Call me irresponsible

"He is no fool who gives that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." -- Jim Elliot

"My most recent faith struggle is not one of intellect. I don’t really do that anymore. Sooner or later you just figure out there are some guys who don’t believe in God and they can prove He doesn't exist, and there are some other guys who do believe in God and they can prove He does exist, and the argument stopped being about God a long time ago and now it’s about who is smarter, and honestly I don’t care." ~ Donald Miller

It seems on any given weekend you can scroll mindlessly through the cable channels looking for something to watch and you will probably stumble upon the film Forrest Gump. It is an entertaining film with many memorable characters and lines. The film directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks is based on a book by the same name by Winston Groom, and it follows the life of the title character from childhood into fatherhood. While Forrest is viewed by all as an idiot or a simpleton he displays honesty, dignity, loyalty, bravery, heroism and even more wisdom and the ability to make better choices than many of those he encounters that possess a higher IQ.

Forrest’s rock is his mama and she always seems to have the ability to explain things to him in way’s he can comprehend. When people tell him he is stupid his reply is “Mama always said that stupid is as stupid does." Forrest’s "Stupid is as stupid does" is a variant of an old adage, "Handsome is as handsome does." This saying appears in J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" and in Herman Melville's "Billy Budd," and can be traced as far back as the 14th Century. "Handsome is as handsome does" basically means that true handsomeness has to do with a person's behavior, not just a handsome face. The saying is also phrased in the forms "Pretty is as pretty does" and "Beauty is as beauty does."

Forrest's version of the saying means that stupidity is not just a surface thing derived from a person's looks. Stupidity is a matter of deeds, not appearances. Like the other versions, it comes down to this: judge people by what they do, not by how they appear. While the world views Forrest as a simpleton they are unwittingly touched by him and he serves as a mediator and unifying factor to eventually help them redeem a once pitiful, shallow and empty existence.

I am surprised at times how people react to the fact that I express no embarrassment telling them that I believe and follow the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. I suppose that shouldn’t surprise me, but admittedly it does. I don’t think people can truly grasp that people have placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, rarely do this “blindly” as we are often accused of. I can look you square in the eyes and tell you that no decision or choice I have made in my entire life has received as much thought or attention. I have not spent even one sixteenth the amount of thought or effort making life changing decisions as I have in wrestling and agonizing over should I believe the Gospel message. I did not put nearly as much effort into choosing where to go to college, who I was going to marry, if I would be a father, where I would live or what job I was going to take. That is not to say that I stepped into any of those decisions without thought or even prayer. I am just attempting to impress upon you that I have invested nearly a half a century asking myself is it worth it to follow Jesus and should I continue to do so?

People often attempt to marginalize the decision that others make to accept Jesus Christ as the only means to reconciliation with God. They say that it is a product of your subculture, up bringing, a lack of reason or intelligence and even an outcropping of one’s national heritage. To that I would say; not hardly! Even though I was raised in a Christian home and regularly attended church nobody could force me to listen to what was being said. I had the option of mentally checking out and to be frank I often did. Nobody made me read my Bible and more times then I care to admit I didn’t. And even after I graduated from college and started a family of my own, I clearly had the freedom to go my own way and for a period time I actually did. I didn’t have anyone in my immediate family within a 2 to 3 hour radius of me and I could do what I wanted, when I wanted. But ultimately none of these choices offered me the freedom, joy, peace and satisfaction that the Gospel could. A good job, security and a steady income have never given me what the Gospel offered. I never felt more alive than the day that I placed my faith and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ. And as I have learned more about Him and His matchless gift of grace and mercy it has given my life a deeper and greater meaning and purpose.

