Moving

I am moving my blog to this site:

http://pettus.wordpress.com/

Electing a President (Part 3)

The Environment

The environment has become a big issue this year and much of that is because of high oil prices, T. Boone Pickens, and Al Gore. I don't know if I believe in climate change. Climatologist disagree why temperature change has occurred. Some says it is because of man's destruction of the earth others because of cyclical patterns. I have no idea.

Here is what I do know. God made the heavens and the earth and he placed man to watch and tend it. We are stewards of what God has given us. It amazes me how many Christians teach about being good stewards of money that God has given us and then say who cares what we do concerning the world God gave us.

Much of this is probably because we have seen extreme people and want to protect a tree or an owl and chose them over human jobs. And because companies have destroyed the land in due to progress and never reclaimed it but left it desolate and bare. I grew up in a coal mining area and I can tell you companies left areas looking like a war zone.

My personal view is that God has placed me on this earth to watch and tend over his creation. It is my duty to take care of what God gave me. I believe he has given us natural resources like oil, natural gas, wind, etc. There is nothing wrong with using them but we need to do it in the most responsible way possible. To do so seems to be disrespectful to God. I am all for solar, wind, responsible drilling, and maybe nuclear although it scares me. I don't like the idea of drilling in Alaska no more than I like the idea of coal mining in the Grand Canyon (thank God for Teddy Roosevelt for stopping that).

I think churches need to build green. It saves money in the long term that can later go to funding the Lord's kingdom. Spring Meadows went geothermal in their new building and their heating and cooling bill will be 90% less than traditional methods. That is a lot of money saved. They are using their rain water to irrigate the grass. Some places use rain water to flush toilets. All these save resources and money so why would anyone object?

As Christians what responsibility do we have concerning the environment? What does being good stewards really mean? How does being a good steward of money compare to being one of the environment? When we look at building new buildings should we build green? Is this a theological issue or just an ideological one?

Electing a President (Part 2)

Helping the Poor

It is estimated that 12% of Americans live in poverty. That means that a single person makes less than $10,400 a year and a family of four makes less than $21,200. That means that if you make minimum wage and work 40 hours a week and work 52 weeks you will make $10,400 and be in poverty.

Now my first job out of college was working a vending route at Pepsi. I made about $425 a week. So that means I could have had a family of 4 and not considered impoverished. That 425 was before taxes and without insurance. I made about the same my next job as a youth minister in Lawrenceburg and I can tell you as a single guy with no room-mates living in an ok apartment (next to the ghetto if lburg has one and a great view of the cemetery)times were tough. Money was tight. So I can't imagine 12% of people living in poverty being able to survive in America. Of the 12% in poverty seniors make up 1.2% so the other 11% are 65 and younger.

So here is my thought. To live in poverty in the US is horrible. No one should be impoverished in a country that is so blessed. In a country where most of us have so much even if we think we don't we should never have people this poor. The big question is why are people in poverty? What is our responsibility as a government to help people get out of poverty? What is our responsibility as a church? How do we accomplish this? As Christians are we asking the government to do what God called us to do? Is the government having to do what the church is refusing to do?

I am not a believer in income distribution. It has never worked in any government system over a long period of time. I am also a believer in a benevolent government that helps it citizens to have a better life and a helping hand to have the opportunity to get ahead.

I can't help to think that the church as advocated its role in helping the poor and so the government is now asked to do what we don't. In the early years of America the church started and maintained the education system, the hospitals, the welfare department, etc. Today not so much. Many that bear a religious name are no longer associated with the church.

As Christians we have a responsibility to help the poor. It is what Jesus did best. Are we doing it? Why are some Christians the most opposed to the government helping the poor? How does this issue impact how you vote?

Electing a President (Part 1)

Well it is political time as we get 20 days till the election so I thought I would throw out my 2 cents worth. First I am a about 50% Libertarian and 25% Republican and 25% Democrat with a strong Federalist philosophy. So that is my bias.

Abortion
This is a topic that many people hinge their entire vote on. So let us look at the record. There are 9 supreme court justices. Currently 7 out of the 9 were appointed by pro-life presidents. So why has Roe v/s Wade not been over turned? What makes you think that the next president will select the justice that tips the balance and over turn this? Do you really think that 9 out 9 by pro life presidents will overturn this?

If you are basing your vote only on this issue then you are a fool. Sorry but the facts don't lie. Tonight in the debate McCain says abortion will not be a litmus test and Obama basically said he will only appoint a pro choice justice.

