I may garner some degree of consternation to admit that I’m not terribly upset about the recent victories of the gay community regarding gay marriage laws. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t agree that recognizing gay marriage is correct. I think the marriage contract should be reserved for heterosexual couples. But I simply think as Christians we need to have our focus elsewhere.

The rest of this post is a copy of today’s daily thought from Zondervan Publishers. I receive this in my in-box as a result of signing up on Zondervan’s website. The link is at the bottom of the page if you are inclined to join me.

I’d be interested in your thoughts on this one. Feel free to comment.

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Are You Salty?

The assumption of many Christians … is that readily identifiable enemies, such as feminists, New Agers, homosexuals, advocates of diversity, postmodernists, or liberals, can be blamed for the destruction of America’s moral landscape. Among the many problems with this assumption, two stand out most prominently. First, this approach is thoroughly unbiblical. Jesus never taught his disciples that the primary problem in first-century Jewish life was the rulership of Judea by the Romans. Rather, Jesus taught that the true enemy was the failure of God’s people to act like the people of God should act.

It was because the salt of the earth (God’s people) had lost its saltiness that it became good for nothing except to be thrown out [see Matthew 5:13]. The unfaithfulness of God’s people – not the activity of those outside the community of faith (that is, the Romans) – was always the focus of Jesus’ harshest criticisms. In contemporary culture, it would not be hard to imagine Jesus asking evangelical and Roman Catholic churches some pretty uncomfortable questions about the number of … divorces within our own churches…

The second and most troubling aspect of [declaring enemies is the] self-righteous view that “sin” is located outside of us rather than a reality coursing through every human heart. The result is that someone who is on the wrong side of a particular “family values” issue is regarded as an enemy to be scorned rather than as a person to be won. Repentance is required of them, but not of us…

Abraham Lincoln was closer to the truth … when he wrote, “In the presence of a war, it is quite possible that God’s purpose is something different from the purpose of either party.” … When asked by a reporter whether God was on the side of the North [in the Civil War], Lincoln is said to have humbly responded, “My concern is not whether God is on our side, but whether we are on God’s side!”

-Who Is My Enemy? by Rich Nathan

Q: As “the salt of the earth,” how are you “seasoning” others? Join the discussion on Facebook

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Forgive me that I don’t get terribly excited by the prospect of “Earth Day”, that is apparently supposed to be celebrated today. After 40 years of watching environmentalists emperil human populations with hype & fraud (more malaria, anyone?), I’m ill disposed to join them in meaningless action.

Not to suggest that we shouldn’t conserve, or prevent lazy and criminally inclined people and companies from polluting our waters and land. I practice recycling. I turn out my unused lights. I even ride a bike to work everyday. But frankly these are things we are enabled to do because we live in a rich and prosperous country. We would do more to clean the earth by making sure that this prosperity is spread to poor countries than by having “Earth Day” for a hundred years.

If I read the Bible correctly, the environmentalists may have it backward, anyway. Paul says that all creation is groaning as it waits for the revealing of the sons (and daughters) of God. John 3:16 says that God so loved the “World” that he gave his only begotten Son. As the original caretakers of the earth, mankind’s redemption and renewal is essential for the redemption and renewal of our planet.

I think there’s a consistent message here. The earth is saved along with mankind by the work of Christ that started on a Friday 2000 years ago. May His blessings be multiplied to you on this day, Good Friday, God’s true version of Earth Day.

David Rooker

I’m only 58, which my mother assures me is still young (she’s 91). It doesn’t always feel young, especially when I consider that I’m only 9 years away from my 50th (!) high school reunion. I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do when I grow up.

My weekend was spent going through books. My father was a lover of books and a lover of learning, who never stopped acquiring both. I didn’t realize the breadth of his interests. His shelves contained books on history, and philosophy, and humor, and of course religion and theology. What I didn’t know was his interest in other languages. He had books on and in French, German, Italian in addition to his Greek & Hebrew studies from seminary.He liked to read the Bible in Greek for his morning meditations.

I’m afraid I didn’t inherit his academic inclinations. His memory and recall were excellent (he would have made a great Jeopardy contestant.) Mine are much more plebeian. Both my short and long term memory are limited. (What did you say your name was again?…) I’ve always admired and to some degree envied those who have good memories – my talents lie in other areas.

My car is overloaded with books – many of which I hope to sell. If I could haul a trailer I’d carry more. I can’t help but wonder how much of my life is overloaded with “stuff”, like my car. Here’s hoping my car’s and my personal suspension system will hold up for the trip!

I’ve been coming to this house to visit my parents for 26 years – the longest they’ve ever lived in one place.My father was a pastor and they moved frequently. I lived with them in 5 different communities before I was 20. So this house is the closest thing to an “old home place” that we have. It’s sad to close the door on this part of their lives, and I know my mother has many mixed emotions, but she will be in a good place for the rest of her life.

That’s one more thing my father did well. He made sure she was provided for after he died. Through good stewardship, and a bit of fortunate timing (15% interest on CDs didn’t hurt any!) he was able to leave her with a substantial nest egg which will allow her to finish the course in some small degree of luxury.

