Monday, September 19, 2005

Back To Basics Part II: Love is the Whole Enchilada

Back To Basics got so long that I left something very important out. I do not think the church of Jesus Christ in the United States is known by its love for one another and its neighbors (at least not nearly well enough):

John 13: 34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
Is it our eloquence that matters or the sweetness of our words? No:
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
Is it foreseeing future events; having all the knowledge the world wants or needs; or faith enough to move mountains? No:
If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
Is it giving everything to the poor; or being willing to die rather than deny God? No:
And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
The church of Jesus Christ in the United States needs a revival; and that revival can only start with, and flow from:
(Mark 12:28-31) Now58 one of the experts in the law59 came and heard them debating. When he saw that Jesus60 answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is: ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love61 the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’62 The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’63 There is no other commandment greater than these.
To: Back the Basics: The Series

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Saturday, September 17, 2005

Back To Basics

I said in "Seize the Land" that:

My church's teaching pastor, Carl Palmer, last week started the first of a three week series . . . The third will be a strategic vision of our churches spiritual and practical direction as we "ask God to do a new work in our church" . . . the elders and pastors have been struggling with how to turn up "the spiritual fire" in our church a few notches for Christ.
Here is that third sermon:

An Invitation to a Journey
[all the ideas and most of the language is Carl Palmer's]

Carl and our elders attended a conference about creating a vision for your church. The speaker talked about “holy discontent”: how sometimes in the Bible, before God gave someone a vision of the future He wanted them to pursue, God would stir up in them a holy discontent in their heart - something that would wreck their heart. Some examples are:

Carl's "holy discontent": Church as usual. A discontentedness with the Christian life as so many of us experience it:
  • that we are really nice people, but not that good;
  • that we are good people, but not that powerful; and
  • that in many ways our lives are very similiar to those who do not know our powerful God.
He is discontented because of the differences between the life promised by our Savior in scripture; and the lives lived by too many of us (not all, but too many). He longs to see God work in power among us; and for the church of Jesus Christ to get up and change the world God put us in.

He asks: What are you doing with your life? He admits this is meddling; but since God has been meddling in his life he thinks its our church's turn (and I see no reason why you should be left out). Why will our lives matter in 100 years? Why did God put us here; and why did God leave us here after we came to Christ? We need to answer these questions. We need to figure out our own "holy discontent" so we can figure out a vision for our lives.

Jesus came to invite those who love Him, and wish to love Him more, into a different life - a more powerful life. So that brings us to the "new thing"; the "thing" that will lead us into this different, more powerful life that Jesus wants for us. It is clear that so many of God's people are pulled in so many different directions by so many different things that we must come together and unite on some central theme or truth: figure out how to simplify. What is that central truth, the primary idea, the main thing - rooted in the Word of God - that God wants for us?
Now58 one of the experts in the law59 came and heard them debating. When he saw that Jesus60 answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is: ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love61 the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’62 The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’63 There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Carl points out that Jesus was very bold in placing these two Old Testament commandments together: this was new and would have been shocking to Jewish teachers at the time. The first half was the Shema: essentially the most important creed of Judaism. The joining of the two commandments together is called by many "The Jesus Creed". Jesus was giving a very simple message: Come to Me. Follow Me. I will teach you to love God with all of your being; and to love people the way God wants you to love them.

This is it. This is the "new thing" that is really quite old. We are going to learn to love God with our all; and love people as we love ourself. Many will say: "hey, we do that" or "This is what we are called to do and no problem here Pastor". But do we really do this? Carl questions whether it is even possible to love God with his all. He feels he does it at times - and then life happens. And what about the loving your neighbor thing? (And who is my neighbor?). He doesn't even like some of his neighbors; and more to the point, some do not like him.

Our church is going to focus on this until we do it; or until the Lord comes. The pastors and elders took a stab at expressing the vision this way:
We want to see God transform our lives and our world as we grow in a daily, practical experience of loving God and loving people.
This isn't about hearing this more - we have all heard it enough. As Carl points out, many in our church could stand up and teach these passages themselves. We have to ask ourselves "Do I love God with my whole being; and love my neighbor as myself?" We should all answer that we have a ways to go.

This isn't primarily about us - it is about the glory of God; but when you run into someone who truly loves God with their whole being they are magnetic. When you run into someone who genuinely loves you - who genuinely loves people - they are some of the most attractive people you know. Jesus came so that we could be transformed by the practical day-to-day experience of loving God with our all; and loving people as ourselves. This is the life He wants for us. Wouldn't you like to experience loving God with your whole being at least once before you are with Him?

What must we do to experience what God intends for us? Our church is going to focus on this, circle around it, learn it, memorize it - and be transformed by God-love. We are going to examine our programs and our spending by the questions: Does it help us love God and/or love people? Most of all we are going back to the basics - the Great Commandment - and work on doing that until we get it right. We are going back to the milk if we need to.

