Bertrand Russell abandoned his Christian faith at the age of 18 and spent his life trying to disprove the existence of God. He was once asked, "If you meet God after you die, what will you say to Him to justify your unbelief?" He responded, "I will tell Him that He did not give me enough evidence." Wrong answer!
Last week we watched the International Space Station fly over our home five nights. We missed one night because I lost track of time. In addition, we saw the comet Neowise. We were able to watch these in space because their exact flight paths and times were available, and the reason they were available is because God has so fine-tuned this universe that scientists are able to map out the exact location of every planet, star and man-made object in space. Such fine-tuning is not possible if the universe came into existence through a series of random events. This points to a Creator who created the universe and our planet with everything necessary to sustain life.
Many elements that make up our universe are limited to minute fractions of one percent in order to sustain life. I won't begin to list them in this post, but they make an interesting study. If any of these elements are off by fractions so small our human minds cannot grasp them, life could not exist on Earth and our universe would cease to exist.
Every time I watch the space station fly over our home it is a time of devotions for me. I stand there watching it rise above the horizon and continue its flight until it is out of sight, and I marvel at the power of God and His creative ability. Quite often I am reminded that the God who created this amazing universe is interested in me, that He cares about me, and one day reached into my life to draw me into a relationship with Him. These are amazing truths that should give anyone pause.
Apologists offer us many reasons to believe in the existence of God, and one rejects these arguments at great peril. Personally, I doubt that Russell will be able to make his charge. The Bible tells us that as we stand before God we will kneel and confess that Jesus is Lord. At the moment Russell stands before the Lord he will immediately realize the foolishness of his claim against God, but it will be too late.
God has given us more than enough proof of His existence if we are willing to honestly look for it. For me, the fine-tuning argument is sufficient. The other arguments are just icing on the cake. As I look up at the sky and watch the stars follow the paths they have been given, as I watch the ocean tides come in and go out with perfect timing, as I learn more about the precision with which our universe exists I am convinced that there is a God, and this God is worthy of my worship and service.
I pray the same is true for you.
Monday, July 20, 2020
Friday, July 17, 2020
The changing world of book publishing
Like everything else in society and the church world, book publishing has changed dramatically in the past few years. Between 2000 and 2013 I published eight books through three different publishers. One publisher requested the book I wrote for them. For the other two publishers, I submitted proposals which they accepted. Today, the vast majority of publishers will not even accept a proposal unless it comes to them through a literary agent.
I have no doubt that publishers have seen their profit margins squeezed considerably over the past few years. Many brick-and-mortar booksellers have gone out of business with Amazon and other online book sellers picking up much of the business. I would assume publishers have reduced the number of people who, in the past, would have reviewed the proposals coming in and now depend upon the literary agents to do that work for them. Of course, I'm speculating here, but this seems to explain why proposals are only accepted through agents.
The options for an author are limited. Find an agent, self-publish or offer the book as an eBook. I continue to seek an agent for the two newest books I've written as that seems the preferable option for me. Self-publishing too often results in a garage full of books with limited means of marketing them. E-Books get lost in the myriad of such books available.
When my previously published books became available people would approach me asking about how to get their book idea published. In the past I would warn them of the challenges facing them and the low rate of return most authors receive for the time spent in writing, editing and finding a publisher for their work. Now, I have additional warnings to give.
Writing has to be a passion. Obviously, there are authors who become wealthy through their writings. Others use their books to promote their speaking events. My books have led to numerous speaking opportunities throughout the United States and Canada. But for most authors, we write because we believe we have something to say that's important. We have knowledge we want to share with others.
As I've watched the publishing world change so much over the past two decades I have to wonder what new changes are yet to come. I also wonder how many prospective new writers with information we need to hear will be silenced by these changes. I think this is something publishers, especially Christian publishers, need to consider.
I have no doubt that publishers have seen their profit margins squeezed considerably over the past few years. Many brick-and-mortar booksellers have gone out of business with Amazon and other online book sellers picking up much of the business. I would assume publishers have reduced the number of people who, in the past, would have reviewed the proposals coming in and now depend upon the literary agents to do that work for them. Of course, I'm speculating here, but this seems to explain why proposals are only accepted through agents.