She is moving to a senior living facility where she’ll have most of her needs met under one roof. They clean her apartment weekly, feed her three excellent meals a days, do her laundry, provide exercise and recreation – they even have valet service for her car when she needs to go somewhere! They offer medical care and banking and nearly any service a senior citizen might need – and guarantee her care for life. And she has my father’s foresight and diligence to thank for it.

David Rooker

I’m at my mother’s home helping her sort through 91 years of life to decide what goes and what is kept for an imminent move to a much smaller abode. Fortunately for both of us, she is not a major collector, so the job isn’t as daunting as it could be.

That doesn’t make the task easy, none-the-less. Relinquishing the material possessions that define and reflect an entire life is a bittersweet process. My mother is pretty even-tempered through it all. Unlike the hoarder who can’t bear to part with a used cereal box, she is cheerfully packing parcells to give to the church, the library, and various & sundry relatives who happen by at propitious moments. I think she’ll do fine.

But I’ve experienced moments of angst as I carried to the trash remnants of my father’s life. He was not a hoarder, but he was a saver. As a pastor and communicator, he wrote many sermons and newsletters, etc., and he saved much of it, if not all. He saved letters to him, mementos of special occasions, and cards from friends and relatives for birthdays, anniversaries… he liked to remember, and he saved far more than I ever knew.

I hated to simply pitch these things that were special to him, and which were a witness to a life well-lived, but I knew that I would never take the time to sift through it all for the nuggets of his life that would shine through the mundane. So to the dumpster they went… but not without feeling a little blasphemous.

It all just reinforces the fact that human life, as the Bible pointedly explains, is certainly like grass: Green & lovely today – dead & withered tomorrow. The details of a single life are like ripples on a pond. Active and visible when the pond is disturbed, but gone in a moment, never to return.

On reflection, to realize that we have a God who has numbered the hairs on our head is a bit astounding. Apparently He keeps the details of our lives and remembers what no one else knows. Makes me wonder what God’s closets and book cases would look like…

I occasionally post emails I receive from Zondervan on a daily basis. This one from Charles Swindoll’s commentary series is worth reading. Enjoy…

In his book Evangelism Explosion, D. James Kennedy tells a true story:

“I once heard a man walk up to a woman and say, ‘How are your kidneys today?’ … Her response? Did she hit him with her purse? No, she said the following: ‘Oh, they’re much better today, thank you, Doctor.’ I overheard those words in a hospital room. The doctor had earned the right to ask that personal question. If you doubt that, stop the next lady you meet on the street and ask it yourself, and see what happens. All of which is to say, we need to earn the right to ask personal questions.”

Let me offer a couple of principles to consider as you attempt to reveal the unseen realm to the people in your life.

First, only authenticity and integrity can win a hearing. Be real. Don’t buy into the myth that always being in the right will make people want to hear what you have to say. Own your mistakes. If you’ve said too much and offended, apologize. If you’re angry, either confront your offender tactfully or let it go. If you form a wrong opinion, admit it…

Second, you cannot convince anyone of a truth you’re not living. If you want to talk about the forgiveness of God, you’ll have to model forgiving others. If you want to discuss the love of God, then faithfully love your wife or husband as Christ loved the church. People notice inconsistencies quickly, but they’re just as quick to see godly character. They’re also smart enough to know that if you really believe something, you’ll have no trouble living it.

Insights on 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, by Charles R. Swindoll

Q: Is it hard for you to admit when you’re wrong?
(A) Yes, I struggle with admitting when I’m wrong
(B) It’s easier to admit to my Christian friends
(C) It’s easier to admit to my non-Christian friends
(D) I’ve had a lot of practice being wrong, and I’m pretty good at admitting it
Join the discussion on Facebook

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We have a clock in our employee break-room that ticks to a different drum beat. This clock hasn’t quit turning. It has simply lost it’s ability to move the hands in tune with the rhythm of the passing day. Instead it cheerfully meanders along at a tempo all of its own devising.

I’m not sure what it says about me that we have not yet replaced the clock, or that I still look at it every time I’m in the break-room, only to realize yet again that the clock doesn’t keep time any more.

There is a sermon in here somewhere.

Testament of Hope

I’ve always been a bit conflicted in my thoughts about Martin Luther King. I came of age in the 60′s (that decade of hedonist upheaval) and my thoughts about Mr King are no-doubt shaded by negative and positive reports of his activities in news and adult conversations that swirled around me then. My brother was old enough to involve himself directly in protests and freedom rides. His liberal activism informs his political convictions to this day. I, on the other hand was just a selfish hippie wannabe, so the racial struggles of that day were side stories to the truly important thing in my life – my own physical comfort!

My early Christian life was steeped in ’700 Club’ conservatism (although I joyfully voted for Jimmy Carter due to his very open Christianity.) Stories of Mr. King’s private life and socialistic political views were off-putting, and I found myself questioning a day to celebrate his life. I’m still a conservative politically, because I believe conservative principles best answer the intricacies of human character & interaction, but have changed my opinion on the worthiness of Martin Luther King day honors.

