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Meet Yoda - The World's Ugliest Dog

Meet "Yoda" - This year's choice for world's ugliest dog. The Chinese-crested Chihuahua mix won the prize in Northern California this week. Yikes.

Why Don't People Like LeBron?

Now that the NBA Finals is in the books, I want to ask: Why do some people loathe LeBron James? I'm not sure those busy dancing on LeBron's grave this morning are all that sure. For many, they just know there's something about him they don't like. Ironically, the same was/is true of Dirk Nowitzki. Every year, Dirk and the Mavericks have endured the infamous and overblown "can't win the big one," "soft," or "choker" label. This year, though, everyone began rooting for them--largely because they were facing LeBron James and the Heat. Why?

Here's my crack at it:

I actually really, really liked LeBron until his move to the Heat. I loved the idea of an awful franchise getting a home-grown player--the greatest since Jordan--and parlaying that into urban renewal and a championship. LeBron, though, doesn't live to impress me. It's his choice what team to play for, so I didn't really resent his decision other than to view it as a possible attempt at a shortcut. However, it felt like I watched him change before my eyes. Predicting the 8 championships. The TV special on his "Decision," and the presumption that by taking a shortcut (and that's what it was), that makes one a champion. You could see this attitude at play in LeBron and Wade's premature celebration during game 2 of the Finals and making fun of Nowitzki's illness after game 4. Immature, foolish, and not a good way to endear people to you.

One more thing: the Heat's assembly of a team felt like all the biggest kids in the schoolyard conspiring to up on the same team, beating everyone else at basketball, and acting like the match was fair. It felt like a Heavyweight boxing in the Welterweight division--or TEAM USA joining the NBA. The Heat didn't draft those players, nor did they play together over time and have to work for it. Thus, the Heat were loathed for the same reason the Yankees are: not because they're good...because their great...the wrong way...by design of the star players and ownership involved. Now, LeBron is hated for the same reason Alex Rodriguez is--he's the face of what people believe is wrong with sports today--lack of parody, egos, shortcuts. If he stays a long time, he'll be respected like Jeter, Posada, and Rivera are.

Even so, there's a way to carry yourself. I call it, "Acting like a champion." This is why people see Derek Jeter as a champion and generally like him despite the fact that he plays for the Great Evil. It's not just the championships. It's how he plays, and how he carries himself. It's not even about quiet or loud. It's about maturity. The reality of the 2011 NBA Finals was...the Heat were "outmatured" by the Mavericks. Even Mark Cuban wasn't doing his normal routine. They won because they were better--better by being older, wiser and better unit. It was Team Tortoise beating Team Hare. To be sure, the Mavs had lot's of talent--but not Heat-level talent. They won because they "out-matured" the Heat. The Heat were a bundle of grapes and the Mavs were wine.

I don't think people's loathing of LeBron is totally fair to LeBron. He lives a generally clean life, he does a lot for charity, and may even go down as the greatest player ever by the time it's done. But, to earn the respect of the masses, he'll have to not only get a ring, but have to "earn it." That may mean failing a few times with the Heat. It may mean taking heat from the press without talking about how much pressure you play under all the time. Dirk has been fileted by the media since LeBron was in Junior High and never received a quarter of the accolades. But, he never even talks about it. He just plays.

To Dirk, Jason Kidd, and the Mavericks, congratulations. LeBron, you'll get yours. In the mean time, strive to act like a champion so that when you are one, we can cheer for you. We want to. It means doing what Dirk and Kidd did last night. Dirk had his John Elway moment last night. And now, he went from being a great player to being a real champion. I, for one, hope LeBron has that moment, too.

Tomorrow we'll actually offer some theological reflections on the NBA Finals...if that's possible :)

Give me your thoughts. Why do you think some people don't like LeBron? Is how we assess people like LeBron fair, or is it simply jealousy?

 

"Better" Sex, Part 1 - Sex is Good

Sex is a source of shame for many people...including Christians. Perhaps, especially Christians. This shouldn't be the case. God is the Creator and Architect of sex, and has given us much guidance on how to experience sexual abundance while avoiding sexual immorality. Historically, however, the Church has focused on the importance of abstinence from certain behaviors to the neglect of Scripture's guidance on how to have "better sex"--sex that is rooted firmly in the Gospel's implications for our bodies. Accordingly, we generally know what not to do. However, we know not what to do.

