North Point Sermons on iTunes

Andy Stanley is a fantastic preacher, but last year the PITA factor of attending North Point Community Church (NPCC) became so great that our family quit going to church for a while. We've since resumed attending, though now we visit the Buckhead campus as it's closer and their early (9:00am) service is less crowded than the main North Point campus. Last Sunday my oldest daughter asked to go back to our "old church" because "they had better (more) toys", so we attended the main Alpharetta campus for early service. If anything, the PITA factor of attending NPCC has gotten worse, and I don't think I'll ever return.

If you've ever attended North Point Community Church on a Sunday morning, you know the hassles: parking is about a quarter mile away (unless you have preschool kids, in which case you need to arrive a half hour early in order to find parking in the preschool lot); Waumba Land classrooms fill up, so again you need to arrive early (otherwise you and the kids are stuck attending the adult service); and forget about sitting in the East auditorium to see Andy Stanley preach live as regular-attenders save full rows of seats leaving others relegated to the non-live West auditorium.

Perhaps in acknowledgment of this fact, Andy Stanley and North Point have now made sermons available for download through iTunes as a FREE podcast! If I didn't think my girls were getting "something" out of attending church, I think I'd probably avoid North Point completely except for my weekly time with Andy on my iPod. For now, though, I'll go back to attending Buckhead and offer to buy whatever toys my daughter's classroom lacks.

Update: North Point Community Church is now using YouTube to extend its reach as well.

Give to God what is God's... but get a receipt

Today the freemoneyfinance blog addresses the subject of how to calculate a 10% tithe. Reading it reminded me of something I've noticed the last couple of Sundays at church during offering. While a large number of people write checks, there are plenty of others who still place cash in the offering plate (bucket).

Unless it's in an envelope with the giver's information or donated in some way that the giver can immediately receive a receipt, I find donating cash to a church or any charitable 501(c)3 foolish because such donations are not tax deductible. Understand that I have an accounting degree, so my brain is wired differently than most, but I believe in giving unto Caesar what is Caesar's... and not a penny more. When giving to God, I want the tax deduction.

In case you're wondering, I never put anything in the offering plate. I seldom carry cash or checks, so fortunately North Point Community Church offers scheduled ACH withdrawals which I use and like.

Christianity in the news

And yet another reminder of why Christians should fight the cult of personality is in the news today over the accusations against the founder and senior pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Ted Haggard. Haggard was #11 on Time magazine's list of influential evangelicals last year and is also president of the 30 million-member National Association of Evangelicals. While I sincerely hope that some of the accusations aren't true, in a statement reminiscent of Clinton's infamous, "I experimented with marijuana a time or two, and I didn't like it and didn't inhale," Haggard admitted that some of the allegations were true, stating, "I bought it [methamphetamines] for myself but never used it." He also admitted to paying for a massage from his accuser.

It should also be mentioned that Mr. Haggard was a founder of the group Coloradans for Marriage, which fought to put a state constitutional amendment on next week's ballot to ban same-sex marriage in Colorado.

I'm sure there is a lot more to this story that will surface in the days, weeks, and months ahead, but I'm reminded of Jesus' words in Matthew 7:1-2,

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

As such, I'm not judging Mr. Haggard. I do feel sorry for his wife, 5 kids, and the 14,000 members of New Life Church. It's also embarrassing as a Christian because right or wrong, Mr. Haggard's actions are a very public and yet poor example of how to live like Jesus.

The sermons you'll never hear Andy Stanley preach

Keep this in perspective: I love Andy Stanley.

Andy is only human, though, so at times, he disappoints me... like last year when he blasphemously called George W. Bush a hero.

No, Andy, "W" isn't a hero, but Pastor Greg Boyd of the Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, certainly is.

I don't believe Andy is as politically active as his father, but I do know (from my conversation with him last year) that he is a Republican and supports the president's actions. So regrettably, you'll never hear anything like Greg's "Kingdom" series coming from the pulpit of North Point Community Church anytime soon.