I personally am pro life but believe this should be a state issue and not a federal issue.

Free Book

Thom Rainer is the author of Simple Church and many other books. His new book is called Essential Church? and is aimed at how do we keep our 20 and 30 year old's connected and active in church. The cool thing is that this book can be downloaded for free by going here.

Year Book Yourself

This is a great waste of time that you will want to share with all your friends. It is called Year Book Yourself. Below are some of me and my favorite years.

1952, 1956, 1958, 1960



1964, 1968, 1970, 1974



1976, 1978, 1980, 1982



1990, 1994

Sunday Colthes

Every Sunday morning I go to church and put on my Sunday best. I have always wanted to know what makes Sunday morning so special that we have to wear a coat, tie, dress, or the like. What is it about that magical hour that makes us all dress up? Why is it that 7 hours later we can worship God wearing jeans? I have been trying to discover the theological reasons for this. I know it must be scriptural for it transcends denominational lines.

1. It is the reverse of sack cloth and ashes. In the Old Testament to show signs of repentance you would tear your clothes and put on sack cloth and ashes. But being New Testament Christians we must do the reverse. So we put on skirts, dresses, ties, coats, etc. Sunday is the first day of the new week so we put on our best clothes to show God how holy we want to become that week. We feel fresh, revived, and ready to be the perfect Christian. 7 hours later we have had a fight with our wife over being late for church, watched football and enjoyed the beer commercials, took a nap instead of visiting the hospital. In just 7 hours we basically realize that we have sinned and that God knows we are not holy so we wear jeans and pray for grace.

2. Soiled Garments. Every self respecting Christian eats out on Sunday. You go to church, give mom the day off, and go out to eat. You enjoy a good meal, condemn the waiter for working on Sunday, and then you spill salsa on your clothes and you can't wear them again that night. So we throw on our jeans and polo.

3. The Angels Dressed Up. Luke 24:4 ...two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. You see this was on a Sunday morning. So here is the Biblical example. They dressed up in dazzling robes not dingy ones. Now later on in Luke 24 we find 2 men traveling and they meet and ate with Jesus. Everyone knows that you don't travel in your Sunday best so the Sunday night meeting with Jesus must have been informal. They were likely wearing there every day robes not there dazzling robes.

Discipline

If you don't know I have adult ADD. I have a very hard time concentrating and often find myself trying to do 5 things at once while thinking about 6 other things. I am never still in that I am always moving my toes, legs, rubbing something with my hands, etc. I get bored quickly and look for something else to stimulate me. So I have to work very hard to get things done.

I can begin reading and find myself surfing the web for something that I normally can't remember 3 minutes later then spend an hour looking at blogs, sites, etc.

I find that I do better when I have a schedule, a list, and the like. So I spent part of Labor Day making out my reading list. I like reading but if I don't have clear cut goals I get side tracked, distracted and the like. I am trying to read Knowing God for the 4th time. I am on chapter 4 today. I just have a hard time getting into this book. But I am determined. I should finish it on September 30 (chapter a day). This is how I normally read, one chapter a day in about 4 books. Would do one at a time but can't concentrate that long on one book.

If anyone else has tips on how you deal with this let me know.

History in the Making

There are a few times when you know that you have lived history. Today is one of those days. We are seeing history in the making. Either Barack Obama or Sarah Palin will make history. Obama will be the next President marking the first African American to hold this office or Sarah Palin will be the first woman Vice President.

Last night I watched Obaman accept the democratic party nomination and couldn't help think that 45 years ago he wouldn't have been able to attend the same school or eat in the same restraunt with me. Today he may be the next leader of this nation.

Palin could hold the same job as other men and make less just because she is a woman. Now she may become the VP.

We are living history and one day we will be telling our grand-children about this election. Our nation will never be the same come January 20, 2009.

Democrats and Jesus

Don Miller was invite to offer a benediction at the Democratic National Convention on Monday night. Here is his prayer in video and in text

"Father God,

This week, as the world looks on, help the leaders in this room create a civil dialogue about our future.

We need you, God, as individuals and also as a nation.

We need you to protect us from our enemies, but also from ourselves, because we are easily tempted toward apathy.

Give us a passion to advance opportunities for the least of these, for widows and orphans, for single moms and children whose fathers have left.

Give us the eyes to see them, and the ears to hear them, and hands willing to serve them.