Yesterday, in a sermon on biblical sexuality, I offered a brief survey of the church's teaching on sex throughout the centuries—from Augustine and Jerome (who said, "Anyone who is too passionate a lover with his own wife is himself an adulterer."), to the church's sometimes silly forbiddances of sex on all sorts of days. The extent of these forbiddances went to the point that John Boswell estimates that at one point in church history only 44 days of the year were approved days for having sex. Luther (thank God) helped bring things back around.

Post-Luther, however, the church began to say less about the subject of sex from the pulpit and in writing, other than to say, "Don't do it until you're married, and homosexuality is wrong." This approach however, surrendered the pulpit to culture on sex except on those two topics…and even then…the church lacked theological foundation and creativity in their presentation of it. The reasons the Church gave for their positions were too often rooted in apologetics rather than theology (i.e, "if you have sex before marriage you could get pregnant or get AIDS") and thus the condom rebutted our objections.

Eventually, the subject became somewhat taboo. Maybe we were "grossed out" or battle-weary on the subject. Thus, there was a brief Dark Age on the subject until recently. During that brief Dark Age the Church still did its best to keep young people from getting overly involved with one another sexually before marriage and generally stood firmly on the subject of homosexuality.

However...

We never really revisited the subject like we should have. Simultaneously a new series of challenges ranging from a spike in adultery and pornography to homosexuality's increasing acceptance by culture rose to meet us.

Lauren Winner and others have picked the subject up in more detail recently, and we should all be thankful. Here's just a few reasons why:

1. In the process of spiritual formation, "Thou shalt not," only goes so far. At some point, the "Thou shalt," must be known.
2. Not only young people need biblical instruction on the theology, meaning, and yes, even practice of sex. All people need it. Many people struggle in marriage because both sex and desire itself are portrayed to them in their youth as taboo. Thus, when they get married, some Christians really struggle to have vibrant sex lives in marriage.
3. God created sex and it's good and pleasing in His sight when it flowers within the context of marriage.
4. The church faces a huge challenge from culture on nearly all aspects of sexuality. We need to study, pray, and speak clearly on the subject as perhaps never before.

For Christians, much of sexuality is shrouded in shame or rooted in fear of pleasure. This is so sad. When man and woman were created, they were naked and unashamed. At the fall, one of the first impulses is to cover up. I don't think it's overstating it to say that when spouses experience shame in sexuality, it may be more a reflection of the Fall than it is of "righteousness."

We still have a problem. Sexuality is still viewed by the Church as somewhat "over the line," to discuss from the pulpit. Perhaps because we feel it fails the propriety test. Perhaps it's because so many Christians struggle mightily with sexual sin and private disbelief in the Church's traditional teachings on sexuality. Thus, it's easier to shift sexuality to accountability groups (if we have any) and leave plenty of room for Christians to disagree on even quite important matters of doctrine than to do the difficult work of plowing such difficult ground.

Call me old-fashioned or foolish, but I just believe sexuality is much more important than other things we can leave space for disagreement on. I also believe sexual immorality and genophobia (the fear of sex) are among the most signficant problems in people's lives. They also have enormously signficant implications on people's lives and society as a whole.

One man. One woman. In marriage. Abundantly. That is the biblical witness and preachers need to preach it with the vigor and theological underpinnings provided by Scripture. Sex is one of God's great gifts. As Christians, we should seek to cultivate a vibrant, biblical sexuality as a part of following Jesus.

The issues of our time are in no way simple. The church will have to grapple with how to respond to things from the "casualness" of sex to homosexual/bisexual/transgender issues. But, make no mistake…we need to respond. And we need to do it yesterday.

In love. In truth. With clarity. For God's glory.

 

The Don't Song - I Still Crack Up Every Time

Tomorrow night at New Vintage Church we're continuing the "Better: Everyday Gospel," series talking about marriage. Next week is on sex. As I head into the preacher zone on a Saturday night...I called to mind this CLASSIC video aimed at husbands. I've seen it 50 times and I still crack up every time. Thanks to Rob Thomas and the crew at Igniter Media for all you do for the Kingdom...to convey the Gospel and... make us laugh. Make sure to watch it to the end. Feel free to add your own "Don't" in the comments section.

 

Should Preachers Know How to Read?

Should preachers know how to read?