The Da Vinci Code

I'll let you in on a secret: I don't read books. No, I'm not illiterate. I'm ADHD, and one of the ways it manifests itself in me is that I lack the ability to concentrate and absorb a story whenever I'm reading a long text. I may be able to finish a chapter with good recall, but shortly thereafter, I'll realize that I've finished another 5 or 6 pages with absolutely no recollection of the words I've just read... so I have to flip back in the book to the last thing I remember. It's really frustrating and not enjoyable at all, so I've given up on reading books. I have no trouble reading & recalling information from newspapers or magazines because the articles are much shorter.

Multimedia is an entirely different matter. Of course I have no trouble paying attention during a movie unless it has Nicolas Cage or some equally annoying over-actor. I have no trouble concentrating on the spoken word (except for weekly conference calls at work, and who doesn't?), so I also enjoy books on tape/CD. And when I'm on a family road trip, sometimes my wife reads out loud while I drive.

During one such drive, she read me The Da Vinci Code. I liked the book. From a Christian perspective, I especially like the premise that Jesus Christ may have been married and conceived a child. Jesus was a Jew, and to be an unmarried male Jew in his 30's would have been very unusual. In fact, my reading of the scriptures doesn't address his marital state, which lends credibility to the argument that perhaps he was married (since being unmarried would have been more unusual, and therefore more likely to be addressed). I personally believe that Christ was both God and man, and one of the reasons He became man was to experience life as a man, with all of its joys, sorrows, experiences, and temptations. I can think of no other experience that would make Christ more "man" than marriage. This concept doesn't undermine my beliefs at all.

To many Christians, though, this book really shakes their faith. This is from an email exchange with a community group leader at North Point and friend of mine:

The reason I stopped reading it [The Da Vinci Code] is basically due to my personality. I am VERY easily swayed when somebody offers me evidence. And, I don't go to the next step to explore the topic further and understand other evidence. I get too bored and give up. However, I know that there is a lot of contradicting evidence to the things he proposes in the book, from sources that I trust. I've researched some of it on the web. Since I trust these people, (Max Lucado, Charles Stanley, the Bible, etc...) it's hard for me to read something that, to me, totally contradicts my beliefs. To me, it's a very dangerous slope to get involved with things that contradict the Bible, even from a strictly educational perspective. I can't separate the two in my mind. Of course, that's because I believe the Bible is completely infallible. It's hard for me to believe that God would let a book (the Bible) be so misleading for so many years and that this "evidence" hasn't ever really reached the mainstream. The Bible, along with prayer, is how he communicates with us. Why would he choose for it to be incorrect??

And yes, I find it disappointing that someone wouldn't pursue an idea because it contradicts their existing beliefs, especially one who has a position of leadership within the church. Such individuals choose to live a life of self-imposed ignorance.

And now to the real point of today's blog.... with my parents visiting, my wife and I got an unusual reprieve from bedtime duties and decided to go on a date last night. After dinner at Bahama Breeze, we went to see The Da Vinci Code. I was impressed at how closely the movie mirrored the story line of the book. Two thumbs up.

North Point again fails to honor Memorial Day

For all of the wisdom and leadership that exists in this church, there is one thing at which North Point Community Church fails miserably: knowing how to address Memorial Day.

The most offensive tribute was the Sunday service Memorial Day weekend in 2004, after which I sent our pastor, Andy Stanley, a letter, which included this paragraph:

The purpose of Memorial Day is to honor American soldiers who have given their lives in defense of freedom. I’ll confess my sensitivity in holding to this purpose: my hero, mentor, and cousin, Lt. Col. Timothy Kehler, was an Air Force fighter pilot who was killed when his Phantom F-4E crashed in 1986. This past Memorial Day, North Point made no attempt to honor American soldiers who have given their lives defending the freedom we all enjoy. The song “American Soldier” followed by the recognition of former and active American armed service members was patriotic and heartfelt in its sincerity, but these are more appropriate for Veteran’s Day in November. The slideshow of U.S. soldiers shown during the song appeared to be desert images which reminded me of the 700+ service members killed in Iraq, but yet no mention was made of them. In ignoring them, the church also ignored tens of thousands of American men and women who have given their lives in wars and conflicts before. Was a proper acknowledgement of Memorial Day too solemn for North Point’s upbeat service format or does remembering the deaths of service members run contrary to someone’s politics?

Regrettably, Andy never responded to this note unlike my letter a year later.