Mr King had some genuine character flaws, as did another king that we give pretty high marks to. Our beloved psalmist, called a man after God’s own heart was an adulterer & and murderer, among other flaws, but we and God have given him a position of honor. Martin Luther King deserves similar treatment.

Perhaps his legacy would not have been as sweeping if he had not been assassinated. Perhaps time and innuendo would have caught up with him and his message would have been eventually soiled and his assassination would have been of the character variety only. But because he was cut down at the peak of his visibility, we only remember what he did and stood for and that is worth remembering.

His vision of a colorblind society will likely never be completely realized, because there will always be some who choose to denigrate those who are different from them. There will always be leaders who use race and nationality to stoke ancient hatreds and gin up reasons for war. But King’s insistence and persistence towards his vision – and his insistence on non-violence – make him worthy of honor in spite of any personal flaws.

Martin Luther King’s life was instrumental in righting some terrible wrongs. We certainly still have a ways to go in our relations with each other, but there have been incredible and positive changes in society – to a great deal a result of his actions. The King of Kings said that no man has greater love than the he should lay down his life for his friends. ML King put his life on the line for all of us, paying the ultimate price for his convictions, and our society is the better for it.

Blessings to you on this day of honor and celebration.

David Rooker

There is a text (it escapes me right now – and I’m in a bit of a rush, so I don’t have time to look for it) that essentially says God knew us and chose us from even before the beginning of creation. This leads, of course to all kinds of discussion about predestination and free-will, etc, but that’s not where I’m going with this. As a firm fence sitter on that whole conversation, I’ll leave it to better theologians than myself.

As we celebrate the incarnation in our inimitable consumerist frenzy, I wanted to interpose this brief thought.

Jesus is not God’s “Plan B” for creation.

Sometimes I read the Bible and get into a mindset that God is experimenting. After the “Let there be…” phase Adam & Eve are the first problem to be solved. Sin enters the world to be answered by a chosen people, the Law and the prophets, and finally, the incarnation and sacrificial work of Jesus. It took God a while, but He finally gets it right.

But that is not Biblical. The simple truth of scripture is that God was not blindsided by sin. Jesus is not a second option, but the central part of the eternal plan. Christmas & Easter were established before creation! Jesus is the revelation of God’s love, and the incarnation is the culmination of all creation. He is the author and finisher of our faith. He is God with us, and Savior. He is God’s plan… period.

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year from all of us at The Scroll!

Yesterday’s devotion from Phillip Yancey’s excellent devotional Grace Notes (which I read this morning) adds another good thought to my thread on the church. He begins by asking the question: “Is the church necessary for a believing Christian?” Yancey had tried the Winston Churchill method of church going -  “he related to the church rather like a flying buttress: he supported it from the outside” – and concluded he was not alone considering that those who claim to follow Christ far outnumber those who attend church.

David Rooker

This reading came on the heels of a recent facebook conversation. The question was asked: “What would a church service look like that was “for the church”? – a question that I assume was intended to stir thought about the purpose of “church”. A responder stated that it would look like nearly every church in the US and suggested that a church service that was “for the Lord” would be more unique.

Among the many reasons stated for leaving the organized church is that church services are “boring”, and not “meaningful”, etc. etc. This would seem to indicate that the emphasis of church for many of us is what we can get out of it. One of the original purposes of the church service – training in the Word – has been rendered to a redundancy with the wide availability of books and Bibles and commentary (those things that The Scroll is founded upon). It is easy to get a mindset that one doesn’t need a church service to learn about God. So is the church important?

If the above is your primary criteria, probably not. Few pastors can match the preaching of a nationally published speaker. Few praise teams reach the quality of recorded praise music. If music and teaching is all church is, then stay home and watch Billy Graham. But I think we all know that church is much more, and even though many times we fall short of the ideal, the need for community and friends and mutual ministry is often only met in church. My response to a church service “for the Lord” was that God has no need of our worship, but we have a need to worship – not to mention a need for community. Church is primarily for “the church”.

Yancey relates that another often used reason to be “unchurched” is hypocrisy. He continues:

I had a knee-jerk reaction against anything that smacked of hypocrisy until one day the question occured to me, “What would church look like if every member were just like me?” Properly humbled, I began concentrating on my own spirituality, not everyone else’s.

God is the ultimate judge of hyprocisy in the church, I decided; I would leave such judgement in God’s capable hands. I began to relax and grow softer, more forgiving of others. After all, who has a perfect spouse, or perfect parents or children? We do not give up on the institution of family because of its imperfections — why give up on the church?

I confess that my recent history of church attendance has been a bit spotty, for a variety of reasons. But I haven’t given up on the church. Paul admonished us to not disassociate ourselves with the assembling of believers as some were apparently already doing. The church exists for many reasons, not the least is for those of us who claim to be a part of Christ’s body. We need to be part of a local expression of that body – hypocrisy, boring sermons, lame music and all.