I think most would agree that literacy is a plus when it comes to preaching. That's not what I mean. What I mean here is, "Should preachers really, really know how to read?" How important is it? In his book, Why Johnny Can't Preach, T. David Gordon makes the case that the ability to read all texts carefully and write thoughtfully has fallen on hard times. He writes, "Today, we have become a culture of telephone babblers, unskilled at the most basic questions of composition; and it is simply too much to expect that a typical member of such a culture can be quickly trained to deliver well-composed, thoughtful sermons." 

While that may be a bit harsh, his overall point about the de-evolution of the reading and writing skills of the average preacher due to the cultural influences of media and technology is one worth considering. Gordon believes this so strongly he actually suggests those who would aspire to preach major in English or English Literature rather than biblical studies or theology. I don't think I would go that far. However, I might add a minor in English, or make sure one's biblical training happened in the context of a liberal arts education.

I don't see preaching today as grimly as Gordon does. However, I hear his warnings. The influences of media and techonology (for all their virtues) raising a generation of preachers who don't know how to read texts carefully or write thoughtfully got me thinking. If he's right, this leads to not only poor interpretation, but poor organization of thought and inability to lay out a sermon that flows.

Think of your preacher graciously right now. If you are a preacher, your preacher is you. Now, here are some questions that might help get our thinking going on this subject:

• Can they (I) read a text carefully? If not, heresy may follow, and the nuances of texts (biblical or not) that are important for interpretation and flavor will be missed. I'm not talking here about the ability to translate the Bible from the ancient languages either. One can be careless with biblical languages just as easily as one can be careless with texts written in English. Gordon is talking more about taking time to savor text...to notice the turn of a phrase, the way a story is told, and the beauty of what is written. Speaking of a preacher who can't read texts carefully, Gordon writes, "They read John 3:16 the same way they read Romans 5:8; each is “about” the love of God, but they don’t notice much more than that, and their sermon on God’s love from John 3:16 is probably not different from their sermon on God’s love from Romans 5:8. Thus, they never really notice (and therefore do not and cannot preach) the distinctive thing affirmed about God’s love in John 3 or Romans 5."
• Can they (I) read something outside the bible the same way? If they cannot, the odds of them reading the Bible carefully are more lean. Can the preacher read good literature or poetry carefully. Gordon believes this skill prepares one to read the biblical text more carefully. Eugene Peterson makes a similar point in Eat this Book. Personally, I have found that when I am in a season of reading literature (summer particularly), my preaching improves in thought flow, vocabulary usage, and imagination. When I'm grinding it out weekly through exegesis only, it dries up a bit. To help this, I try to read some fiction along the way. I stay away from the milk. I look for the meat or the chocolate of literature. Don't go pick up a cheesy romance novel though. Go read all the Pulitzer prize winners, or choose one auther and read all of their books. I had John Steinbeck summer a few years ago, and it was awesome. However you do it, choose thought or emotion provoking books of substance and beauty.

Near the end of the book, Gordon offers a summation of his perspective: "To preach the Word of God well, one must already have cultivated, at a minimum, three sensibilities: the sensibility of the close reading of texts, the sensibility of composed communication, and the sensibility of the significant."

What do you think? How much do a preacher's reading and writing abilities matter? Are there any disciplines you've put into your life to hone your reading and writing skills?

Baseball Flow Chart

As the dawn of baseball nears...here's a fun little exercise: the baseball flow chart. Answer the questions on the flow chart and see what baseball team you should be a fan of. Thanks to Mike Cope for this one. Click on the photo to see it at original size.

Mobster Names for Politicians

Good.is took the liberty of pairing some of today's well-known political figures with the names of some of the well-known mobsters from last week's Mafia bust. Pretty funny...nice work...especially on the picture of McCain.

 I actually think this would be funny to have this done with preachers too...

Click on the image to the left for a full-size gander.

Nothing to See Here

It's Thursday night of what has turned out to be a long and brutal week from a ministry standpoint. No violins required here...it goes with the turf sometimes. I thus have nothing profound to say (as usual), but my head is full of thoughts--thoughts on ministry and thoughts on things that have nothing to do with ministry. So, tonight's post will simply be a thought-seep...a "here are some of the miscellaneous things I'm thinking about and maybe you are too" post.