While North Point wisely ceased stunts like those of two years ago, it still fails to give honor and respect to our dead armed service members and their families while patronizing current and veteran members of our armed services by acknowledging them instead.

And perhaps it was nervousness, but insulting nonetheless were the announcements made by the Navy officer (in full uniform) at the 8:30am service on Sunday when he twice mentioned celebrating Memorial Day "today" when in fact Memorial Day is always the last Monday in May, never a Sunday.

God in a box

When you encounter difficult circumstances, have you ever wondered why the easier path is always wide? It's because that's the path everyone takes. Matthew 7:13 speaks to this issue, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it." In practical terms, here is how this plays out: Do you have trouble in your marriage? File for divorce. Are you in a financial dispute with someone? Sue them. Do you have a particular beef with someone? Gossip about the issue rather than approach the individual directly. Are you having challenges in your community group? Quit.

James 1:2-4 says to, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Some like to place God/Christ in a box and pull Him out on Sunday mornings, but in doing so people miss out on seeing how He's working in our lives the other 6+ days of the week. We're supposed to reflect Christ--his attitude, his grace, and his love--and the path to becoming more like Christ requires trials. With a little bit of perspective, though, it's easy to see that the trials we face in America pale in comparison to the trials Christians face elsewhere in the world.

I don't speak for God, and I've got a long way to go before I'm able to have a Christ-like worldview, but here's how I'd see Him addressing these problems: Do you have trouble in your marriage? Seek marital counseling, pray, and surround yourself with happily married couples who can be role models. Are you in a financial dispute with someone? Pray, approach the individual in love, and discuss your differences one-on-one. Do you have a particular beef with someone? Pray, and then humbly go to the individual and discuss the issue in a mature manner (and don't do this via email!). Are you challenged in your community group? Approach the subject with grace, pray, reach out to other group members by making it a priority to invest time outside of the group meeting, give others the benefit of the doubt (i.e., don't assume malice when it's probably just a misunderstanding), and to paraphrase Dr. Phil, you can't change others; you can only change yourself, so look inside your heart to see what is keeping you from being open, honest, and transparent, and ask God to change you.

Where will you sleep on March 31?

The poverty statistics in America are embarrassing: 35.9 million of our brothers and sisters live in poverty, 3.5 million of our brothers and sisters are homeless, and 1.3 million of these homeless are children.

On March 31 in cities and towns across the nation, people will choose to spend the night outside in solidarity with those who don't have a choice. Check out ToTheStreets.org to see if there is a coordinated sleep out near you.

Many Christians believe that social activism is an activity which functions apart from their faith, but I would argue that Matthew 25:31-46 shows that Jesus taught otherwise.

An abomination to God if I ever saw one

While the Christian community is better known for beating their drum against homosexuality and abortion, I'm left dumbfounded by the lack of outrage and downright indifference by the Christian community at the abomination known as Abu Ghraib.

I find it appalling, and it makes me question the very public faith of our leaders when grunts alone have been the scapegoats in this massive human rights violation. Where is the accountability? Where is the leadership? Where is the outrage Christ himself exhibited when faced with something that was an affront to God?

And for those believing this is anything less than an indictable human rights scandal, they need look no farther than Salon.com's compilation of 279 photographs and 19 videos.

"Pause" Series from Andy Stanley

Andy Stanley just wrapped up the 4-part series "Pause" which addresses the subject of temptation. It was another reminder of why I get up at 6:30am each Sunday to attend North Point Community Church.

I ignorantly thought that the story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness was stupid--how could Jesus who is God who is perfect possibly succumb to temptation? And the temptations weren't the kind I could relate to anyway. Andy did a great job of laying out how we can all relate to each of the three temptations. The first temptation was to meet a legitimate need in an illegitimate way, the second temptation was to use God for His own personal gain, and the third temptation was to take a shortcut.

"King of the Hill" was the title of yestday's sermon, and Andy argued that driven people are sometimes tempted to take shortcuts or even just a small temporary shortcut to meet their goal. In the moment of decision, however, one discovers who they are and whose they are. I was fortunate enough to have brought along the person I respect and admire most in this world--my Dad. As Andy shared the story of a friend who declined an opportunity to take a "shortcut" (which wasn't sinful or inherently bad), I couldn't help but think of how my Dad has been my living example of one who doesn't take shortcuts and is willing to sacrifice for his family.

