Thank You

The Katinas Capture The Words We Need to Say

Confessing Sinners and Growing Saints

Our little faith community has been going through a six-week study on confession, sin, repentance, obedience, forgiveness and spiritual renewal. Our journey has taken us through tough, painful stories of willful disobedience and even rejection of God's biblical standards. We've walked down some difficult roads in words from David (Psalm 51), to the particularly difficult words and stories connected to the prophets: Amos, Joel, Jonah, Isaiah and Hosea.

We began our journey with a heart piercing video and song by Derek Webb entitled, "I Repent". Following that video in our weekly "Prayers of the People" (aka "P of P") on that first Sunday, there was brokenness, tears of confession and people crying out to God for forgiveness. It continued during the P of P each week. Different people would cry out to God in confession. Others were weeping out loud over sins. Kleenex boxes are darn near empty in the worship center. And much of this stuff was heavy, deep, dark, and even dysfunctional. Much of it would have made a tenured Baptist deacon, or Presbyterian elder blush. And frequently those confessing, or pouring their hearts out to God were surrounded by one or two, who offered a hug, a pat on the back, a touch of a hand, and often a prayer that said, "We love you. We're struggler's too. We feel your pain before God. And we want to help begin the road of repentance with you." Please understand this wasn't for show, loud or about calling attention to self. It was done quietly, reverent, sacred and holy. Sometimes the pauses between confessions were uncomfortable and long as God's Spirit quietly moved among us.

Confession is costly. Confession is risky. It's like opening the window to our soul, or pulling back the curtain on our thoughts. Confession (at least in the Bible) is not sanitary, neat, or safe. It's dirty and it's messy because our sin is dirty and messy, which is why a lot of churches never get to it in small groups, let alone in corporate worship. Yet, in 1 John 1:9 we are reminded that confession within the context of community is needful, helpful and it serves to remind all of us that we are not without sin as some in John's audience were declaring in that Early Church letter.

Not one significant revival (Welsh, Reformers, Asbury, Howard Payne and Wheaton) in history started without confession. Young Evan Roberts who God used to bring about the Welsh Revival showed us the way when he prayed, "Oh God, bend me."

Henry Blackaby put it well when he wrote: "Confession is not just for those who don't mind admitting their faults. Confession is a command given to every Christian...If confession does not come out of repentance, it is merely admission, and not true confession.....Confession is not a sign of weakness; it is evidence of your refusal to allow sing to remain in your life."

I began that series in a bidding prayer by offering my own litany of things for which I needed to repent. Sorry, but God's grace has already covered those tough, public admissions and my faith community has surrounded me, as well as others in similar fashion, with much love, encouragement and accountability. God has us working on those things together in a safe and authentic community. I've found that many want to hear the confessions of others, but the silence is deafening when they are asked to offer their own. I'm so proud of my little church because we don't go there. We're all depraved and imperfect. We understand sin and we're learning how to live out grace, even when confession is painful.

As I reflect on these powerful six-weeks and the precious things people shared and trusted within community, I'm one proud pastor. No, I'm not published, I'm not on the conference circuit, I'm not in a mega-church, my messages aren't on podcast, or video, and I don't want to beam my face to multiple campuses via video. I haven't earned a doctorate, I've got more questions than answers, and believe me, I am not even close to being as holy as some of the saints who are showing me a better way at Mosaic. And yes, I've been in a lot bigger churches with bigger budgets, higher salaries and larger facilities. However, I have never been more proud of an affiliation with a bunch of sinners, saints and fellow strugglers than I have at Mosaic Community Fellowship! Hey MCF elders, staff, members and attenders YOU ROCK!

News, Notes and Observations

Here's some news, notes and observations in no particular order:

• Outspoken NBA Dallas Maverick's owner Mark Cuban is about to sit where Martha Stewart sat, well I mean in terms of accusations in regard to "insider trading". More here at ESPN. It's America folks so remember: innocent until proven guilty.

• The majority of voters in California voted against the legalizing of gay marriage much to their governor's surprise. In 2005 he vetoed gay marriage legislation, but has since changed his stance and has vowed to fight the majority who voted it down two weeks ago. He is up for re-election. Theologian Al Mohler has an interesting post on this. Sidenote: The Episcopal Church has long had an open view in regard to homosexual couples. The Fort Worth diocese is now leaving the fold because of the denomination's stance on the ordination of homosexual clergy.
  

