Taking Responsibility

As America sifts through the emotions and thoughts about the recent tragedies in Newtown CT, Portland, OR, and Aurora, CO, there is a mad scramble to attempt to affix blame. We want answers, we want solutions, and we wants someone to take the blame -or do we? The President has stated, that he will use the powers of his office to do whatever he can to fix the problems. This likely means stricter gun control and reduced freedoms for law abiding citizens. This won’t fix anything, but it will look good.

Meanwhile, Hollyweird is defending it’s rights to make money off of ultra violent movies. Director Quentin Tarantino say’s “give me a break” regarding his continued production of increasingly ultra-violent filth. He certainly isn’t going to take responsibility. You have Actors like Jamie Foxx, joking about his upcoming Tarantino production, Django Unchained” saying: “I get to kill all the white people, -how great is that.” He certainly isn’t going to take responsibility. And of course, Tom Cruise, ever the religiously concerned profiteer, continues to promote his violent film, with just a little scrubbing up of the promotion. He certainly isn’t going to take responsibility.

Is Hollyweird to blame for gun violence, or the escalation of violence in society in general? I don’t think so, but they are a contributing factor. There are probably many contributing factors. We live in a society that has devalued life, devalued family, devalued marriage, and elevated the most morally bankrupt to the status of gods.

Now, it’s easy to give at least some blame to these icons of entertainment, but don’t look for them to own up to any responsibility any more than the politicians that they support. Politicians will be unwilling to do anything substantive to change the moral climate in America, because the guys that send them the money are the ones that are shaping that climate. Here is the real question, who sends the money to Hollyweird?

This holiday season, millions of individuals and families around the country will go to the movies. Many will choose to see ultra-violent movies as a form of entertainment. When we do that, we are telling them to “keep it up” -and they will, as long as we pay them. Take responsibility people, we are all to blame.

As a people, we should repent of our fixation with sex and death as entertainment. As Solomon said, “there is nothing new under the sun.” These are simply the gods of old, repackaged in celluloid, and we continue to bow down.

 

Abe Lincoln, F-Bombs, & 1974

Today I’m feeling like an old codger. Forgive me.
I’ve been looking forward to seeing the latest Spielberg movie, “Lincoln.” I had commented while watching a preview a few days ago, that I anticipated that Hollyweird would mess with this American icon in some way, that’s what they do. Yesterday, I read this report from the Hollywood Reporter entitled “Lincoln’ Cussing: What the F@*&! Is Up With This S#@?!.”
I guess that’s my answer. Who knew that old Abe was a foul mouth. (read my sarcasm folks)
The report quotes historian David Barton as he points out that soldiers during the Civil War were court-martialed for using profanity. It is highly unlikely that President Lincoln used profanity.
Hey, but who cares, right?

I was also having an interesting back and forth on Facebook, that led to a recollection of my childhood, growing up in Eastern Washington.
An old friend brought up 1974 specifically, and was recalling childhood days in elementary school. (Can you hear the wonder years theme song?)
She said something about snowballs.
My daughter was laughing through the comments on my Facebook thread when she came to that comment and asked, “you got to throw snowballs at school? We couldn’t even touch the snow.”
I related to her briefly what it was like, back in the day. We probably didn’t get away with throwing snowballs, but we used to have fun. I remember waxing my shoes to slide on sheets of ice during recess in winter.
I remember making gigantic snowmen in the school yard as well.
My daughter had a look of astonishment. “Really?” she asked. Yup.

Kids used to have fun. And we thought Abe Lincoln was an American hero.
We also didn’t call our teachers by their first names, we certainly didn’t swear at them.
And, you know what was hanging on the wall in the principal’s office?
A paddle. I hear he used it on occasion -something he would go to jail for today.

Ah, progress.

I say bring back the discipline and get rid of the profanity.

 

Signs O’ The Times

Last Sunday at C:A we talked about how Jesus rebuked the religious guys because they were not able to discern the signs of the times. I think the “signs of the times” is like reading headlines from news stories.
If you were  to collect all of the headlines of current news stories, how would that read?
Have you noticed the uptick in people eating people? Have you noticed how much we love to look at, and publish pictures of ourselves? Have you noticed how once unacceptable behavior and language is now entirely acceptable? Are you putting the picture together? Do you know how many billions of dollars have been to prove that God doesn’t exist, and that we are here completely by chance?
Are you able to discern the signs of our times?

But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.
For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. -2 Peter 3:1-7

 

Three Strikes Against The Sender …

The following is a list of three critiques I have come across regarding church planting.
These have nothing to do with the men left in the field actually planting, but the men “sending them out” as they are often the ones who get credit for “planting” new churches.
My list is in no particular order …

1. You don’t visit me.
I know of a few missionaries that have never been visited by their sending/planting church beyond the initial planting trip. It’s funny to me that we often cite Paul as a church planter, but ignore his method of visiting the churches planted. Paul had much less resource, and traveling was much more difficult for him than it is today, and yet he never stopped visiting the churches he planted. Foreign missionaries value visits and encouragement from friends at home. Do you visit your foreign missionaries or simply send them money every month?

2. You don’t consider my income.
American pastors get raises, at least the ones that I know -and some way more than they need. The cost of living is usually considered in their annual income, and when a congregation can afford it, they keep up with at least a reasonable salary. But my experience is that foreign missionaries or pastors are often overlooked in the annual review of salaries. We buy ourselves iPhones, iPads, & new cars, etc. while our friends in the field are overlooked.
Have you considered your missionaries income, and do you increase it, when you increase your own?

3. You don’t read my letters.
I heard a conversation recently where a sending pastor was asked about a current event that one of his (supported) missionaries was going through. It was a situation that I was aware of as well, but this pastor was completely unaware, even though it was addressed in two previous support emails. It was pretty easy to conclude that he wasn’t reading the support letters.
I have one friend that has been in the field for many, many, years. He sends out a review of his finances every year. I always review it and try to send a note of encouragement. He tells me that I am the only one who has ever remarked on his annual financial statement. I wondered if any of the other recipients ever looked at it.

4. You don’t pray for me regularly.
I know I said I had three things … I lied.
All the other three lead me to the conclusion that we may not be praying for our brothers in the field.
Where true, it’s a shameful indictment against the church.

If you are a Pastor, who supports church planting, or other missionary endeavors, I would ask you to consider these things -prayerfully.