I have made poor choices and suffered the consequences and I have ignored God’s Word to my own detriment. The idea that I am a sinner is not hard for me to accept at all. I know me, I know how I think, I know my motives and I know what I secretly want to say or do sometimes. People can see the exterior of a nice and friendly person but they fortunately cannot see inside my head. They don’t see the times of anger, bitterness, annoyance, frustration, pride or self righteousness. I have no problem accepting the concept of sin and the fact that I have offended God and I need His pardon. I know myself all too well, and a good friend reminds me that deep down inside we all know, we know. The words of John Newton echo in my mind; “...I remember two things -- that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior." What truly amazes me is that as I grow in my knowledge of God and His Word these distasteful and sinful aspects of my character lessen over time and how I respond and react have dramatically changed over the years. Older and wiser or mellowing cannot account for the change that has occurred over the course of my life and it is by no means any credit to me, but all credit goes to the author of that change; my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I have not drunk any Kool-aid, I am not a member of a cult and I am not saying I have never wavered or doubted. But even when I doubt, or entertain and examine the alternatives to the Gospel all it does is strength my faith and my resolve that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and no one can come to Father (God) but through Him. I am not embarrassed in that exclusive statement and I say it with conviction and boldness. Truth by it’s very nature is exclusive. Don’t believe it then wrestle and agonize with it yourself. Make your choice but don’t be intellectually or spiritually lazy; Jesus doesn’t give you that option. C.S. Lewis said it well when he penned; "Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."

Some want to accuse Christians of adopting our faith as a form of intellectual laziness and maybe in some cases that is true. But I found out very early in life telling a skeptic I believe something because that is what my parents, pastor, church or school said may work in a cloistered environment but it holds no weight in the real world. “If one stakes out an ethical position on any topic, the assumption is that you have to defend it. Quite frankly defending ideas is hard work.”¹ Rather than ignoring the question, embrace it, wrestle with it and consider alternatives to your worldview, but don’t just give up seeking answers. Don’t abdicate the responsibility to others and just accept what they are telling you without doing the heavy lifting for yourself. I have to admit that I have some respect for an atheist because at a minimum he or she is putting a stake in the ground and they have taken a definitive position on the matter. As Teddy Roosevelt once said; “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…”² Get into the arena and wrestle with life’s biggest question; is there a God and if so what does He expect of me?

When Winston Groomed penned stupid is as stupid does he was very close to echoing Psalm 14:1 when David wrote; “The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." Rather than write it off investigate it for yourself. Taste and see that the Lord is good!

"Since Jesus Came into My Heart" by Rufus H. McDaniel

What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought
Since Jesus came into my heart!
I have light in my soul for which long I had sought,
Since Jesus came into my heart!

Since Jesus came into my heart,
Since Jesus came into my heart,
Floods of joy o’er my soul
Like the sea billows roll,
Since Jesus came into my heart.

"It is not as a child that I believe and confess Jesus Christ. My hosanna is born of a furnace of doubt." ~ Fyodor Dostovevski

“You cannot live faithfully in this life unless you are ready for the next.” ~ D.A. Carson

^1”Hidden Worldviews; Eight Cultural Stories that Shape Our Lives” by Steve Wilkins and Mark L Sanford pg 86

²Excerpt from the speech "Citizenship In A Republic", delivered at the Sorbonne, in Paris, France on 23 April, 1910

Keeping up appearances

“I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” ~ Gandhi

“Men and brethren, if you pray at all, pray God to make you real, through and
through.” ~ Charles Spurgeon

I am a fan of BBC television and enjoy their sitcoms, dramas and mystery programs. Maybe it’s the accent or possibly it’s that they tend to have a more cerebral bent to their entertainment. Maybe it’s because American sitcoms and dramas are too predictable, formulaic or infantile in their story development. Before I give you the false impression that I am an elitist PBS snob, keep in mind that I am drawn to their comedy programming that can at times be too irreverent and down right bawdy. With this in mind I have to be careful not to laugh or approve of what is not pure, and good and right.

One show that my wife introduced me to is Keeping Up Appearances starring Patricia Routledge as the social-climbing snob and eccentric Hyacinth Bucket, (pronounced bouquet by Hyacinth but bucket by everyone else.) Hyacinth is constantly trying to give the impression that she is a woman of class and dignity, and loves to name-drop when she sniffs an opportunity to impress. She constantly attempts to visit stately homes and host candlelight suppers. Her goal is to impress her neighbors, friends and of course “important” people. Her efforts are thwarted however by her ne’er do well sisters Daisy and Rose, as well as Daisy’s “bone-idle” husband Onslow. She is constantly trying to avoid them at all costs, but they tend to show up at the most inopportune moments. Hyacinth frequently tells her beleaguered husband; "Richard, you know I love my family, but that's no reason why I should have to acknowledge them in broad daylight!" Sadly, everyone goes to great lengths to avoid that horrid “Bucket woman” and they find her company insufferable.

