An Angel in the Flame

The newest book that I am reading is by my friend, Gene Wilkes, Pastor of Legacy Drive Baptist in Plano. Gene and I grew up together in Beaumont and were apart of the same youth group at First Baptist, Beaumont. Gene is also one of my sister-in-laws brother

You can read more about the book and about Gene at this link.

Uncertainty

Isn't it interesting when God provides a word just when you need it? That just happened to me. The uncertainty of life has been on my mind lately and God spoke. He didn't speak audibly but he spoke through a book I'm reading.

I have been reading Mark Batterson's book "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day." Mark is the pastor of National Community Church in the nation's capitol. Mark's words spoke to me about uncertainty. He said: "I used to hate uncertainty, but I'm learning to love it. It is an acquired taste. I am discovering that the greatest moments in life are unscripted. They are unrehearsed and unplanned and unpredictable and that is precisely what makes them unforgettable."

He goes on to say: "We naturally want everything to go according to plan, but the element of surprise infuses life with so much joy. Thank God for uncertainty and unpredictability. The alternative is monotony."

God has called us to live by faith. But faith involves a loss of control. That is especially difficult for someone like me who is a control freak. I like things to go like I want. "With the loss of control comes the loss of certainty. Faith is the willingness and readiness to embrace those uncertainties."

God is trying to teach us that the life of a Christian is about faith - trusting Him as the blessed controller of all things. He is sovereign and is capable of handling the affairs of our life.

Privileged

Let me say at the outset how privileged I am to have an outstanding family. That has been evident this summer. This summer I have been privileged to have been able to work on the same staff as my son. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that we would be able to serve on the same staff.

This summer, Jonathan has served as one our youth interns. Besides being a sponsor on all the youth trips, operating sound for camps, and leading some small group sessions, he has been able to video all of the youth events. In fact, a compilation video of all the youth events is going to be available for purchase.

I am amazed all the time by how talented our children are. That has become evident this summer with Jonathan's videos. I have seen him take some rough video and make a masterpiece. His video work is in addition to his work with the audio at the church.

I realize that pride is a sin, but I'm sure our heavenly Father will forgive me. I am grateful to God for blessing me with a wonderful wife, and talented children (including my son-in-law).

Hallelujah

It is an exciting day, and "Halleljuah" expresses my thoughts well.
My daughter has a job. You can read her blog telling about the job here.

Christians at the Top of the Class

Some of the criticism that we as believers face, is that we are unintelligent. Dr. D. Michael Lindsay, professor of sociology at Rice University, has some interesting comments in this regard.

"Student enrollment at Christian colleges and universities has grown 60 percent since 1990, while the general college student population has barely changed. The percentage of evangelicals earning at least a college degree has increased by 133 percent, which is much more than any other religious tradition. As highly selective universities have sought to diversify their student bodies by race, gender, and ethnicity, they have also unintentionally diversified their campuses' religious makeup."

Rev. Peter Gomes, who has taught at Harvard for the last forty years, says, "There are probably more evangelicals (on Harvard's campus today) than at any time since the seventeenth century." A growing number of graduate students are also engaging their faith in various ways. One such program is The Harvey Fellows Program, sponsored by Dennis and Eileen Bakke, that have students enrolled in top academic programs like Yale Law School, Harvard Business School, and PhD programs around the country. These programs feature some of the the brightest individuals in the arts, humanities, law, medicine, business, and engineering.

Lindsay says, "Developments in recent years have enabled a growing number of faithful Christ followers to shed the cultural insularity of Christianity's recent past. If events of the last few years continue, outspoken Christians will come to occupy even more important roles within the intellectual mainstream."

Mark Batterson

As I mentioned in my last blog, I have been reading "UnChristian." One of the chapters, entitled "Sheltered," speaks of how Christians are viewed by the younger generation as being boring, unintelligent, old-fashioned, and out of touch with reality. Mark Batterson, pastor of National Community Church in Washington D.C., comments about how his church is changing the perception of Christians being sheltered.

Batterson's church meets in movie theaters at Union Station. Approximately twenty-five million people pass through the Station every year. The station features 125 retail shops, a food court, a train station, a metro stop, and a movie theater. Batterson realized that they could not buy or build a church building, where their church would have more visibility than the Station.

As a part of their ministry, the church now owns and operates the largest coffeehouse in the nation's capital. Ebenezer's opened for business in March of 2006 and is rated as one of the best coffeehouses in the city. The business also doubles as a sanctuary for two Saturday night services.

Mark Batterson compares a coffeehouse as a ancient water well. Wells were natural gathering places in ancient culture. "Coffeehouses are postmodern wells," Batterson says. The coffeehouse also serves as place "where the church and community can cross paths."

UnChristian

I am reading a new book by David Kinnaman, president of The Barna Group and Gabe Lyons, founder of the Fermi Project. The book is: "unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity... and Why it Matters." The book resulted when Kinnaman received a call from his friend, Gabe Lyons, that he was resigning his church to work with young adults, ages 16-29.

Gabe commissioned the Barna group to do extensive research on what young Americans think about Christianity. Lyons had a gut-level sense that something was desperately wrong, and three years of research paints exactly that picture. Mosaics and Busters (the generations that include late teens to early 30-somethings) believe Christians are judgmental, antihomosexual, hypocritical, too political and sheltered.

There are comments included by some Christian leaders who add their assessment of the problems and how the Christian community should respond.

Many of the comments by the young adults are accurate. The church has been judgmental, hypocritical, etc. I have been challenged by the book. The church wonders why she is unable to make a significant difference in the lives of young adults. Some of the reasons are included in the book. The church has been guilty of some these charges.

The church needs to learn how to be true to Biblical teaching and yet not be hateful and judgmental. The church has responded in a hateful, unchristian manner in her dealings with these young adults and others.

It is an interesting read. One that should be read by many Christians, especially church leaders.