• When it comes to earthly blessings, there is no greater blessing than a spouse and children who love you. Second are friends that love you and have your back no matter what.
• Watching people use their gifts for God is simply amazing and wonderful to behold.
• Some Christians are brutally critical of others and utterly fragile themselves.
• Many Christians believe God is always on their side. Most of God's "best" followers experienced his discipline at some point (Adam, Moses, Samuel, Peter, David, etc.). However, everyone thinks they are Moses and nearly no one thinks they are Pharaoh.
• Many Christians don't know what to do with the Old Testament.
• Communion is the most mechanical and least impactful Christian spiritual practice...as it is practiced by many of us today.
• Every time I hear of a church overcoming or thriving, my heart lights up.
• Every time I hear of a church implosion or closing, my heart sinks.
• Michael Vick was awesome on Monday Night...and even better for my fantasy team ;)
• The church and the academy have to find a way to get together more often.
• I preach 3 times on Sundays. Typically, I nearly always feel as though the 2nd is the best overall. The first one is early and I'm still waking up. By the end of the 3rd, my tongue is dragging. However, most of the time lately, I've liked either the 1st or 3rd the best. Weird.
• I know our politicians are smart, but I wish they would prove me right more often.
• The Bible is still where it's at.
• I hate to say this...but I think the economy in California is going to be precarious for 10 years or more.
• Has anyone else noticed how high gas prices are? 3 years ago, everyone screamed bloody murder when gas was 75 cents a gallon cheaper. Now...hardly a peep.
• I thought the Social Network was an extremely well-acted film...especially for a film in it's genre.
• I'm sorry...Gladiator remains the greatest movie of all time. If it's on, I must stop whatever I'm doing and watch it.
• At our small group the other night we debated what the scariest movie of all time was. I said, "The Silence of the Lambs." What do you think?
• I read Esther earlier this week and picked up five or six new insights I had never noticed before. Isn't it weird how that happens?
• It was 70 and sunny again in Escondido today. How boring ;)
• Early Super Bowl prediction... Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia
• Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman are two of the greatest hymn writers of my generation.

Give me a random thought you've had this week

 

Where Did all the Men Go?

I’ve shared before that I think many churches do a very poor job of reaching men. Women attend church over men by a 61-39 margin. Why is this? No, it’s not because women are just more spiritual—though there are certainly some amazing women of God out there.

I think it could be in large part because the church seems to have only 2 things to say to men: 1) don’t do porn and 2) be a better husband and father than you are. I think some men might even say the church is maternalistic rather than challenging and blaming rather than welcoming to them. In essence, the church lacks a serious vision of biblical manhood they can communicate with relevance.  This is such a shame, because men have so much to offer the Church and can do so much to further the Kingdom.

This of course isn’t to knock on the Sisters. I could (and will eventually) write on the importance of women in the church. However, the ugly reality of male disappearance from our churches should give us all pause and give us the opportunity to examine the subject. We need to come to terms with the fact that many men not only hate going to church...they view Christianity itself is suspect. They don’t feel like they can be a "man" and a Christian at the same time. Such men feel like being a Christian somehow makes you more feminine…and, truthfully, the church sends messages unintentionally that ratifies that fact.

I heard someone (a minister actually) say of Jesus last week, “I can’t worship a guy I can beat up.” It's an absurd comment on a number of levels. First of all, you couldn’t beat up Jesus. Secondly, why would you want to? Third, what difference does it make? However, to be fair, what does it say about the way Jesus has been portrayed that a mortal human would make such a statement? It isn't just the church, it's sometimes Jesus that some men fear following because are afraid they would have to turn in their man-card to do so. At one level, we all turn in all our cards when we follow Jesus. At another level, Jesus doesn't call men to stop being men in order to follow him. He created them as men and calls them to follow Him as men.

Again, statistically, women outnumber men 61% to 39% in America’s churches.  It’s time for us to consider why, and what we plant to do about it. Churches without men are churches that are missing something.

