People are people...not colors!

As a Christian, and even as a pastor, I am downright ashamed of how we view people. I was born and raised in the South East region of America from Virginia to South Carolina. As I study the history of our country and the region in which I live, I am appalled at how people were viewed and treated based on trivial information. People were seen by their status socially, their stance spiritually, their views politically, and even their skin racially. As I reflect on how ludacris this was, I realize that not a lot has changed in today's culture.

I am privileged to come from a family that has people from a variety of cultural backgrounds, and I don't reference them as a color; I refer to them as family. What if we labeled people by the differnce in body sizes? Or shape of their noses? Or quality or quantity of teeth? That is ridiculous, right? "Hey, the other day I was talking to this 'flat-nosed' guy who...". "can you believe what that 'mushroom-topper' did at...". I know it sounds funny, but it also sounds demeaning. What you are doing is qualifying a person with a single attribute like a flat nose or being too big for the pants they are wearing...yet we qualify people based on a single attribute of the pigmentation of their skin.

The idea of labeling people is one that goes beyond racial issues to social statuses,interests, personalities, and opinions. It is as if we as a society no longer value a person and their individualism; therefore, we label them in an effort to give some description or background to another person. What does it matter if someone is "wealthy", "poor", "old", "young", "outgoing", "introverted", "black", or "white"? Does that one label help to describe or give background to an individual? I don't believe it does, but I do believe that it creates tension between those being labeled and those labeling.

My goal in life is not to minister to "white" families or reach out to "black" families or help "Hispanic" families etc. My calling of God is to love people the way God loves them. I will not label people based on trivial descriptions of income, age, history, lifestyle, and especially not color of skin. God help the church to put down her constant labeling of people and love them like Jesus.

As I conclude, let me say that I have several friends that have darker pigmentation in their skin than I do, and I have several friends that don't have as much of a tan as I do. I don't have a black friend; I have a friend who is working hard and supporting his family and teaching them to love God and seve him. I also have a friend who is not faithful to his wife and is not a dad to his kids, and doesn't follow the God who created him. So my question is which one was a "white guy" and which one is a "black guy"? If you answered either shame on you. Both were said by people who need encouragement, love and need the Grace of God in their lives despite of what color their skin is.

Sometimes in our innocent comments we will label people as a color or some other defining term. Remember, that to God....people are people not colors.

Celebrating Mediocrity

I really enjoy watching football. I have played football in middle school and high school. Now that I am getting older and slower, I am enjoying playing flag football. I have coached JV Football. I enjoy spending Saturdays watching collegiate football and Sundays watching the NFL. However, this year I have really focused on college football.

I don't know if it is just me, but it seems that every college that has a football team is in a bowl game of some sort. This quandary got me thinking. Is being in a bowl game even that important anymore? I mean, if everyone gets to go to a celebratory bowl game then what's the point? I completely understand the National Championship game because it is crowning a championship football program (despite the obvious flaws that are in the BCS system). For example, The Ohio State made the Gator Bowl and received a 2.7 million dollar pay check for their school...with a 6-7 record. They were rewarded with a bowl game and a bunch of money for being a below-average team.

A few years ago, we hosted Upward sports at our church. I absolutely support the purpose and goal of Upward sports, but I have one problem with the dynamic in which it operates. As the kids play their sports, there is a play for fun mentality where no actual score is kept, and at the end of the season everyone receives an award for at least showing up. Really? Is it necessary to reward and acknowledge mediocrity?

No wonder kids today have the audacity and arrogance to tell their teachers, coaches, and parents, "No". We have created a culture that encourages laziness, self-awareness, compromise, and no personal responsibility. This is seen in family units, our nation's government, and even in collegiate sports.

Instead of celebrating mediocrity this year, perhaps you might just strive for excellence. Instead of blending in with your surroundings, stand out with confidence that God has big plans for those that are willing to step up to the call. Instead of waiting for later, get going today. Make the most of this year as you redeem the time that God has given you.

People in Hell care more about lost souls than Christians on earth

I had the privilege to speak at First Priority this week for Hartsville High School. As I was thinking of a challenge to share with them, my mind went back to a story that Jesus told while he was ministering with his disciples.

You may be quite familiar with the story of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man was very financially and socially stable, and he had about anything he wanted in life. Then there was Lazarus, a man who had absolutely no earthly possessions and was covered from head to toe in blisters and ulcers. And from the account that Jesus gives us, Lazarus lived outside of the rich man's gate. So the rich man, whom is not named, would have known Lazarus fairly well by seeing him everyday begging for food.