Twenty two years ago my Dad took a leap of faith and left a 20-year career to move our family from Reading, Ohio to Bedford, Texas when he took a new job in Dallas. Five years later the Dallas office was closed, and he was offered a position in Cleveland. The no-brainer option was to move to Cleveland, but my Dad recognized that my brother and I had a lot more opportunity in Texas than Ohio. He chose to stay in Texas and find another job. My Dad worked in a niche industry that was on the decline, so he knew he'd probably be changing careers. His core skills in inventory control management could be applied to any manufacturing or retail business, so none of us expected him to be without employment six months later... but that was the very position he was in.

While unemployment "benefits" expired after six months, bills still needed to get paid. For someone in his mid-40's who should have been entering his peak income-generating years, my Dad started looking for opportunities outside of anything he'd ever done before. Growing up, my brother and I never did without, but we lived a lower middle-class lifestyle. While my parents were "savers" they never made a lot of money, so my Dad didn't have the luxury of time to find his dream job. With time running out and money running low, my Dad became an assistant manager at a Quik-Trip. He could have looked at it as a shitty interim job, but that's not my Dad. He's got a work ethic I admire and try to model. I'm sure it was one of the most humiliating things he's ever had to do, but in doing so he earned "hero" status in my eyes. He did find a job a year later which matched his skills, but to this day he's never made a derogatory or resentful comment to me about Quik-Trip or not taking that Cleveland job.

Bruce Wilkinson leaves his Dream in Africa

Just 7 short months ago I heard Bruce Wilkinson give two sermons on The Dream Giver (click here for part 1 -and- click here for part 2) at North Point Community Church. While I don't buy into his Prayer of Jabez theology, I was inspired by the work he was doing in Africa as well as the work God was doing in him. So I was stunned to read David Batstone's article in Sojomail, which addressed Wilkinson's sudden resignation from the Dream For Africa ministry he started several years ago. More surprising is that Wilkinson quit last October--just three months after speaking at North Point.

I know that there are always two sides to a story, and to date it appears as if only once side has been heard. Hopefully Bruce Wilkinson will share what prompted such a seemingly hasty departure from Dream For Africa (since renamed Heart for Africa).

Below are several articles addressing Wilkinson's resignation:

• Wall Street Journal story from December 19, 2005 referenced in Sojomail
• "Jabez Author Quits Africa" from Christianity Today, 1/9/06
• "Think Small" from WORLD Magazine, 1/14/06
• "Wilkinson's Dream For Africa is Shattered" from Discernment Ministries, 12/22/05
  

Best financial advice

Monday night in Community Group we were asked to share advice we'd give to a newly engaged and a newlywed couple. One piece of advice I'd offer is fortunately one I learned early in my marriage.

I've since figured out that people who teach real estate investment classes and sell tapes, CDs, and books about real estate investing normally make more money teaching about real estate investing than they actually do investing in real estate. Years ago my wife and I attended a real estate investment class from John Adams here in Atlanta where we learned very little about the topic at hand but took away some completely unexpected wisdom. Mr. Adams offered the following advice that we apply to this day: finance things that appreciate and pay cash for things that depreciate.

In practice, this means financing your home since it is an appreciating asset. For most Americans, that's not a problem--I don't know of anyone sitting on a big pile of cash who is considering using this cash to buy a home. The second part of Mr. Adams' sage advice, however, means saving enough money to purchase a new or used vehicle rather than financing it. I had done this most of my life, but then again, I drove a crappy 1988 Volkswagen Fox station wagon when I met my wife. I remember the time my wife and I purchased our first vehicle together. We decided to apply this principle, so we saved. I never thought I'd be able to pay cash for a nice car, but we started with an older vehicle and bought a used Ford Explorer with cash. Through the years we've continued to upgrade to newer and newer vehicles as we've saved more and more until last year when we were finally able to buy a new car (minivan, actually).