There are a number of churches (e.g., Mars Hill in Seattle and CCV in Peoria, AZ) that really take this seriously. At NCCC, we work really hard on this, and, thanks be to God, we beat the national average of female-male by a ways. I'm sure there are churches doing a much better job, but here are a few things we’ve done to try to call men to be all God wants them to be:

• Our men’s ministry, ManPowerTeam, is…well…manly. I know some will say, “Well, Tim, define manly.” I don’t need to. Most of us know when something is masculine, and when it’s feminine. Less pink, more black. More meat and adventure, less quiche and conversation (not that there's anything wrong with that, ladies :). True, men do come in different types (golf-type, Starbucks type, grease-monkey type, desert-rat type, sports-nut type, hunter/fishing guy, accountant/business guy, and artistic/creative guy), however, they are threads that runs through most/all men. We try to help men become Christ-following men.
• The foundation of the ministry is the ManPowerTeam breakfast. It's every 3rd Saturday of the month at 7:01am. About 150 men come every time. It's a melting pot in every way, but everyone wears their gear. It's branded like the logo above. The homeless guys wear it, the corporate guys wear it. We have hoodies, t-shirts, water bottles, cups, flags, decals...you name it. It's like a jersey in sports--group identity. Notice the 2 Timothy 1:7 imprint under the eagle. "For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline." Boom.
• We keep it fun. Guys like challenges and they like to laugh. We do things like Man vs. Breakfast ... an eating competition involving 4-pound Carne Asada breakfast burritos or 2-foot stacks of pancakes. It's outstanding! Video is also a big part of what we do. We have a ball making videos that make fun of something...or satire something like the A-Team, 24, or such shows.
• After breakfast, we spend about 45 minutes in devotional and some encouraging things I'll lay out tomorrow.
• I can't even cover the breakfast in one post. So, I'll pick some of that up tomorrow. But, MPT (ManPower Team) is much more than a breakfast. We are involved in a ton of ministry as well.
• This week, Thabit Jubran, our Men's Ministry leader will join me for a podcast talking about ministry to men.

More tomorrow...

What does your church do to reach men and develop them spiritually?

What do you wish your church would do to reach men more effectively?

Why do you think women outnumber men 61%-39% in American churches?

 

Reflections on Ground-Zero Mosque Controversy

There isn’t a whole lot I can say on this subject that hasn’t been said. However, it’s interesting to me that most of the preeminent Christian blogs have been silent on this subject. Perhaps that’s a good thing. In many ways, it’s far too big a subject to address in a blog. Some great articles have been written (like Dan Senor’s in the Wall Street Journal) in the wake of this development. So, I won’t try to top them. I’ll just state my positions briefly, with an understanding that good Christians can see this one differently:

• The Mosque is completely legal to build. No argument here in that regard. However, I’d like to see the government be more consistent here. Try to build a church building in California today.
• To build a Mosque near the Ground-Zero site is a colossal mistake in judgment. Anyone who wonders why it would bother people or writes critics of the build off as bigots needs a reality check. I’m sure there are some bigots among the detractors, but there are terrorists among the supporters. The broad brush can’t be used to paint that way. Polls say both political parties and a massive majority of Americans oppose the build. Bigotry isn’t the culprit here. Not even close. Common sense and decency is the reason most people the building of the mosque.
• I’m thoroughly disappointed in the President for his unwillingness to comment on the “wisdom” of building the mosque, while affirming it’s building under the banner of our “highest ideals.” Building a mosque on such a site is in no way an exhibition of our highest ideals. It is an abuse of our highest ideals. If the President wanted to support the Mosque’s building, I would have liked to see him, at the same dinner, condemn terrorism and the persecution of Christians around the world. While the mosque building would still be wrong-headed, he would have been more ethically and spiritually consistent.
• Those truly committed to goodwill and reconciliation between the faiths would never consider such a build. At the very least, I would like to see the build come with some a full and public renouncement of 9-11 by Muslim leaders, and other cases where terrorists continue to murder Americans…and Muslims persecute and kill Christians. That again would at least be ethically consistent.
• Other than another terrorist attack, I can’t imagine what could do more damage to American-Islamic relations from America’s standpoint than this build. Regardless of what is said about the intent of the Mosque building, it will not serve (at least within the next 50 years) as a source of religious understanding. Unfortunately, it will have the opposite effect (look at all the good it's doing us right now!). That’s not really what we need in America or around the world right now. We need things that actually make for peace. This isn’t one of them.
• Christians need to practice peace no matter what. We need to continue to model Christ-likeness in our dialogue, and in our conduct toward those of different faiths. This also means that as we object, we honor Christ in how we do so.

I have more thoughts on this, but will stop here. I would love to hear your thoughts on this, but let’s keep them above the belt :)