said. “You proved you were right. The dozen horses were not a blessing. They were a curse. Your only son has broken his legs, and now in your old age you have no one to help you. Now you are poorer than ever.”

The old man spoke again. “You people are obsessed with judging. Don’t go so far. Say only that my son broke his legs. Who knows if it is a blessing or a curse? No one knows. We only have a fragment. Life comes in fragments.”

It so happened that a few weeks later the country engaged in war against a neighboring country. All the young men of the village were required to join the army. Only the son of the old man was excluded, because he was injured. Once again the people gathered around the old man, crying and screaming because their sons had been taken. There was little chance that they would return. The enemy was strong, and the war would be a losing struggle. They would never see their sons again.

 “You were right, old man,” they wept. “God knows you were right. This proves it. Your son’s accident was a blessing. His legs may be broken, but at least he is with you. Our sons are gone forever.”

The old man spoke again. “It is impossible to talk with you. You always draw conclusions. No one knows. Say only this: Your sons had to go to war, and mine did not. No one knows if it is a blessing or a curse. No one is wise enough to know. Only God knows.”

~Max Lucado, In the Eye of the Storm (Word Publishing, 1991, pp. 144-147)