Why does this principle make so much sense? The answer has to do with the "cost" of money. If you're financing a $30,000 vehicle over 5 years at 5% which depreciates 20% a year, your real cost of the vehicle is actually $7,500 for the first year. Here is the calculation: $1,500 interest ($30k cost x 5% simple interest) + $6,000 in depreciation ($30,000 cost x 20% depreciation per year) on the vehicle. In paying cash for the vehicle, your real cost is only the $6,000 depreciation on the vehicle, which is 21% less than the cost had you financed it.

But Dorkydad, I want a brand new BMW 650i convertible! Tough--so do I, but at $78,800, the only way I'm going to get one is by starting to save now. If you want to do this (pay cash for things that depreciate), make some sacrifices with your first vehicle. Maybe it's not the newest, maybe it has a standard transmission, maybe it has 100,000 miles, and maybe it's not the color you had in mind, but trust me--the peace of mind in not having a car payment as well as the extra cash you'll have each month will more than make up for any buyer's remorse.

I've also discovered that this advice marries up well with some biblical wisdom. Proverbs 22:7
establishes that borrowers become slaves/servants to a lender, so I see Paul's statement, "You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men" found in 1 Corinthians 7:23 as encouraging us to stay out of debt.

54th Annual National Prayer Breakfast

Established in 1953, the National Prayer Breakfast is an annual event organized by The Fellowship Foundation. This year's event was held yesterday at the Hilton Washington Hotel with around 3,000 attendees, including U.S. government officials as well as dignitaries from several nations.

Aside from President Bush, this year's speakers included King Abdullah II of Jordan and Bono from U2. Bono's words are worth a read [click here]. Credit goes to Sojomail for alerting me to this. And the "Jim" referenced in Bono's speech is Jim Wallis, author of God's Politics and Editor-in-Chief of Sojourners.

Why I admire Catholics

I'm not a fan of Catholicism because of its heavy liturgy and lack of biblical support for such. I don't see the word "Pope" in the Bible, haven't seen an example in the Bible where dead people can hear prayers (Catholics pray to Mary), and don't believe that Mary was without sin (the word "immaculate" in immaculate conception isn't a reference to Jesus but rather Mary--the Catholic church believes Mary had to be without sin in order to give birth to the Son of God).

I don't necessarily agree with the Catholic church, though I freely admit I may very well be dead wrong. I admire Catholics in their consistency of message regarding the value of life. The basic tenet of their message is that they support life by opposing state-sponsored or state-sanctioned activities that terminate life. This means that they oppose abortion. Notice the period at the end of that sentence. There's no asterisk exempting certain circumstances such as rape, incest, or life of the mother. The Catholic church also opposes the death penalty.

Probably because of my vengeful nature, I was a proponent of the death penalty until several years ago when I realized it's actually more expensive to execute a prisoner than to keep them incarcerated for life. It doesn't sound logical, but the additional legal expenses borne by the state for death penalty cases actually outweigh the cost of keeping someone incarcerated (and all of the expenses associated with that) for life. This fact alone didn't make me an opponent of the death penalty, but it did get me thinking about the Biblical justification cited by Christians for supporting the death penalty. The most frequently cited passage is from the Israelites' penal code in Exodus 21:23-25 which states,

But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

The problem with using this verse if you're a New Testament Christian is that Jesus had a few things to say about this verse in Matthew 5:38-42:

"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Oh yeah, there's also that verse in Romans 12:19 where Paul writes,

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord. [New American Standard Bible translation]

So I started to have my own personal doubts about where I stood on the death penalty. And then a couple of years ago I saw the movie The Life of David Gale. This movie alone wouldn't have made me a death penalty opponent, but it, coupled with the financial reality that life in prison is cheaper than execution and the lack of biblical support for execution pushed me over the edge. So I agree with the Catholic church on this subject.

I won't get into my beliefs on the subject of abortion, but I will say that I respect the Catholic church's stance regarding this subject, especially compared to that of many in the Protestant camp who oppose abortion and yet believe that there can be man-made exceptions where abortion is okay such as rape, incest, and life of the mother. Most of the verses I've read which are quoted by Protestant anti-abortion advocates are in the Israelite penal code found in the Old Testament of the Bible, under which New Testament Christians are not bound. And in none of those verses did I find an asterisk exempting these three exceptions.