We are going to do this because God first loved us. We are going to wallow for awhile in the immense love of God for us so that we can see once again that our only right response is to love God and love people. Not only is this what we desperately need - it is what the world desperately needs: to see people who passionately love God; and passionately love them. No where in the following passage does it talk about attending church or praying a prayer:
Matthew 25:34 "Then the King will say to those on His right, `Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 `For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' . . . 40 "The King will answer and say to them, `Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'
We do not know all how this will work or all we will do. We need to start this in our own church. There are hundreds of people in our church (how about yours?) who are unloved and untouched. We learn to love the world by loving each other; and how can we begin to talk to the world about love if we do not love each other. We are going to work on this in our church until it is changed.

Carl invited us on this journey. This is no instant pill; no simple process. One sure thing is that we will have to do the scariest thing there is: change. If this works, this will be a work of God's grace and mercy - not our strength. We are convinced God wants us to go on this journey - He has told us to get packed.

I invite you to join us. You have to decide if this is the will of God for you; and if it is right and Biblical. I am sending this primarily to people who do not attend my personal church (and if you were close enough to come I would not want you to leave your current church home). This is an invitation to you to love God with your all, and love people as yourself, where you are.

Part II: Love is the Whole Enchilada

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Monday, September 12, 2005

Back to Basics: The Series

In "Back to Basics", Carl Palmer talked his "holy discontent" for church as usual. He and the elders wanted to get back to the root of God's desire for his people. That root is the Great Commandment:

Now58 one of the experts in the law59 came and heard them debating. When he saw that Jesus60 answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is: ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love61 the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’62 The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’63 There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Our pastors and elders developed this vision statement for our church:
We want to see God transform our lives and our world as we grow in a daily, practical experience of loving God and loving people.
We need transformation. This is not about knowing more; but about being changed from the inside out from an experience of becoming lovers.

Go read at Brain Cramps for God or Street Prophets

* * *
In "We Love Because", Carl explained that we must love like this because "God IS Love" and "God loved us first" - we are greatly loved.

Go read at Brain Cramps for God or Street Prophets

* * *
In "The Power to Love" we saw that the power to we love the unlovable; our neighbors as ourselves; and God with all of our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all of our strength came from the power of the Holy Spirit (Christ, God) in us. Rules, religion, church and the Bible all have no power to make us love – unless the Holy Spirit is involved.

Go read at Brain Cramps for God or Street Prophets

* * *
In "How to be Filled With the Holy Spirit", Carl taught that: 1) you must believe you can be filled; 2) you must desire to be filled; and 3) you must submit to the leading of the spirit.

Go read at Brain Cramps for God or Street Prophets

* * *
In " 'Filled' - Overcome and Become", Carl talked about the struggle with our "sinful nature" that the entry of the Holy Spirit into ourselves sets off. God’s main purpose is for us is: To overcome the power of “the sinful nature”; and to become people who live in “the fruit of the Spirit.” It is two words: overcome and become.

Go read at Brain Cramps for God or Street Prophets

* * *
In "How to Hear God Speak", Carl examines three questions: 1) Does God speak today, and to us?; 2) how can I hear God’s voice in my life; and 3) how does God speak today?.

Go read at Brain Cramps for God or Street Prophets

* * *
In "Why Love Is the Great Command", Carl gives four reasons (among many) about why love is central to Jesus's central command to us: 1) Love accomplishes what God requires; 2) love lifts us above earning our way; 3) love is the most effective motivation; and 4) love is the most excellent way to live

Go read at Brain Cramps for God or Street Prophets

* * *
In "How To Love God With All Your Heart", Carl says we must love God first; and to relate to all things through our "first love" for God.

Go read at Brain Cramps for God or Street Prophets

* * *
In "Loving God with All Your Soul", Carl says to “love God with all my soul” is to love God with a real and passionate love - a whole-life love.

Go read at Brain Cramps for God or Street Prophets

* * *
In "Loving God with All Your Mind", Carl says to “love God with all my mind” is to give ourselves to a determined pursuit of truth; bring our mind under the lordship of Christ; and to pursue having a mind that is "on fire" with the truth about God.

Go read at Brain Cramps for God or Street Prophets

* * *
"Loving God with All Our Strength", Carl says loving God with all our strength is to see every ability as a means to express love for God; and to live as a dependent “receiver” and a consistent “giver” of what God gives to me.

Go read at Brain Cramps for God or Street Prophets

* * *
"Loving Our Neighbors as Ourselves"

Go read at Brain Cramps for God or Street Prophets

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Wednesday, September 07, 2005

My Katrina Links and Nagin Rant

I am trying very hard to stay out of the blame game. However, I must say that one person in the chain has earned my contempt - Mayor Nagin from New Orleans. The man is at best a fool not worthy of his job; at worst a criminal. Outside of that, this will be where I link articles I find good; discussions I have been in; arguments I have come to make; and philosophical/religious arguments worth reading.