During my teen years I regularly attended an Independent Baptist church. One thing that I found particularly vexing was when various members of the church would act one way on Sundays but completely different the other six days of the week and I used this as a rationalization to dampen my commitment. Call it what you want; inconsistent, sanctimonious, holier-than-thou or a “poser”. There are many terms used to describe what everyone commonly calls hypocrisy. As a matter of fact a common objection used by non-church attendees, or those not part of a Gospel believing community is that they will not attend church because it is full of hypocrites. In his book “The Ten Most Common Objections to Christianity” author Alex McFarland lists this accusation in his top ten. While his book focuses primarily on refuting straw men and baseless objections to faith in Christ, he readily concedes that this objection is sadly true. McFarland states; “Many Christians – perhaps all Christians are hypocrites. We don’t live up to our highest aspirations for ourselves. And we certainly don’t live up to the standard that God set for us in Scripture, or the standard that Jesus lived.” As much as I want to deny it, I am guilty as charged. In the infamous words of Walt Kelly’s Pogo; We have met the enemy and he is us.

What exactly is hypocrisy and how is it defined? Merriam Webster states; “a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one does not; especially: the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion.” Our modern English word actually comes directly from the Greek hypokritēs which is found in the New Testament of the Bible. In the original Greek the word is defined as an actor, stage player or pretender. The word itself is found in the Bible over 30 times and in most instances it is uttered by Jesus Christ to confront the “religious.” So while Christians may bristle at statements made by the likes of Gandhi, the stark reality is that we would do well to humbly acknowledge the bitter truth of his commentary of those claiming to be “of Christ.”

The key issue for observers of the church is what Steve Wilkens and Mark Sanford describe in their book Hidden Worldviews as that of confessional beliefs and convictional beliefs. They state that confessional beliefs are ideas that remain exclusively on the intellectual level versus convictional beliefs that are reflected in our actions. Basically we have great intentions but we fail to live up to the Gospel we proclaim. The watching world doesn’t care so much what we say, but what we do. If we are just half as good of a Christian as we think or try to convince others we are, then we wouldn’t have needed Christ’s perfect sacrifice. If that statement offends you then maybe you do not truly understand the Gospel.

Wilkens and Sanford rightly state “Christians often find it much easier to talk a good game by reciting the right creeds and embracing the proper doctrinal statements than to actually live by the principles embodied in them.” When we are accused of being inconsistent or hypocrites maybe our response should be one of humility and self reflection rather than lashing back with “I know you are but what am I!?!” Could it be that people claiming to be changed by the Gospel need to humbly acknowledge that we battle with hypocritical attitudes and actions? Is our lack of humility a stumbling block to the beauty of the Gospel? Even if the accusation is baseless how we respond can open or close the door to the opportunity to reflect Christ.

But with that being said, my inconsistency or hypocrisy does not prove or disprove the truth of Christianity. And whether other belief systems want to acknowledge the elephant in the room the fact of the matter is that Christianity has not cornered the market on hypocrisy. In many cases using the excuse that you won’t go to church because it is full of hypocrites or pointing out inconsistency in the lives of others is simply a crafty canard to shift attention from the matter at hand; where are we spiritually? It is a red herring meant to throw a dog off the scent. A red herring is a rhetorical or literary tactic of diverting attention away from an item of significance; in this case the message of the Gospel. When it is employed it usually is a means of deception, loaded words or a false emphasis to confuse or throw someone off their game. But it is not simply a tactic that is used by those not part of a Gospel believing community. It is also used by Christians against their peers and leaders to rationalize away a lack of personal zeal for the Gospel. I should know…I have employed it myself.