Well the day came and both of them had died. We are told by Jesus that Lazarus was in Abraham's side (Paradise) and the rich man was in Hades (Hell). There is quite a dialogue that takes place between the two. The rich man asks to leave from Hell and is told, "No." Then the rich man asks if Lazarus can come and drop a single drop of water from his finger into his mouth, and he is told "No." Then out of desperation he asks that Lazarus be sent to tell his family that Hell is real and that Jesus is truth.

The account that Jesus shares about the rich man and Lazarus is very interesting and challenging, but I saw something that I had not really paid attention too before. This rich man, who was forever in a place of torment, Hell, became so fully aware of the reality of Hell that he would do anything to warn his family about Hell. It made me stop and ask myself, "Do I care as much as this guy in Hell about those I see everyday?" Sometimes, I think Christians become so comfortable in their lives, their routines, their entertainment, that we forget about the destiny of all of those that do not surrender to Jesus.

How challenging it is to hear from the mouth of a man, who is eternally sentenced to torment in Hell, that he would do anything to see people find the truth and not spend eternity apart from Christ. Yet in our everyday lives, we live according to our comforts and desires versus God's direction and will.

What do you think?

Growing Up With Santa, Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, and Jesus

Driving home from church last night, I had a great conversation with my oldest son, Kyler, who is four. He has been on a kick recently that he is so excited about losing his teeth. I guess there are kids in his class that are beginning to lose their teeth, and, like all kids, he wants to be like them. As he was riding in his car seat, he began filling me in on the latest "Little Bear" episode that he had seen.

Little Bear had lost a tooth, and in the episode, he put his tooth under his pillow. So far, I am following his story and where he is going with it. Then the Tooth Fairy came and took his tooth and left a whistle under the pillow. At this point, I was thrilled. I thought that he was going to ask for cheap ten cent toy instead of cash, but he explained further. Little Bear was sad that he couldn't whistle due to the missing tooth, so the Tooth Fairy was going to help him out by giving him a whistle to blow.

He then proceeded to tell me his plans for losing his teeth. He wants to take his teeth and put them under his pillow and get a monster truck (proud dad). However, he didn't make mention of the Tooth Fairy bringing it; he said he wanted mommy and daddy to put a monster truck under his pillow. That made me smile.

Today's culture, even back into my generation in the late eighties, are growing up with this concept of Santa, Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. This idea is to make holidays and life events memorable and fun. Who wouldn't be excited about going and sitting on some sweating strangers lap that smells like "beef and cheese" and is some itchy red suit, right? Or standing in an extremely long line in the middle of the mall with several children just to get to the some giant rabbit that doesn't blink and lays eggs? And this one, a human sized fairy will wait until you have fallen asleep and creep into your bedroom, late at night, and take your germ infected tooth from under your head and replace it with an extremely germ infected dollar bill?

In all seriousness, these characters do make the holidays and life events very fun and memorable, but at what cost? I deal with students all the time that are struggling with the fact that Jesus is real. No longer is it a given that Jesus is who He said He is. They struggle with the reality of God, the reality of Heaven/Hell, the reality of purpose to life.

Could it be that in our attempts to inundate our children with fun and friendly characters that are so "real-like" when they are children, yet turn out to be fake (lies) as they get older, we have created a "real-like" character of Jesus in their minds that is then questioned as they mature? I am not saying that Santa is a scrambled spelling of Satan. Or that Easter Bunny is some demon-possessed creature. Or that the Tooth Fairy is some creepy sexual predator (although it is a creepy idea). I just wonder if our cultural "Characters" have hurt the reality of Jesus.

If I were taught that something was real, and I found out later that it wasn't; I would be hurt/bent toward that person and would probably distrust most, if not all, of what they told me. I, as a Pastor, and even as a Dad, don't want to send mixed messages to my sons. My hope is that they have a relationship with Jesus that shapes the way they live, transforms the way they think, and affects every person they meet. Is it worth ruining their trust in a real, living Savior to simply give the season's a little more "character"? I don't think so. For my kids, they will get gifts from Dad and Mom; they will celebrate Easter with Jesus and family; they will be rewarded for their bravery in losing their teeth by Dad and Mom. And through every season in life, they will be taught and shown JESUS.

What do you think?