Let's start out with this chronology. It is being updated (at least through 9/7) and he is actively seeking anyone who can give him confirmed, linkable information to adjust the chronology with. Part of this is coupled with my:

Nagin Rant
[I probably wouldn't go off on him if not for his appearance on Oprah]

Who is most responsible to the people of New Orleans. Is it local government with only that as a responsibility - or the federal government with the whole country to oversee? It has got to be the locals. Look at this section of the very good timeline [My comments in brackets]:

* * *
Saturday Afternoon:

[Just before this (see here )the hurricane was upgraded to a 3 (limit of levies) and expected to hit land as a 4]

A press conference with Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco sounded the alarm. The Mayor urged residents to take the storm seriously saying to residents of low lying areas, “We want you to take this a little more seriously and start moving — right now, as a matter of fact,” Nagin said he would open the Superdome as a shelter of “last resort” for people with “special needs.”

He advised anyone planning to stay there to bring there own food, drinks and other comforts such as folding chairs, as if planning to go camping.

“No weapons, no large items, and bring small quanties of food for three or four days, to be safe,” he said.


Also: "This is not a test. This is the real deal,” Nagin said. “Things could change, but as of right now, New Orleans is definitely the target for this hurricane.” The mayor said he would stick with the state’s evacuation plan and not officially call for residents to leave until 30 hours before expected landfall, allowing residents in low-lying surrounding areas to leave first. But he recommended residents in low-lying areas of the city, such as Algiers and the 9th Ward, get a head start." [I think he is ahead, and behind, the game here. The New Orleans plan called for evacuation anywhere up to 72 hours. Later, the National Hurricane Center warns that the storm surge could come over the dikes up to 32 hours before landfall. The state plan was too short term; but he tries to get people moving early. Did he send buses into these areas to help those without transport get out? Nope]

Nagin spokeswoman Tami Frazier stressed that the mayor does not want citizens to plan on staying in the Dome—instead, they should make arrangements to leave the city if possible. [My emphasis: NO!!: The start of the Superdome Plan. This is when those school buses, and RTA, should have been moving. Anybody showing up at the superdome without a way out of town should have been loaded up as they showed up.]

Police Superintendent Edward Compass said that looters would be “dealt with severly and harshly and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

By mid-afternoon, officials in Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, Lafourche, Terrebonne and Jefferson parishes had called for voluntary or mandatory evacuations.

THE MISTAKE!!!!
this is where people died and got hung out to dry at the Superdome

Mayor Nagin issued a voluntary evacuation order at 5:00 PM

Nagin said late Saturday that he’s having his legal staff look into whether he can order a mandatory evacuation of the city, a step he’s been hesitant to do because of potential liability on the part of the city for closing hotels and other businesses. [My emphasis: I think he should be indicted for not calling for a mandatory at this point - especially for this reason. School buses, and RTA buses should be moving. Contraflow established] “Come the first break of light in the morning, you may have the first mandatory evacuation of New Orleans,” Nagin told WWL-TV.

The National Hurricane Center warns officials that Katrina is strengthening and will probably make landfall as a Category 4 or 5. This is really scary. This is not a test, as your governor said earlier today. This is the real thing,” said Director Max Mayfield. “The bottom line is this is a worst-case scenario and everybody needs to recognize it,” he said.

National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield calls Mayor Nagin at his home telling him that a mandatory evacuation was needed. Revised 9/7

SUNDAY, AUGUST 28
Morning

By 8:00 AM, Katrina, a category 5 hurricane, is headed straight for New Orleans. According to this piece in Editor and Publisher FEMA Director Brown, DHS Secretary Chertoff as well as local and state officials are informed by National Hurricane Director Max Mayfield via electronic briefing that the storm will cause massive damage and flooding – including levee breaches – in New Orleans 32 hours before the eye of the storm makes landfall. Revised 9/6

The Superdome opens at 8:00 AM and begins to take people in. [Buses, buses, where are the buses?]

In the face of a catastrophic Hurricane Katrina, a mandatory evacuation was ordered Sunday for New Orleans by Mayor Ray Nagin. [9:30am: At least 16 hours late]

Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference, said President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation. The President’s call came just prior to the news conference and occurred
after the decision had already been made for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding. Revised 9/6 (HT: Jay) Lexis-Nexis Subscription needed to access link.

“There doesn’t seem to be any relief in sight,” Blanco said.