You'll notice in the previous paragraph I used the term Protestant "anti-abortion advocates" rather than "pro-life advocates" because of the reason for my blog today.

The Catholic church is absolute in its unabashed support for life whereas many Protestants carry the convoluted and seemingly hypocritical stance of being FOR the life of an unborn child while being AGAINST the life of an unborn child if the mother is raped, AGAINST the life of an unborn child if the mother has been impregnated by a family member, AGAINST the life of an unborn child if the life of the mother is in peril, and AGAINST the life of a convicted felon who has been sentenced to death. Maybe it's me, but that doesn't sound "pro-life".

Politics and the Golden Rule

In Matthew 7:12, Jesus says,

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

This may be a familiar verse to you--it's known as the Golden Rule.

As a Christian the more I learn about how America, the birthplace of democracy, is executing the war in Iraq, the more concerned I get about where our country is heading. I'm not so naive as to believe that the Golden Rule makes good politics, but for Christians, good politics should be secondary to "doing the right thing" or by answering the question, "What would Jesus do?"

I don't claim to have any divine insight into the mind of God, but I do read my Bible enough to state confidently that He would not jail a man's wife and use her as leverage to apprehend a suspect. And He certainly wouldn't do this to the young mother of a nursing baby.

Imagine if the police in your town were trying to find a robbery suspect, and failing to locate him, they instead chose to arrest and jail the suspect's wife. The town would be up in arms! Hell, the country would be up in arms. It would never happen in America one would hope, and yet it was reported today that our own U.S. Army is doing this very thing in Iraq.

This article reminded me of one I read less than two years ago detailing detention of children in Iraq. One particular story is frightening--the abuse of a 16 year-old boy in front of his father in order to get the father to "break". Guilty or not, I'd do and say anything to prevent the abuse of my daughters.

I believe America needs to take a long hard look at itself and ask if the means justify the end? I would hope and pray that Christians would be at the forefront leading this discussion, but the realist/cynic in me believes that most Christians have a misplaced faith in our leaders to "do the right thing". My question to them is, "What would Jesus do?"

Why I blog

I've had several people ask me recently why I decided to start this blog so I thought I'd come clean.

Very quick background: I don't consider myself a bleeding-heart liberal Democrat. Likewise, I'm not a greed-is-good Republican either. I'm technically a libertarian who believes in limited (small) government, an equitable tax structure, diplomacy over bombs, and balancing the budget followed by paying off the debt. I actually prefer governmental gridlock--I think the less government "works", the less taxpayers get screwed.

Romans 14:13 says, "Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way."

As is pretty clear, I attend North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA. It bothers me walking through the church parking lot every Sunday morning where 90% of the minivans & SUVs have bumper stickers touting either Bush/Cheney '04, "W", or both. That is a huge stumbling block to me. My first thought on how to respond to these stickers was to apply a politically offensive one (an "F the President" might have caught someone's attention), but my wife convinced me otherwise pointing out that I would have been guilty of the same offense as the others. My wife is the rational one in our family, so she put a "God is not a Republican... or a Democrat" sticker on her minivan.

I had a Mennonite friend ask me last summer why I attend such a "Republican" church, and my response was, "you go where the need is greatest." I do like to hear Andy Stanley preach, but his occasional love-fest with our president usually prompts a letter from me.

So I really decided to start this blog because I needed a place to vent. It's helped me articulate my frustration with our government. If I open and influence a few hearts and minds along the way, that's great too. Of course the topics have evolved over the last 6 months, but I'll never stay quiet for long, especially when a christian demands the authority to torture. No wonder christianity has such a bad rap in the middle east--first the crusades, and now this!

VENGEANCE IS MINE

Once again the nutjob and Christian broadcaster (I've never found the two to be mutually exclusive), Pat Robertson, is in the news. Apparently today Robertson suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine punishment for dividing God's land.

I'd like to suggest an alternative. Methinks Sharon's stroke was the result of two things: 1) being 77 years old -and 2) the stress of being Prime Minister of Israel, a grueling and thankless job, at an age when he should be playing bingo and knocking back a few bloody Mary's. I'm no medical expert, but I know there's a 100% chance of dying. I'm too lazy to look this up, but I'm sure a stroke is one of the top 5 reasons a 77 year-old hits the EXIT button.