The options for an author are limited. Find an agent, self-publish or offer the book as an eBook. I continue to seek an agent for the two newest books I've written as that seems the preferable option for me. Self-publishing too often results in a garage full of books with limited means of marketing them. E-Books get lost in the myriad of such books available.
When my previously published books became available people would approach me asking about how to get their book idea published. In the past I would warn them of the challenges facing them and the low rate of return most authors receive for the time spent in writing, editing and finding a publisher for their work. Now, I have additional warnings to give.
Writing has to be a passion. Obviously, there are authors who become wealthy through their writings. Others use their books to promote their speaking events. My books have led to numerous speaking opportunities throughout the United States and Canada. But for most authors, we write because we believe we have something to say that's important. We have knowledge we want to share with others.
As I've watched the publishing world change so much over the past two decades I have to wonder what new changes are yet to come. I also wonder how many prospective new writers with information we need to hear will be silenced by these changes. I think this is something publishers, especially Christian publishers, need to consider.
Thursday, July 16, 2020
Preach to the lives of your people
When I was serving as a Resource Minister I would visit in different churches in my area of responsibility. A pastor was called to one of the churches for which I had responsibility who was a PhD student at a nearby seminary. I visited one Sunday morning to join them for worship. To this day I am convinced he repeated a lesson from one of his doctoral classes. I could tell from the looks of the people sitting around me that many of them had no idea what he was talking about. The sermon may have been theologically sound, but it said nothing to the lives of this rural congregation.
Whether Jesus was speaking to a crowd or to individuals he spoke to the things that was important to their lives. To the woman caught in adultery He spoke words of forgiveness and repentance. To the woman at the well He spoke of relationships, the one thing she had been seeking all her life, and the relationship He offered was one that would never fail. To Lazarus' sisters He offered hope. When He spoke to the religious leaders He addressed their hypocrisy and challenged them to turn from their rituals and law-based religion to a living faith in a living God. Every message was not only theologically sound but also addressed real life needs of real life people. We who stand in the pulpit each week can do no less.
As a pastor I gave every sermon I prepared the "so what" test. More than once I tossed a sermon that I realized didn't really speak to what was happening in people's lives at that time. Yes, everything in it might have been true, but so what did that matter if it didn't pertain to people's lives?
To be a pastor one must know his or her people, and that only happens when the pastor leaves the office and spends time with those being served. When I first began my pastoral ministry I spent time in people's homes, in their hospital rooms, in their barns to get to know them. I went fishing with them and even went with one coon hunting. The better I understood their lives, their hopes, their fears, the better I could speak to them in my messages.
It's equally as important to know what is happening in the lives of the unchurched persons in your community. Just as we need to exegete Scripture, we need to be able to exegete our community. At least 80 percent of every county in the United States is unchurched. How well do you know the lives of that 80 percent in your area? Without knowing their lives, how will you effectively minister to them? After sharing this with a church the pastor asked how he could know what the lives of the unchurched were around them. This church was in the middle of a residential area with houses surrounding the church building. I looked at him and responded, "Walk up and down the streets and talk to the people you meet. Go into the local cafes for a coffee or lunch and talk to the people there." He looked at me like that was something he had never considered!
There is a book called Never Eat Alone, Expanded and Updated: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time. It's a book about networking, building relationships, to help one be more successful in business and life. What's true for careers is also good for ministry. The more time we spend with others the better we will be able to speak into their lives.
Whether Jesus was speaking to a crowd or to individuals he spoke to the things that was important to their lives. To the woman caught in adultery He spoke words of forgiveness and repentance. To the woman at the well He spoke of relationships, the one thing she had been seeking all her life, and the relationship He offered was one that would never fail. To Lazarus' sisters He offered hope. When He spoke to the religious leaders He addressed their hypocrisy and challenged them to turn from their rituals and law-based religion to a living faith in a living God. Every message was not only theologically sound but also addressed real life needs of real life people. We who stand in the pulpit each week can do no less.
As a pastor I gave every sermon I prepared the "so what" test. More than once I tossed a sermon that I realized didn't really speak to what was happening in people's lives at that time. Yes, everything in it might have been true, but so what did that matter if it didn't pertain to people's lives?