The Mayor’s office announces at 9:30 AM that RTA (Regional Transit Authority) busses will pick people up at 12 locations throughout the city and take them to shelters – including the Superdome [My emphasis: The Superdome again? This is about 18 hours after he advised people to get out of low-lying areas; and 16 hours after voluntary evac notice]. This despite the city’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan that calls for busses to be used to evacuate citizens out of the city. Revised 9/7

At 11:30 AM
the President delivers a statement vowing to help those affected by the hurricane.

By noon, the city puts its
contraflow traffic system in effect so that both sides of major highways will allow for traffic out of the city.
* * *

Read the rest of the timeline. He updates it as he gets more information.

Discussions/philosophy:
Deliver Us From Evils. Subsidizing Subsidiarity. On the Wrath of God. The Compact of Civil Societies
News/Information:
Eurota(MSM: Questions Answered, Loops Closed , In Their Own Words, A Continuing Series and Blamestorming Under the Radar ). Interactive Map. The nomination of Michael Brown to head FEMA, Read from here up, What Went Wrong at Superdome and Convention Center; Faulty levies, not Overtopping; Death Toll at Superdome

Opinions of Note:

The View From a Professional.

Royal Buck Passing (and other degenerate blaming):
Nagin Blames Others (and Asks for Buses!), Some local and state folk, Killed by Contempt (and The Fulminator)
Political swats:

Send me any links you think should go on the list.

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Saturday, September 03, 2005

Seize the Land

Disclaimer:Nothing in this post can be assumed to support any physical invasion of anyplace by anyone at anytime for any reason. However, I do not want you to think that any invasion of anyone at anytime for any reason would be wrong in God's eyes. Further, this has nothing to do with any blessing, or lack thereof, visited (or not) on anybody by God -- but He does give and take away.
My church's teaching pastor, Carl Palmer, last week started the first of a three week series. The first two are the theological underpinnings of the third. The third will be a strategic vision of our churches spiritual and practical direction as we "ask God to do a new work in our church". I am excited to see what this direction will be - Carl has been "fired up" for about a year and a half; and the elders and pastors have been struggling with how to turn up "the spiritual fire" in our church a few notches for Christ.

That really wasn't last weeks impact on me though. Ten years ago I was a "baby Christian" at my first men's retreat. The speaker was
H.B. London Jr.. I had come to Christ in April of 1995; and in October 1995 London gave a talk on Joshua and Caleb from Numbers 13-14. Israel had been freed from captivity in Egypt with "great signs and wonders"; and after crossing the Sinai had arrived at the edge of Canaan - the land promised to them by God. The crossing of the Sinai had been marked by amazing provision by God; and whining and rebellion of Biblical proportion by Israel. Now as any wise military commander does Israel sent twelve (12) spies into the Promised Land to assess its riches and its defenders.

Numbers 13: 27 Thus they told him, and said, "We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 "Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified {and} very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 "Amalek is living in the land of the Negev and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites are living in the hill country, and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan."
That was what all twelve agreed on:
30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, "We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it."
Which started an argument from 10 of the 12 in Numbers 13:31-33; and another world class whine and rebellion from the Israel masses in Numbers 14:1-4. Caleb and Joshua, in the face of this rebellion, make the point (the only point):
14: 6 Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, " The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 "If the LORD is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us-- a land which flows with milk and honey. 9 "Only do not rebel against the LORD; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them."
Read on about God's reaction to this rebellion, and Moses defense of the rebellious.

H.B. London's point is that we, as Christians, come up on the edge of the God's promises to us and that we fail to trust Him and His promises and "seize the land". We stand, right on the edge of the good life (this has nothing to do with material goods and wealth) God intends for us, and through fear and disbelief we simply allow the enemies of our faith, and relationship with God, to stand in our way. In Israel's case, God turned them away from His promises for 40 years until the whole generation of rebels was dead - and then brought them back to the edge of the Jordan, and the Promised Land, once more.

Which brings us to last Sunday and Carl's message from
Deuteronomy 6. Israel is back at the edge of the Promised Land, and Moses is telling them how they need to Live in the Promised Land. The conclusions of the sermon:
  1. We will know the good life -- only by fearing God and obeying His ways. (6:1-3)
  2. We are called into a total love relationship with God.
  3. We must never forget His ways -- and always impress them on our children. (6:4-9)
  4. In our prosperity, we must always remember God has given us all we have. (6:10-12)
  5. We must never let anything take His place in our lives. (6:13-19)
  6. Doing what He says is "right and good" brings His blessing.
  7. We must never forget what we were rescued from -- and continuously tell the story of what He has done for us. (6:20-25)
  8. He has "brought us out" in order to "bring us in" to the good life He has designed for us.
I realize that for the last 10 years I too have wandered in the wilderness; and have not crossed into the Promised Land, defeated the enemies of my righteousness with God's help, and taken God's promises to myself. It is my prayer that I do not hear a similiar message in another 10 years with a similiar reaction.

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