• Recent research indicates that 28% of American adults have left their formative faith for another one, or no religion at all. A big challenge, or opportunity for the church is the fact that among 18-29 year-old Americans, one in four say they aren't connected with any particular faith group or religion. Click on Pew Forum for more on the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey. Perhaps most troubling for Protestants in the study is:

  The Landscape Survey confirms that the United States is on the verge of becoming a minority Protestant country; the number of Americans who report that they are members of Protestant denominations now stands at barely 51%.

• Never one to avoid the "taboo" topics of church, Mars Hill pastor, Mark Driscoll has written a fantastic, transparent and very helpful book for Christian men who struggle with porn. It's a free book and you can download it by clicking on the title link that follows (warning: Driscoll states in his introduction that he wrote this specifically for a male audience!): Porn-Again Christian

• Don't laugh, a Congressional scientific panel has determined that "Gulf War Syndrome" is real. They are referring to 1/4 of the 700.000 who served in the 1991 Gulf War, not the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. See my September post concerning troubling addictions and stress plaguing Iraq/Afghanistan Vets and active soldiers. And it took a Congressional panel to figure this out 17 years later? And we wonder why Veterans have so much trouble getting help?

• Legendary college basketball coach, Pete Newell has died. Newell won Olympic gold in 1960 with the Big O in Rome. He won an NCAA title the year before. Current and aspiring coaches would do well to read about him. Basketball legends Jerry West and Bobby Knight were greatly influenced by Coach Newell. Most notably, Newell left the bench on doctors orders at the age of 44, but he beat UCLA's John Wooden the last eight times they met!
  
  

Make Those Dirty People Go Away

A recent editorial in the Greenville News entitled, City Needs to Address Begging Complaints, noted the increase of people panhandling in the downtown area:

This is a serious problem that needs to be addressed by city leaders before it has a detrimental impact on downtown businesses.

In fairness the editorial noted that this should be a launch pad for discussions to determine whether there are enough services in the city to help the poor, homeless, or downtrodden during difficult times. Absent from the editorial were suggestions to help curb the problem or offer solutions. Most disturbing was the line: ...Greenville needs to ensure it is protecting the investment of time and money that it has put into making downtown the gem that it is. Translation: Make these dirty people go away, they are soiling our downtown showcase when they beg for help.

I'm still waiting on the editorial admonishing designer dog owners who drive their luxury cars, or mega SUV's downtown to walk their dogs, but fail to clean up after Fido relieves himself in the grassy areas. Or what about those cars with designer/personalized license plates who abuse the two-hour parking spots, or worse, park in spaces designated for the handicap with no handicap license plate, or rear-view mirror tag? Oops, I digress.

Panhandling is illegal in our community. It's also uncomfortable for everyone. Strangers approaching strangers asking for money is awkward. It can be intimidating and scary for the person being panhandled. You leave a downtown business and someone who is obviously down on their luck approaches you asking for money. You don't know if they are going to steal your purse, or wallet when you offer help, or how they will respond if you dismiss them and ignore the request for help. I have even noticed the increase in panhandling in retail areas away from downtown, especially when gas was above $3.50 per gallon.

Years ago in seminary I participated in an urban ministry class assignment that found ten of us on the city streets of Louisville, on a Friday evening with a quarter in our pocket (there were public phones back then) and our driver's license in our shoe. All of us had to work on our "stories" (every street person has a story) and our homeless wardrobe. The guys didn't shave for a week and several of us decided not to bathe for a few days before the drop off so we wouldn't stand out by smelling squeaky clean (homeless folks don't have the luxury of getting a shower whenever they want). It was St. Patrick's Day weekend and it was very cold. Each of us had assignments for overnight shelters (so we wouldn't overly burden one shelter), but other than that we could go anywhere we wanted. As part of the "Urban Plunge" we had to panhandle at least once.

I've never felt more ashamed, humiliated and alienated. I remember walking along the St. Patrick's Day parade route as parents would grab their children away from me. Others would see me at an intersection crossing and walk away so they didn't have to face me, or other homeless people in the crosswalk. Business owners shooed us away when we sat with other homeless folks on sidewalk sewer grates trying to warm ourselves from the steam rising from below. Panhandling was especially excruciating for me. I come from a family with a very strong work ethic. I tried several times before getting up the courage to actually approach someone. When I finally panhandled, I was rejected, cussed out, chastised, threatened by potential calls to the police, and more than anything else, rejected and ignored. We were in pairs for safety. My buddy and I earned a whopping $1.25 for our panhandling efforts. It enabled us to get off the cold streets and buy two cups of coffee and split a sandwich at White Castle. We had to add in our emergency phone call quarters to come up with enough.