Why I am for Slavery

Paul starts his letter to the Romans by introducing himself, which is typical in Paul's letters. Usually he will state "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus." Three times (Romans, Philippians, and Titus) he begins by writing "Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus." Then once he writes to Philemon, "Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus." I find his introductions to be very revealing of his view of Jesus. Most modern day Christians would love to be an 'apostle' of Jesus; most would hesitate at being a 'slave' of Jesus, and most would run from being a 'prisoner' of Jesus.

I hear back and forth people that title themselves for Jesus. I have heard of Jesus Freaks, Followers of Jesus, Soldiers of Christ, Army of the Lord, Family of God, Saints of the Lord, etc. I will occasionally even hear people refer the themselves as Servants of the Lord. But even a servant doesn't compare with what Paul was stating here. Paul's reference to his being a Slave of Christ Jesus is a powerful statement of relinquishing his rights.

Most of the titles we wear as Christians are positive in nature or pleasing in meaning. Who wouldn't want to 'follow' Jesus or be a part of God's 'family' or even be associated as a 'servant'? The reality is that the concept of slavery is so viewed negatively that it is a term that offends people. The understanding of Paul's title of a slave is key to our relationship with Christ.

As the Holy Spirit convicts us, and we respond to Him in submission which results in repentance; we enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ. We often abuse this relationship because of a misunderstanding of the relationship. We love the part of our relationship that brings freedom and liberty. We love the end result of this relationship which is spending eternity in Heaven. We focus on our side of the relationship that we typically neglect or purposefully ignore His side. We are called to surrender our lives and our everything to Christ. Essentially, we are to become Slaves of Christ.

The best picture of this that I can think of comes from an animated film that came out when I was in like 2nd Grade, Aladdin. In the movie, there was a genie in an ancient lamp. This genie was to grant any wishes to the boy, Aladdin, that rubbed the lamp. You see, most of the time we view ourselves as the boy and God as the genie, when in reality it is the opposite (kind of). At the end of the movie, Aladdin does the unspeakable and wishes the genie to be free. So now, the genie is free to do whatever he wants to do, yet is still capable of being a slave to his master. We are the genie that has been given amazing freedom, yet in our freedom we long to be slave to the one who freed us.

What do you think?

Where have I been

Wow! It seems as though I have not written a blog in years. (More like five years) Anyway, I want to get back sharing my thoughts, opinions, convictions, and passions. I want to get back into voicing the struggles that teenagers are facing. I desire to answer questions that parents are asking. I want to challenge some Christians to stop talking about their faith and start living it out. I may come across as offensive or highly opinionated, and if this is bothersome, then there are other blogs to read. I also plan on posting regarding the ministry at Emmanuel Baptist Church and all that God is doing through His church. Without drawing this out too much, this entry is simply a heads up that you will begin to hear back from me soon.

What would you do for a Klondike Bar?

When I was growing up, there used to be a commercial for Klondike Ice Cream that would ask the question, "What would you do for a Klondike Bar?" The ice cream was apparently so good that people would do anything just to eat that Klondike Bar. There would be people that would place their bodies in harmful, embarrassing, and awkward situations just to have this ice cream. I love Klondike Bars, but there are a whole lot of things that I would not do just for that ice cream.

Instead of ice cream, I want you to think about what you would do to inherit eternal life. There are people in this world that would give their life to kill others in order to win salvation. There are those who would help the needy to guarentee a spot in heaven. There are those who want to just sit back and do nothing but simply trust that Crhsit paid their way. There are some that believe in nothing and feel that if there is a heaven, we could never know; therefore, we have no eterenal destination. My answer to each of these responses is that there is a major lack of responsibility. They see no need to be responsible for the way we conuct our everyday lives, and there is no hope for an eternal home in heaven. Salvation is more than a decision.

Think about New Year's Resolutions. We all have made them..."I am going to lose weight"..."I am going to spend time reading God's Word"..."I am going to actually do my homework"..."I will never say never again (oops)"..."I am going to exercise." There are tons of decisions that people make on New Year's Eve that are good in their intentions, but they never become a reality. The reason is that a decision doesn't change you; your decision gives you the reason to change. If your decision is truly meaningful, you will probably fulfill that decision by changing.

God is not going to give the gift of salvation to someone who tries to work for it by killing people or doing good deeds. This would nullify the fact of it being a free gift. And yes, salvation does come by faith, but not dead faith. James tells us that faith without works is dead. Therefore, what would you do for salvation? Does your decision to trust Christ as Savior provoke you to live a changed life? A life that is holy and separated for God.

Klondike Bars are wonderful, but what would you do for eternal life?