Help us serve people, not just causes. And stand up to specific injustices rather than vague notions.

Give those in this room who have power, along with those who will meet next week, the courage to work together to finally provide health care to those who don’t have any, and a living wage so families can thrive rather than struggle.

Help us figure out how to pay teachers what they deserve and give children an equal opportunity to get a college education.

Help us figure out the balance between economic opportunity and corporate gluttony.

We have tried to solve these problems ourselves but they are still there. We need your help.

Father, will you restore our moral standing in the world.

A lot of people don’t like us but that’s because they don’t know the heart of the average American.

Will you give us favor and forgiveness, along with our allies around the world.

Help us be an example of humility and strength once again.

Lastly, father, unify us.

Even in our diversity help us see how much we have in common.

And unify us not just in our ideas and in our sentiments—but in our actions, as we look around and figure out something we can do to help create an America even greater than the one we have come to cherish.

God we know that you are good.

Thank you for blessing us in so many ways as Americans.

I make these requests in the name of your son, Jesus, who gave his own life against the forces of injustice.

Let Him be our example.

Amen."

Why I'm Not Watching the Olympics

Rusty's Reasons Not to Watch the Olympics

1. We have no arch enemy. When I was growing up it was always the USA versus the Soviet Union. It was like your bitter rivalry and struggle for world dominance every four years. You hated those red uniforms with CCCP on them (still don't know what that stands for). Today who cares? We need an arch nemesis. Until we do the NFL preseason is more interesting.

2. Time Zones. Who wants to set up until 1:30AM to see the USA play basketball. I could watch the replay but ESPN, Fox News, CNN, and the Today Show tickers already told me who won.

3. Who Are These People? OK I know the basketball players. I know who Michael Phelps is because he must be the only USA athlete since he is all they ever talk about. I even know Shawn Johnston. But seriously, I have never heard of the rest of these people and after these games are over, Phelps goes on every TV show program, and the Wheaties box goes back to normal, when will you ever hear of these people again? I know, in four years when the Olympics is in London. It is hard to cheer for people you don't know.

4. Could we get some real sports? I am the last to criticize something as not being a real sport but this is ridiculous. Yes these events require skill. They require amazing skill and I could never do them. I'll even give events that have been events for 100 years plus a break. But are the following real sports: Rhythmic Gymnastics, Trampoline, Hand Ball, Badminton, Synchronised swimming, Table Tennis, Synchronized diving? In 2012 softball will no longer be an Olympic sport I think they had to scratch it to make room for paint ball or laser tag or maybe fishing. This morning I turned on the Olympics to see Badminton. Are you kidding me?

So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore (Part 2)

Just finished the book and here are my thoughts:

Many times we can get so wrapped up into supporting any system (church, a business, relationships, etc) that we forget the reason they exist. Sometimes church becomes more about sustaining church than fulfilling Jesus purpose for the church. Sometimes church becomes a substitute for real spirituality. We can substitute a relationship with God for a program, event, or a chance to get involved in something. These are not bad things in and of themselves. If we aren't careful we can get us busy doing church things and forget about doing spiritual things. We can teach a Bible class but not spend time letting God's word speak to us. We can attend a give-away day but not help those in need in our own neighborhood. Sometimes all the programs and events give us a false sense or security and feeling like our involvement equals a relationship with God.

We define commitment to God by commitment to the church's programs and events. I never thought about this but it is true. If someone isn't involved in a program we can look down on them for not being committed or desiring to grow. But it could be that they live a busy life, are involved in things they don't parade out in public, going through personal struggles, or maybe they just can't make the meetings. It could be a reflection on their commitment to God but probably not.

You can find fault in everything. There is no perfect church, ministry, minister, Christian, etc. Some things need reformed but if you focus on all the faults you will find that you will never be happy or satisfied. This book highlights every fault of the church. Sure they exist but come on if I wanted I could highlight all the faults of his religious views.

Don't treat the symptoms treat the problem. If we helped people fall in love with Jesus all the other will take care of it self. We can treat symptoms (attendance, prayer life, bible reading, etc) all day long but the problem is someone's desire to love and know God.

Everyone is on a journey and there is no cookie cutter answer to life. The solution to our love, trust, and desire for God will be different for each of us. We will all connect to God differently and we all have different lives and responses to them.

Don't scrap everything. He suggest that real Christianity is best lived separate of any structured system. I could tell you 50 things wrong with our church if I had enough time to get out the microscope and highlight every fault but that doesn't mean you should just quit and throw it all out.