Most of the people I met on the streets that weekend were battling alcoholism, addictions, mental illness and depression. I was surprised to learn how many were American veterans. Homeless families tore me up. I spent the night sleeping on the floor of a local shelter's overflow room. It's also where they put people who weren't sober enough to spend the night in the main shelter. You can imagine the sounds, smells and sights. Many on the streets had lost their jobs, or careers and were simply passing through on their way to find jobs or help in other places. It is probably not practical or safe enough, but it wouldn't hurt every middle class and above American to spend a night on the street of the largest city closest to them. Heck, I'd settle for the leadership of America's churches to do it. Things would change, things would certainly change.

I'm not saying we should legalize panhandling. I'm not saying that panhandlers can't be intimidating and scary. I'm not saying it doesn't have a negative impact on retailers, parks and visitors to our respective cities. And no, I don't want my wife or daughter opening their purse to a stranger without someone else around. I'm not saying there aren't those among the homeless who take advantage of panhandling, or worse, make their living by begging. I'm not saying you need to give or not. Kindness and charity cannot be legislated. Each person has to decide (ahead of time) what he/she will or will not do for others. At times it may make sense, and others you may feel led not to help. We could certainly use divine wisdom and discernment in this area. However, if we are Christ-followers we are accountable to Jesus for our we treat our neighbors and those in need. Remember, Jesus never owned a home, or had a place to lay his head!

It's hard for me to face Jesus after I refuse to give someone money for food, when He says in Mark 8: I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. His heart reached out to those in need, so should the hearts of His followers. From the Good Samaritan to the countless "one another" New Testament passages (e.g., John 13:34; Romans 12:10; 13:8; Gal. 5:13; Eph. 4:2; 1 Peter 3:8, etc.), it's clear God has called and entrusted His church with the care of the hungry, homeless and needy. Perhaps the Greenville News, or media outlets in your area will sponsor a day bringing churches and community welfare leaders together to creatively tackle the problem of homlessness and poverty in our respective cities! Now there's an editorial/sermon in action and deed. We need to do more than just say, "these people have to be stopped" so "our kind" can enjoy the city amenities and public offerings.

Thank You!

Tuesday, November 11th is Veteran's Day. If you know one, live with one, or work with one, say thanks. Give em' a hug and say thanks. Never have so few (many long gone since Taps played at their funeral) risked so much and protected so many. If you think about the relative small number of veterans in terms of the total U.S. population throughout these couple hundred years you really begin to appreciate exactly what they've done for us and our country.

Within our family alone I want to thank these sailors who served and those among them who continue to serve: Dad Mills; Michelle;Dave;Lisa;Kevin; Tina and Tony. And my nephew at VMI who, like his father will soon wear the uniform. Agents of liberty all!

Our veterans deserve our gratitude, prayers and support. As a new generation of young men and women return home from Iraq and Afghanistan it's incredibly important that they know we are grateful and we care. Our veterans should have the best medical care in the world. Their pensions, education support and benefits should be the best. Our support for their return to the workforce and readjusting to civilian life should be unwavering. Their sacrifice insured our rights and privileges as citizens of the greatest country in the world. Thank you vets who wore the uniform in times of peace, conflict and war. Your willingness to serve has not gone unnoticed or unappreciated!

Go to Soldier Wall to see pictures of real life heroes and to even add some of your own. The project is a labor of love and a work in progress.

Three Really Sad Weekend Stories

Election coverage aside last weekend's news headlines were full of needless tragedy and violence. Here's three and a comment afterward.

• A convicted felon (not supposed to possess a gun) shot and killed a 12-year old trick-or-treater on Halloween in Sumter SC. The alleged shooter told authorities he thought he was being robbed when he clicked off 29 rounds with an assault rifle from inside his home. Here's the tragic story from Fox News.
  

• A Cincinnati pastor was shot and killed after arriving at a Northern Kentucky church for a funeral on Saturday. A deacon was also shot and wounded. The man charged with the murder and assault had a court order against him to stay away from the pastor. The two victims were attending the funeral at a sister church. CNN has the story.

• Pro golfer John Daly was taken into police custody in NC over the weekend. According to the AP story, police on the scene said Daly: appeared “extremely intoxicated and uncooperative” when he was found outside a Hooters restaurant early Oct. 27. With no other means of transportation, he was taken to the Forsyth County jail for 24 hours to get sober. Daly's version of the story is the usual cry of denial of the addicted. Golf Channel has his version of the tale here: Golf Channel
  

  The recovery crowd defines insanity as: doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. That said, it appears one of the greatest talents in golf is going mad. Come clean and get help John. Your public road to self-destruction is not fun to watch. You are capable of so much more. We miss that young gun who claimed PGA and British Open titles before he drank away his sponsorships.