To be a pastor one must know his or her people, and that only happens when the pastor leaves the office and spends time with those being served. When I first began my pastoral ministry I spent time in people's homes, in their hospital rooms, in their barns to get to know them. I went fishing with them and even went with one coon hunting. The better I understood their lives, their hopes, their fears, the better I could speak to them in my messages.
It's equally as important to know what is happening in the lives of the unchurched persons in your community. Just as we need to exegete Scripture, we need to be able to exegete our community. At least 80 percent of every county in the United States is unchurched. How well do you know the lives of that 80 percent in your area? Without knowing their lives, how will you effectively minister to them? After sharing this with a church the pastor asked how he could know what the lives of the unchurched were around them. This church was in the middle of a residential area with houses surrounding the church building. I looked at him and responded, "Walk up and down the streets and talk to the people you meet. Go into the local cafes for a coffee or lunch and talk to the people there." He looked at me like that was something he had never considered!
There is a book called Never Eat Alone, Expanded and Updated: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time. It's a book about networking, building relationships, to help one be more successful in business and life. What's true for careers is also good for ministry. The more time we spend with others the better we will be able to speak into their lives.
Monday, July 13, 2020
Staying true to biblical teaching
The church faces many challenges in the coming years, but I believe one of the biggest challenge will be to stay true to biblical teaching. In our PC dominated world today anything that doesn't fit with the beliefs and values of the majority are challenged and often resisted. We regularly see conservative speakers uninvited to speaking engagements because a vocal minority rise up in protest. Business owners who do not toe the PC line are threatened with boycotts and worse. GOYA is only the latest to feel the wrath of liberal politicians, celebrities and other left-wing radicals who want to destroy this Hispanic-owned food company.
Some denominations and churches abandoned biblical teaching years ago in an effort to appease the PC crowd. Those who continue to hold to biblical authority can expect pressure to conform its teachings and values to that of the unchurched community. We must resist that pressure even though there may be a price to pay in doing so.
The Bible is the Word of God. It is authoritative in everything it says. No church, no denomination, no individual has the right to change its message. Rather than changing the message to match the lifestyle, we need to change our lifestyles to match the Scriptures.
One of the reasons we see the chaos and difficulties in our nation today is that we have drifted far away from those biblical teachings. Without absolute truth and absolute morality everyone is free to do whatever they please, and as we have seen in recent months that can only lead to chaos, division and lawlessness.
Our pulpits must be faithful to preach the truth of God's Word without apology. Not everyone will like that, and that may include some of our strongest leaders in our churches. For me, if I am given the choice of offending God or the chairman of the deacons with my preaching, I'm going to offend that deacon. The worst he can do to me is cause me to be fired, but I would rather experience that than have to stand before God and explain why I failed to stay faithful to His Word. We must love people enough to teach them the truths contained in the Scriptures.
The church stands in a unique circumstance right now. Many churches who began to broadcast their worship services during the pandemic reported that their viewership exceeded their normal worship attendance. That tells me that our current situation has caused some people to seek answers to their questions about what is happening in our world. These are individuals who hunger for truth and want something solid upon which they can base their lives. The Gospel provides that firm foundation, but they will only know that if we are faithful to proclaim it to them. If all we can offer is spiritual mush that comes from some denominational office or a concoction that contains a lot of humanistic philosophy and personal opinion that is hooked to a Bible verse to give it credibility, they will not hear what they need most.
Pastors, commit yourself to boldly preaching the infallible Word of God. Lay leaders, encourage your pastors to do so even if it makes you uncomfortable at times. The Word of God has been silent too long in too many churches. It's time to change that.
Some denominations and churches abandoned biblical teaching years ago in an effort to appease the PC crowd. Those who continue to hold to biblical authority can expect pressure to conform its teachings and values to that of the unchurched community. We must resist that pressure even though there may be a price to pay in doing so.
The Bible is the Word of God. It is authoritative in everything it says. No church, no denomination, no individual has the right to change its message. Rather than changing the message to match the lifestyle, we need to change our lifestyles to match the Scriptures.
One of the reasons we see the chaos and difficulties in our nation today is that we have drifted far away from those biblical teachings. Without absolute truth and absolute morality everyone is free to do whatever they please, and as we have seen in recent months that can only lead to chaos, division and lawlessness.