In Romans 12:19, Paul writes, "Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord. [New American Standard Bible translation]

I sometimes think Paul wasn't the most lucid author given all of the time he spent in jail, but in this case I can only hope he's right about vengeance because then I can trust that in due time, Pat will get the holy ass-whipping he so rightly deserves.

Taking the Christ out of Christmas

Some megachurches closing for Christmas
The Associated Press

[Dorkydad NOTE:  Yes, North Point is on the list. I’ve hated this practice ever since I showed up at North Point on the Sunday after Christmas with my Mom several years ago… only to find the doors locked. Talk about taking the “Christ” out of Christmas….]

This Christmas, no prayers will be said in several megachurches around the country. Even though the holiday falls this year on a Sunday, when churches normally host thousands for worship, pastors are canceling services, anti-cipating low attendance on what they call a family day.
Critics within the evangelical community, more accustomed to doing battle with department stores and public schools over keeping religion in Christmas, are stunned by the shutdown.
It is almost unheard of for a Christian church to cancel services on a Sunday, and opponents of the closures are accusing these congregations of bowing to secular culture.
"This is a consumer mentality at work: 'Let's not impose the church on people. Let's not make church in any way inconvenient,'" said David Wells, professor of history and systematic theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, a leading evangelical school in Hamilton, Mass. "I think what this does is feed into the individualism that is found throughout American culture, where everyone does their own thing."
The churches closing on Christmas plan multiple services in the days leading up to the holiday, including on Christmas Eve. Most normally do not hold Christmas Day services, preferring instead to mark the holiday in the days and night before. However, Sunday worship has been a Christian practice since ancient times.
Cally Parkinson, a spokeswoman for Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill., said church leaders decided that organizing services on a Christmas Sunday would not be the most effective use of staff and volunteer resources. The last time Christmas fell on a Sunday was 1994, and only a small number of people showed up to pray, she said.
"If our target and our mission is to reach the unchurched, basically the people who don't go to church, how likely is it that they'll be going to church on Christmas morning?" she said.
Among the other megachurches closing on Christmas Day are Southland Christian Church in Nicholasville, Ky., near Lexington, and Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas, outside of Dallas. North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Ga., outside of Atlanta, said on its website that no services will be held on Christmas Day or New Year's Day, which also falls on a Sunday. A spokesman for North Point did not respond to requests for comment.
The closures stand in stark contrast to Roman Catholic parishes, which will see some of their largest crowds of the year on Christmas, and mainline Protestant congregations such as the Episcopal, Methodist and Lutheran churches, where Sunday services are rarely if ever canceled.
Cindy Willison, a spokeswoman for the evangelical Southland Christian Church, said at least 500 volunteers are needed, along with staff, to run Sunday services for the estimated 8,000 people who usually attend. She said many of the volunteers appreciate the chance to spend Christmas with their families instead of working, although she said a few church members complained.
"If we weren't having services at all, I would probably tend to feel that we were too accommodating to the secular viewpoint, but we're having multiple services on Saturday and an additional service Friday night," Willison said. "We believe that you worship every day of the week, not just on a weekend, and you don't have to be in a church building to worship."
Troy Page, a spokesman for Fellowship Church, said the congregation was hardly shirking its religious obligations. Fellowship will hold 21 services in four locations in the days leading up to the holiday. Last year, more than 30,000 worshippers participated. "Doing them early allows you to reach people who may be leaving town Friday," Page said.
These megachurches are not alone in adjusting Sunday worship to accommodate families on Christmas. But most other congregations are scaling back services instead of closing their doors.
First Baptist Church in Daytona Beach, Fla., led by the Rev. Bobby Welch, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, will hold one service instead of the usual two. New Life Church in Colorado Springs, led by the Rev. Ted Haggard, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, will hold one Sunday service instead of the typical three.

LOST about finances?

I'm not a fan of the small group curriculum from Crown Financial Ministeries, so I'm really looking forward to hearing this series!