Are Christians inconsistent and hypocrites at times? Absolutely, but so are “non-Christians.” Turn on your TV or look in your mirror and like charity, hypocrisy begins at home. We tell our kids to tell the truth but we tell “white lies” at work or to our spouses. We talk about civility and respect but secretly tear down or demonize people that don’t share our ideology. We rail against “fat cat politicians” or the Wall Street elite taking advantage of the little guy yet we don’t help the homeless, soup kitchens or food pantries. We exhort our children to be nice to others but cut people off on the highway or race for the free parking spot. Or perhaps we believe in karma and hope for “divine retribution” for those who do what we deem is reprehensible, but of course it only applies to those who don’t share our particular political stance or world-view. The “non-Christian” is also prone to confessional beliefs that are not convictional.

A prime example of “do what I say…” is the Hollywood community. They preach the “religion of Green” but their carbon footprint dwarfs small countries. Actors and producers own multiple homes and typically don’t fly commercial. They have award shows ad nauseum, and the cost to host and produce these banquets could fund multiple homeless families. And when is the last time you saw them pull up in a Prius stretch limousine? Yet Hollywood takes great pleasure in depicting anyone of faith as a charlatan or harboring ill intent. It is simply “freaking pointing” or trotting out the worst offenders rather than acknowledging this is the exception rather than the rule.

Wilkens and Sanford point out that; “Christians are not the only people susceptible to incongruity (or hypocrisy, if you prefer that word). In extreme circumstances, scientific naturalists may find themselves in prayer to God. A moral relativist may live as if universal moral standards do exist.” They go on to say that “a bedrock belief for moral relativism is that no universally valid moral principles exist. However, a second relativist conviction is that we should be tolerant of those whose moral views differ from ours. The glaring contradiction here is that the demand for tolerance by all and for all is a moral standard that is inconsistent with the relativist’s claim that no universal moral standards exist.” If there are no moral absolutes then we shouldn’t get mad if the bank or employer shorts our check, if someone cuts us off in traffic or someone betrays a confidence. It’s all relative. I guess the adage of people that live in glass houses doesn’t apply.

I could go on with examples like a neo-Darwinist that believes in natural selection or “survival of the fittest” but fights for endangered species or against genocide in Darfur. We want ethics violations prosecuted to the full extent of the law for “the opposition”, but we believe in second chances or forgive and forget for those we support. Or consider the inconsistency of those fighting for animal rights or vegans while wearing leather shoes, wool clothing and using personal hygiene products made from animal byproducts. All of these examples are just the tip of the iceberg. To get away from hypocrisy we might run off and live in a cave, but that would fail because we would still be there.

In Romans 2 the apostle Paul warns that in passing judgment on others we condemn ourselves. The sobering thing about this passage and the previous chapter is that if God’s standard is ignored then we will be judged by our own standard which we are not even able to keep. The inconsistency we despise will be our ultimate undoing. Are church goers hypocrites? Yes, but we could use some more so why don’t you join us? We can bemoan the hypocrisy we see in others but in the end we each will have to individually give an answer to the question what did we do with Jesus? What did we do with the truth of the Gospel? Blaming the inconsistency of others will not hold up in the court of God.

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ pretense can kill our witness. If we are inconsistent or hypocritical we need to humbly acknowledge that we do fail and look to the Gospel again and again. Don’t pretend or try to give the impression of living out the Gospel, but strive through the power of the Holy Spirit to be a sweet smelling savor, a bouquet and not an old bucket in the nostrils of God. Don’t just keep up appearances. Strive to be a reflection of Christ.

“For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” ~ 1 Peter 2:20-21

This is who I am

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” ~ Ephesians 2:8-10

Maybe you have just stumbled on to my blog and wondered what is up with this guy? Or maybe you and I are acquainted or we have reconnected through a social networking page and you think; this guy is some kind of Jesus Freak…why is he always posting this religious stuff? He must be fanatical or just wound a little too tight. I have a confession to make…you may be onto something because my faith in Jesus Christ is the most important thing in my life and it is what I hope is my magnificent obsession.

I started this blog a month and a half ago and I am not really sure what will become of it, or even if God will use it any way. It seems more than presumptuous to think that anything I write here will have a lasting impact. That is not false humility especially for those that know me well. Truth is I am very aware that I am a mess or a work in progress, and I am all too cognizant of where I came from, what I think and how I have lived my life. There have been hurt feelings and casualties along the way, so there is no halo on my head and no perfection claimed. Here in the south when we want to say something bad about a person we grant ourselves “license” by saying something disparaging and prefacing it with; “Bless their heart” or “But they love the Lord.” I am pretty sure that is the general reaction whenever my name comes up, and I am okay with that.