Our pulpits must be faithful to preach the truth of God's Word without apology. Not everyone will like that, and that may include some of our strongest leaders in our churches. For me, if I am given the choice of offending God or the chairman of the deacons with my preaching, I'm going to offend that deacon. The worst he can do to me is cause me to be fired, but I would rather experience that than have to stand before God and explain why I failed to stay faithful to His Word. We must love people enough to teach them the truths contained in the Scriptures.
The church stands in a unique circumstance right now. Many churches who began to broadcast their worship services during the pandemic reported that their viewership exceeded their normal worship attendance. That tells me that our current situation has caused some people to seek answers to their questions about what is happening in our world. These are individuals who hunger for truth and want something solid upon which they can base their lives. The Gospel provides that firm foundation, but they will only know that if we are faithful to proclaim it to them. If all we can offer is spiritual mush that comes from some denominational office or a concoction that contains a lot of humanistic philosophy and personal opinion that is hooked to a Bible verse to give it credibility, they will not hear what they need most.
Pastors, commit yourself to boldly preaching the infallible Word of God. Lay leaders, encourage your pastors to do so even if it makes you uncomfortable at times. The Word of God has been silent too long in too many churches. It's time to change that.
Friday, July 10, 2020
Don't play "Follow the Leader" when the pastor goes to another church
One Sunday when I was a pastor, our youth minister announced at the start of the service that he was leaving for another church. As soon as he said that, two of our youth got up and walked out of the building, never to return. It was not easy to preach after that!
Anyone who has been involved with churches for very long has seen similar things happen. A pastor leaves the church, and some people start to leave as well. Sometimes, it is planned. Some pastors consider this church planting. As a Resource Minister I worked hard to get a pastor a severance package from the church when he resigned under pressure. A couple of weeks later I received a call from a very angry church leader who told me the former pastor was starting a church in the community and using the church directory as his prospect list. I tried several times to call this pastor, but he refused to accept my calls or return them. Highly unethical. In another situation, a music minister left the church, and for the next several weeks nearly the entire choir met with him at a nearby lake for worship.
Often, the former pastor moves far enough away that the people don't follow him or her. They just leave the church. Perhaps they came to faith under this pastor's ministry, or they developed a close relationship with the pastor. Now that the pastor is gone they have no connection to the church. This is unfortunate because we are not supposed to follow a person; we are to be followers of Jesus Christ.
Pastors come and go. It always amazed me how surprised church members can get when their pastor leaves. Every pastor is a departing pastor from the first day he or she begins. Whether the pastor leaves vertically or horizontally, unless the Lord returns, that pastor will one day leave. But, Christ is always there at the church. Where two or three are gathered, He is there. If our eyes are upon Him, as they should be, the pastor leaving should have no impact on our relationship to the church.
I pastored one church for twenty years. The last four weeks I was there I tried to remind everyone that they should not look for another pastor like me. (I doubt they could have found one anyway!) As I explained to the congregation, if God wanted their next pastor to preach like me, to minister like me, to act like me, He would have left me there. They needed a pastor with different gifts than I had.
One of the things I often recommended to pastors when they were seeking placement in another church was to move far enough away that no one would be tempted to follow them. While pastors need to be sensitive to God's leading, I think this is sound advice. Taking another church in the same community or the same association or district invites the problem of people following the pastor to the new church. Personally, I think we do our former church and its new pastor a disservice if we do that.
It's perfectly acceptable to grieve over the loss of a beloved pastor, but please do not attempt to follow him or her to their new place of service or leave your church when the pastor moves. Your gifts are needed where you are.
Anyone who has been involved with churches for very long has seen similar things happen. A pastor leaves the church, and some people start to leave as well. Sometimes, it is planned. Some pastors consider this church planting. As a Resource Minister I worked hard to get a pastor a severance package from the church when he resigned under pressure. A couple of weeks later I received a call from a very angry church leader who told me the former pastor was starting a church in the community and using the church directory as his prospect list. I tried several times to call this pastor, but he refused to accept my calls or return them. Highly unethical. In another situation, a music minister left the church, and for the next several weeks nearly the entire choir met with him at a nearby lake for worship.