"Heroes" sermon by Andy Stanley

I still remember my first visit to North Point Community Church over four years ago. Andy Stanley is the pastor of North Point and happens to be the son of Charles Stanley who pastors First Baptist Church of Atlanta. My wife and I both have "Baptist baggage" from bad experiences with that denomination, so it was with great cynicism that we visited North Point. Visiting a church whose pastor is the son of a prominent Baptist preacher, we expected to hear a fire and brimstone sermon arrogantly delivered from a self-rightousness point of view, a lot of shouting, and a final altar call. Man, were we ever wrong.

Andy has a way of taking a book that's 2,000 years old and making it relevant to life today. And as a bonus, he does it with humor, sincerity, and a big dose of humility. My marriage is stronger, my friendships are deeper, and I'm a better Dad because of the growth experienced as a result of Andy Stanley and North Point. I never thought I'd get up before 7:00am and drive the 20 miles from Marietta to Alpharetta, GA, just to attend church, but I do. I can't imagine life without North Point Community Church (hereinafter referred to as North Point).

Since attending North Point, I'd never heard a questionable sermon from Andy or one that made me wonder where he was coming from until August when he delivered the 4-part "Heroes" series. In a nutshell, Andy made the case that a hero is defined as someone who has 1) clarity -and- 2) an irresistable urge to act. My immediate thoughts in hearing this definition were, "where is this in scripture" and "whose clarity?" In my humble opinion, he gave weak answers to both questions, but I hoped that perhaps in a followup sermon he would comprehensively address both.

As he usually does, in the second sermon of this series Andy gave several examples of individuals he considered heroes, one of whom I believe he's dead wrong about. Hearing what I considered to be blasphemy from the pulpit left me incensed. I figured that I had several options: 1) leave; 2) throw something at him; 3) listen to everything else he had to say and hope for a clarification. Option #1 was out because I would have had to yank my daughter out of Waumba Land (children's ministry). Sitting in the balcony gave me a great shot at tossing some vegetables towards the stage, but alas, all I had was my bible, notebook, and cell phone, and I didn't think this would pass the what-would-Jesus-do test.

So I tried to listen. I learned it's hard to listen when you're angry. I prayed for peace. I prayed for calm. I thanked God that I hadn't brought other like-minded friends, family, and neighbors who would never return to North Point had they heard this sermon. I prayed for patience. I also learned that it's difficult to believe someone's words after you feel they've spoken a lie. I did sit through the sermon, and my blood pressure fell, but unfortunately Andy offered no retraction or clarification. So I heeded Andy's closing challenge. With clarity and an irresistable urge to act, I felt compelled to share with Andy my experience.

I considered sending him an email, but I figured that there were several administrative assistants who managed and screened his email inbox. I could have phoned, but I figured with 18,000 regular attendees at North Point's Alpharetta campus that I'd have little chance of reaching him. I decided to write.

I've learned it's always wise to let someone else read a letter of this nature as I wanted to be sure my delivery was clear and not an impediment to the message I wished to convey. I listened to the sermon again online and then started writing. I took the wise counsel of my wife to make several changes and then mailed the letter. My hope was that the letter would at least reach Andy, but I had little expectation of ever getting a response. Again, Andy surprised me.

About a week and a half later, I was shocked to find a message on my home answering machine from none other than Andy Stanley. He had received my letter, read it, and wanted me to know that he'd meant no offense in his message. He offered his cell phone # if I wished to call him back, and then he thanked my wife and I for our involvement in leading a community group at North Point. Andy does his homework. I felt like I'd gotten a call from the Pope.

We traded several voice messages and finally spoke a couple of weeks later. He listened patiently. I think he heard me. Andy didn't change my mind about "Heroes"--I thought his definition of hero and biblical support were weak--I hated the series. It appears he adapted the series from his book, The Next Generation Leader [synopsis here] he wrote a few years ago, which IMHO would have made a better sermon.

Pastors deserve a mulligan every now and then. The last sermon in this series did touch on the subject of how a hero needs to do the right thing the right way at the right time, but it sounded like an afterthought and seemed to fall out of chronological order with the rest of the series. Regardless, the fact that Andy took the time to read my letter and respond speaks volumes about the kind of leader he is, and perhaps that is the message God wanted me to learn. As brothers in Christ we may not always agree, but we always need to listen.