Read people that take extreme views from your own. I loved this book. I disagreed with allot of it but it made me think and grow. If we never read alternative views we will have little perspective and cheat ourselves from chances to grow.

Olympics at Their Best

This is a qualifying swim meet at the 2000 Olympics. The commentary is great!!

http://www.todaysbigthing.com/2008/08/08

So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore

"So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore". I saw this book title and thought I have to get this. How many of us have not wanted to go to church anymore? I have quit in my past and some days I just want to quit. Dan Kimball wrote a book "They Love Jesus not the Church" I feel like that sometimes. So I buy the book off of Amazon, get the book, and discover it is a book about a minister. Wow! So I am hooked and begin to read and it is messing with me. It is a thought provoking book and sometimes hits a little too close to home. It is provocative and almost hyperbolic or maybe he is just that radical but it is about a minister who is struggling with his faith and he meets the apostle John. It is based off of Jesus saying "If I want this one to remain alive until I return then what is it to you." So John is trying to help him find God but in the meantime causes nothing but turmoil in his life. Here is a little of my favorite section so far (only on chapter 5).

"You are so caught up in a system of reward and punishment that you're missing the simple relationship he (God) wants to have with you."

"How are we going to know how God feels about us if we don't live up to his standards?"

"That is where you have it backwards. We don't get his love by living up to his standards. We find his love in the most broken place of our lives. As we let him love us there and discover how to love in return, we'll find our lives changing in that relationship."

"How can that be? Don't we have to walk away from sin to know him?"

"Walking toward him is walking away from sin. The better you know him the freeer from it you will be. But you can't walk away from sin. Not on your own strength! Everything he wants to do in you will get done as your learn to live in his love. Every act of sin results from your mistrust of his love and intentions for you. We sin to fill up broken places, to try to fight for what we think is best for us, or by reacting to our guilt and shame. Once you discover how much he loves you, all that changes. As you grow in trusting him, you will find yourself increasingly free from sin."

"It sounds so easy when you say it. But learning to live that way would be the opposite of everything I've been taught."

"That's why it is called good news."

The Shack

I bought The Shack a few weeks ago because everyone seems to be reading it. It takes a while to get into this book. The first four chapters lay the backdrop and most everyone I talk to agree these are not the best reading. The rest of the book will have you hooked and you will not want to put it down.

The Shack is about a man (Mack) whose daughter was abducted and murdered. They were able to track him down to a little shack where they recovered his daughter's dress and could see her blood. They never recovered her body and Mack and his family never recovered from this tragedy. Four years later Mack receives a letter inviting him to the shack signed Papa or his wife's favorite name for God. Mack decides to go while his wife and kids are away for the weekend. He arrived at the shack and there he meets and spends the weekend with God.

The conversations he has with God are amazing and the author blends theological concepts into the story. A few things that he discusses in the book is: the role of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the problem of pain and suffering; forgiveness; our relationship with God and his with us; and the need and role of relationships.

The book is about one man's journey to be healed from the pain he has lived through the death of his daughter and a bad childhood. His conversations with God will stimulate your mind and you will want to discuss it with others and pass the book on to others.

You can get the book on Amazon for $9 or at any bookstore. This is a good read and I would recommend it to anyone. Just be patient through the first 4 chapters.

Preaching

Every week I listen or sit through 2 to 4 sermons a week. I hear two at church and then listen to a couple more via the internet. I like to listen to different people to learn how to be a better speaker. I love listening to Andy Stanley. He is the only speaker that I think is consistent in delivering a powerful message week after week. I listen to a wide variety of other guys on i-tunes: Rob Bell, John Piper, Tim Spivey, Kieth Davis, Matt Chandler, Don McLaughlin, Joel Olsteen ( I need encouragement), and others. Sometimes I just listen to a random person to see what I discover. I have been trying to break down what makes some guys good, others OK, and some just terrible.

Application. This is what separates the good from the bad. They all have different ways and styles of conveying the gospel but the one common thread is application. The best spend at least 30% of their lesson telling you how God's word applies to your life. They help you see how God's word looks when it is lived out in everyday life. They illustrate it and walk you through common situations that you will face this week.

Too many speakers give a 3 minute application at the end of the lesson and the average person has to go home and try to figure out what to do with the lesson. The best tell you what to do with the lesson. When you leave, you know how to apply God's word to your life and when you will need to use this information.