Often, the former pastor moves far enough away that the people don't follow him or her. They just leave the church. Perhaps they came to faith under this pastor's ministry, or they developed a close relationship with the pastor. Now that the pastor is gone they have no connection to the church. This is unfortunate because we are not supposed to follow a person; we are to be followers of Jesus Christ.
Pastors come and go. It always amazed me how surprised church members can get when their pastor leaves. Every pastor is a departing pastor from the first day he or she begins. Whether the pastor leaves vertically or horizontally, unless the Lord returns, that pastor will one day leave. But, Christ is always there at the church. Where two or three are gathered, He is there. If our eyes are upon Him, as they should be, the pastor leaving should have no impact on our relationship to the church.
I pastored one church for twenty years. The last four weeks I was there I tried to remind everyone that they should not look for another pastor like me. (I doubt they could have found one anyway!) As I explained to the congregation, if God wanted their next pastor to preach like me, to minister like me, to act like me, He would have left me there. They needed a pastor with different gifts than I had.
One of the things I often recommended to pastors when they were seeking placement in another church was to move far enough away that no one would be tempted to follow them. While pastors need to be sensitive to God's leading, I think this is sound advice. Taking another church in the same community or the same association or district invites the problem of people following the pastor to the new church. Personally, I think we do our former church and its new pastor a disservice if we do that.
It's perfectly acceptable to grieve over the loss of a beloved pastor, but please do not attempt to follow him or her to their new place of service or leave your church when the pastor moves. Your gifts are needed where you are.
Thursday, July 9, 2020
Baseball as it is meant to be
This past week I've been in Atlanta watching my youngest grandson play in a 12u baseball tournament. He lives in Texas, and his team joined 75 other teams from 22 states to compete in this tournament. They won their first six games before losing in the semifinal game to the #1 ranked team in the US.
Yes, these 12-and-under teams are ranked, and play some amazing baseball. Many of these pitchers throw over 70 MPH with some hitting in the high 70s. With the shorter distance to home plate this would be the equivalent to fastballs coming in over 90 MPH. This was a level of youth baseball I've never seen. The hitting was just as amazing as the pitching with a number of home runs. To cap it off, I saw some incredible fielding as well.
What I enjoyed as much as anything was the passion with which these young men played the game. While the major leagues is dealing with union talks about resuming the season and playing with no fans in the seats, these kids are out there simply playing a game they love. There might not be a minor league season this year either, but there is a lot of good baseball being played in parks around the country by young men who are playing just for team pride.
It was also great being with our son and grandson for the week as well. Since they live in Texas, we don't get to see them as often as we would like, so getting to spend an entire week with them was wonderful.
In my last post before taking these days off I wrote about a pastor's self-care. This is an example of what that looks like. Taking time from the church to create memories with family and loved ones. The house we rented had a pool table so we played a lot of pool after the games. We tried new restaurants. We enjoyed the ball games, and it was nice for my wife and I to just relax away from the phone and get away from social media.
Practicing self-care, taking mental-health days, is good for you, your family and your church. Make sure you leave time in your schedule for plenty of such times.
Yes, these 12-and-under teams are ranked, and play some amazing baseball. Many of these pitchers throw over 70 MPH with some hitting in the high 70s. With the shorter distance to home plate this would be the equivalent to fastballs coming in over 90 MPH. This was a level of youth baseball I've never seen. The hitting was just as amazing as the pitching with a number of home runs. To cap it off, I saw some incredible fielding as well.
What I enjoyed as much as anything was the passion with which these young men played the game. While the major leagues is dealing with union talks about resuming the season and playing with no fans in the seats, these kids are out there simply playing a game they love. There might not be a minor league season this year either, but there is a lot of good baseball being played in parks around the country by young men who are playing just for team pride.
It was also great being with our son and grandson for the week as well. Since they live in Texas, we don't get to see them as often as we would like, so getting to spend an entire week with them was wonderful.
In my last post before taking these days off I wrote about a pastor's self-care. This is an example of what that looks like. Taking time from the church to create memories with family and loved ones. The house we rented had a pool table so we played a lot of pool after the games. We tried new restaurants. We enjoyed the ball games, and it was nice for my wife and I to just relax away from the phone and get away from social media.