Recently my friend shared with me a prayer he prayed prior to the start of his class. He prayed; "Lord, thank you that your love is fixed on your children, and that we can't do anything to make you love us more, or anything to make you love us less. Thank you that in Christ we are welcomed and accepted." This prayer was startling for one of his students because he felt that God blesses us more when we have “good days” or doing “religious” things and blesses us less when we don’t. Sadly that skewed view of life in Christ is held by many believers.

You see it took me a very long time to come to the realization that there was only standard I will be measured by, and that is God’s holy standard. The only One that could keep that standard and meet the requirements was Jesus Christ and that by placing my faith in Him I was immediately and completely free from the condemnation or results of my rebellion. It took me years to come to the realization that there was nothing I could do to make God love me more and nothing I could ever do to make Him stop loving me. I perform for an audience of One.

I am into music, and lyrics that have a special meaning for me. I heard this song recently to which I can totally relate to. It starts; “I found myself looking in the mirror, knew I wasn’t who I wanted to be. I was living like the way that I wanted, but my eyes reminded me I am not free.” You see I spent most of my adult life living my life how I wanted to live it. I did what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it. Sure I was a “good family man” but my motivation was moving up the Corporate ladder, padding my bank account and pursuing all of those things I wanted to buy. In the book of Ecclesiastes which is written by King Solomon he talks about everything being vanity of vanities or basically the pursuit of money, knowledge, material possessions, entertainment and pleasure is empty and meaningless. I can so relate to that. I thought that once I got married, had kids, got the house, dog and the bank account I would be happy. None of these things are bad, but they were the things I thought would bring me peace, satisfaction, contentment and fulfillment. I didn’t like the man I saw in the mirror and my eyes told me I was not free.

“Believed I saw everything I know, says I got to go, tired of going solo…but I am never gonna go there again.” When I get into a hobby or an activity I never do it half heartedly. When I was into hunting I would obsess about some new piece of equipment, a gun, a tree stand or something else that I thought I needed or thought would make happy. I would plot and scheme on how I could get it and how I could justify buying it. It wasn’t just hunting equipment but camping gear, hiking stuff and electronics. I loved the pursuit and buying things was a way to hide my depression and lack of contentment. But once I got the thing the joy was short lived and I was on to the next best thing in the hope it would bring me satisfaction. I got tired of going solo and realized that I was going no where fast.

“This is what it is, this is who I am, this is where I finally make my stand. I didn’t want to fall, but I don’t have to crawl, I met the One with two nail scarred hands.” I had made a profession of faith or accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior in November 1982. But even though I made that public declaration I still struggled with finding true peace and contentment. I had a series of crises in my life in my late 30’s that basically were watershed moments. We all have these points in our life where we are faced with the stark reality of our mortality or that everything we thought was true lets us down. My “religion” up that point was all for show and I was able to compartmentalize my life; one way on Sundays or when I was with my Christian friends and then a completely different way when I wasn’t. I came to the realization that faith in Jesus Christ required more than just a half-hearted commitment. After all He didn’t go half way for me when He bore my guilt and my shame on the Cross. He gave Himself completely and anything and everything I give back to Him in obedience, service and worship only pales in comparison. God wants the whole me; the will, the intellect and the emotion and anything less is cosmic treason. But I give it back willingly and joyfully because of the great debt I owe. It is not empty, tedious or demanding but where I find true joy, peace, contentment and fulfillment.

“Giving Him the best of everything that’s left of the life that’s inside this man…I’ve been Born Again.” Because He gave me His best and imputed or credited His righteousness to my account I want to give Him my best in return. While that is my desire and stated goal I recognize that more often than I care to admit I fall short. But I can rest in the comfort that my salvation is secured and that I am still completely loved by the One who gave His all for me. This motivates me to press on and gives me joy and peace that nothing else can.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” ~ Galatians 2:20

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17

This is who I am!