The amazing this is the more I read Paul the more I see that this is what he did. He addressed a problem and then illustrated it to give the readers insight into what this looked like in their life. You can read Paul and know exactly what he wanted the readers to do and how it looked in their world.

So what do you think the best do?

I'm Bringing Serving Back

It has been a while since I have blogged but you will not be disappointed with this video. We have all seen how people take a popular song and turn it into a "Christian" song. You know "You down with OPP" turns into "You down with GOD". Or baby got back to baby got bible. Well give it to these guys for "Serving Back" a spin off JT's "Sexy Back".

Song Leader Guidelines

Chances are you have been setting in church when you are asked to sing a song that you have no idea what it means or it uses old english language. Why do we sing songs in old english or holy king james language? Doest thou thinkest this to be quiet atypical?

What is a night with ebon pinion and why is it brooded o’er the vale?

The other day we sang a song about how in heaven the polish on the door knobs will never fade.

I think there needs to be guidelines for song leaders to know if they can lead this song.

1. There can’t be more than 5 old english words. I know it is unrealistic to cut them out all together and sometimes we need a Thou to rhyme with how but there has to be a limit.

2. If you have to explain it or you don’t understand the words then you can’t sing it. I asked a song leader one day what a phrase in the song meant and he had no clue. This is just wrong to make us sing these songs.

3. It has to have a good melody. We are not some monks in a secluded space so we shouldn’t be chanting or singing some song that has a choppy melody.

4. You can never lead all the verses of the song. If you have to sing all the verses to get the meaning of the song then don’t lead it. Let’s face it many of the songs are weird and there is nothing worse than having to sing that awkward chorus 4 times.

5. Invitation songs can’t be about sinners coming. There is nothing worse than hearing a sermon wanting to come forward and then the song is “come sinner come” or “sinners God will receive” or “though your sins be like scarlet”. You already know you’re a sinner, if you come forward everyone else knows you’re a sinner (chances are they are trying to figure out what you did) the last thing you want is to come forward while the church tells you that you are a sinner.

Prince Caspian (Part 2)

Lucy is the first to see Aslan. She is asked why they couldn't see him and she could. Lucy replies, "Maybe you weren't looking for him."

Later this conversation takes place:
Susan "Why do you think I didn't see Aslan?"
Lucy "I don't know. Maybe you didn't really want to."
Susan "You always knew you'd be coming back here, didn't you?"
Lucy "I hoped so."
Susan "I'd finally just got used to the idea of being in England."

Are you looking for God? Can others see Him in places that you can't?

How do you see God? How do we become like Lucy and see what others can't?

Paul tells us to anticipate the day that we see Jesus and remember that heaven is our home and not this world (Phil 3:20).

When we are anticipating a reunion with God and we are looking for him was are more likely to see him everyday in our world and not get used to living here but looking forward to living with Jesus.

Prince Caspian

I just got through watching Prince Caspian and it was a great movie! There was so much action and my heart raced through so much of the movie. It also had so many biblical themes and I am going to take the next few blogs to write about the ones that impacted me.

When Prince Caspian first meets King Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy he is shocked that they are children and says that he was expecting grown up kings and queens. How many times do we find that God uses the unexpected to do great things. Think about all the people of the Bible who were young when God did great things with them (David, Jeremiah, John, Mark, ..).

At the end of the movie Lucy says that she wished she was able to be more like the older one and have more courage and fight. She has a little dagger as her weapon while the others have swords and a bow and arrow. But she is the only one who sees Aslan and has faith that he is there and can help them.

God constantly reminds us that age is not a factor in serving him and age is not a factor in him using you to do great and powerful things. Many times we let our own doubts and logic get in the way of letting God use us and sometimes as an excuse not to do things for God.

1 Timothy 4:12 was one of those verses I hated growing up I think it was because it was theme of every camp and youth rally or any speaker who thought he would dedicate a sermon to the youth. But I have gotten over my bitterness for it and grown to appreciate the fact that Paul is telling Timothy two great messages.

1. God has given him a great gift and is ready to use him to do great things. He is to live up to God's standards and lead people who are much older than he is.

2. He can't use age as an excuse or a fear not to do what God is calling him to do.

If God's kingdom (Narnia) is to survive and thrive it needs young people (another term I hate but don't know a better way to say it) to step up and use the gifts that God has given them. We can't let age hold us back, back us fearful, or use as an excuse to wait.