Practicing self-care, taking mental-health days, is good for you, your family and your church. Make sure you leave time in your schedule for plenty of such times.
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
Favorite books for the first half of 2020
With the shelter-in-place that's been in effect during much of 2020 I've spent a lot of time reading. This year I've done something I haven't done in the past. I've been reading a lot of fiction. More specifically, I've been reading books from the Star Wars story. Yes, I enjoy Star Wars so I decided to read some of the books rather than just watching the movies over and over again. What I didn't realize is that there are over 350 of them including young adult, ebooks, etc., and the list keeps growing. I doubt I'll get them all read!
However, I've also been reading non-fiction and thought since we are beginning the second half of the year I would share some of my favorite reads so far this year.
By far, my favorite read (based on the amount of highlighting and margin notes) is Salvation and Sovereignty: A Molinist Approach by Kenneth Keathley, a theology professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. As the subtitle indicates, this book looks at theology from a Molinist perspective. I found it very interesting as the author looks at the differences between Calvinists, Arminians, and Molinists regarding salvation. He replaces the TULIP approach of Calvinism with a ROSES approach.
I also enjoyed reading Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities by Roger Olson, a professor of theology at George W. Truett Seminary. This was probably the most helpful book for understanding Arminian theology that I have found. Olson is very kind to Calvinism but clearly addresses the myths many Calvinists believe about Arminianism.
No year goes by without me reading at least one book by John Maxwell. This year it was The Leader's Greatest Return: Attracting, Developing, and Multiplying Leaders. This book discusses the importance for leaders to develop other leaders. This is a book that is greatly needed in much of the church world today as we in ministry do not always do a great job of developing leaders in our churches. Of course, it is equally important that all organizations invest in leadership development. This was a good read.
Sometimes in our efforts to help others we actually do them harm. This is the thesis in When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. They emphasize that good intentions are not enough. Churches have to find ways to provide assistance to those needing it without making them dependent upon that assistance. Every church with a ministry to the poor should read this book.
The final book I'll mention is It's Dangerous to Believe: Religious Freedom and Its Enemies by Mary Eberstadt. Most Christian leaders understand that we are facing religious freedom challenges today that we've not seen before in America. The author points out how recent laws and court decisions as well as the attacks on many university campuses towards Christian viewpoints are serious threats to religious freedom. I found this book very enlightening.
I would recommend each of these books to any church leader.
However, I've also been reading non-fiction and thought since we are beginning the second half of the year I would share some of my favorite reads so far this year.
By far, my favorite read (based on the amount of highlighting and margin notes) is Salvation and Sovereignty: A Molinist Approach by Kenneth Keathley, a theology professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. As the subtitle indicates, this book looks at theology from a Molinist perspective. I found it very interesting as the author looks at the differences between Calvinists, Arminians, and Molinists regarding salvation. He replaces the TULIP approach of Calvinism with a ROSES approach.
I also enjoyed reading Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities by Roger Olson, a professor of theology at George W. Truett Seminary. This was probably the most helpful book for understanding Arminian theology that I have found. Olson is very kind to Calvinism but clearly addresses the myths many Calvinists believe about Arminianism.
No year goes by without me reading at least one book by John Maxwell. This year it was The Leader's Greatest Return: Attracting, Developing, and Multiplying Leaders. This book discusses the importance for leaders to develop other leaders. This is a book that is greatly needed in much of the church world today as we in ministry do not always do a great job of developing leaders in our churches. Of course, it is equally important that all organizations invest in leadership development. This was a good read.
Sometimes in our efforts to help others we actually do them harm. This is the thesis in When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. They emphasize that good intentions are not enough. Churches have to find ways to provide assistance to those needing it without making them dependent upon that assistance. Every church with a ministry to the poor should read this book.
The final book I'll mention is It's Dangerous to Believe: Religious Freedom and Its Enemies by Mary Eberstadt. Most Christian leaders understand that we are facing religious freedom challenges today that we've not seen before in America. The author points out how recent laws and court decisions as well as the attacks on many university campuses towards Christian viewpoints are serious threats to religious freedom. I found this book very enlightening.
I would recommend each of these books to any church leader.
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