Observations/comment:

• We live in tragic times. And people wonder why parents are paranoid?
  
• Sick people do sick things.
• Nothing is sacred anymore: church, funerals, halloween trick or treating, etc.
  
• Restraint applies to alcohol as much as it does firearms. Not every drinker is getting snockered and the majority of legal gun owners take their responsibility very seriously.
  
• Preserve and protect the memories of the victims and their stories---may they motivate our lawmakers, and educators otherwise they died in vain.
• Decency, respect, and character cannot be legislated. These things should be taught in the home long before someone is old enough to pick up a gun in anger, or take a drink.
• Personal responsibility and consequences for actions is a lesson we are failing to teach.
  
• "Revenge is mine," says the Lord.
• Lord Jesus, we still seem to be having serious trouble with your definition of neighbor, loving others as you love us, and loving our enemies.
• Forgiving those who've hurt innocent children is still a great struggle for me in my attempts to live out the words of Jesus.
  
• "Oh God, comfort the police and first responders in situations like this and give them much wisdom. Block the scenes from their minds and give them rest when they lay down."
  
• "Come quickly, Lord Jesus" is becoming my daily prayer.
  

An Open Letter to Republican & Democrats, And The Church

Dear Republicans and Democrats,

The votes have been tallied, the projections realized and the presidential race is over. We have a winner. When the dust and bull of the analysts and commentators on both sides clears one thing is true: We all win. Let me say it again. WE ALL WIN! Before Republicans get sarcastic, or defensive, and Democrats get smug, take time to think about that. On the first Tuesday in November, Americans (a record number since 1908) came out to peaceably cast votes for their respective candidate without coercion, force, or bribery. Some of us stood in long lines for two hours or more to exercise this freedom, while others braved rain, or cold weather. In my own precinct I saw more people under-25 leaving the polling place than I have in any previous presidential election in memory. That is positive and exciting! History also wins. Regardless of the button or lever we pushed, we made history. History was going to be made, regardless of which ticket won. Another first for our nation.

Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and come together. After 22 months of campaigning, debates, interviews, and those endless commercials America has spoken. Exit polls indicated that Republicans and Democrats were overwhelmingly concerned about the economy. But I believe we share many mutual concerns or ideals. Such as:
• Improving healthcare.
• Eliminating hunger and poverty.
• Protecting our citizens and keeping us safe.
• Lowering unemployment.
• Creating new jobs.
• Preventing the loss of existing jobs to foreign countries.
• Developing alternative energy sources.
• Improving education.
• Strengthening our infrastructure (airways, highways and rail).
• Supporting our military and caring for our veterans.
• Seriously accepting our leadership role in the world.
• Eliminating government waste and ridiculous earmarks.
• Demand character, integrity and honesty from our leaders.
• Promoting justice.
• Lowering crime.
• Respecting the elderly
• Lowering infant mortality and teenage pregnancy.
• Promoting life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Yes, Republicans and Democrats have honest differences on how to accomplish and achieve these ideals. But don’t you think it’s time the world saw us united in purpose? Don’t you think the world has the right to see the freest, wealthiest, resourceful and prosperous nation on earth come together and put petty agendas aside in search of greater ideals echoed by the memories, words and actions of people like Lincoln, King, Jefferson, Truman, Eisenhower, Rosa Parks, Roosevelt, Franklin, Paine, Ross, Revere and others who were committed to something larger than themselves. There it is, something larger than you and me!

Elected officials please stop the divisiveness and personal attacks. Have the courage like Senator McCain did on the stump to stop untruths and rumors in their tracks even if it’s about people with whom we disagree ideologically. His refusal to let an urban myth go unchallenged over his opponent spoke volumes about his character. Stand up for what’s right and what’s true. As Senator McCain said in his concession speech: “Whatever our differences we are fellow Americans no association has ever meant more to me than that.” Members of the Congress, governors and state legislators, many of us still believe you were elected to represent us, not your personal views, or special interests and corporations with deep pockets. Some of us still believe you were not elected as much to do things right, as you were to do the right thing.

Christ-followers it’s time we quit assigning God’s presence and spirit to one particular party, candidate or another. It's time we prayed more for our leaders than criticizing them (1 Tim. 2:1-4; Romans 13:1-7). God’s Kingdom transcends governments and parties including America. His kingdom is global, “red and yellow, black and white”. It’s time we quit pronouncing judgment on people who hold different views, or even criticize our faith, and showed the world we are His by living out His commands to love God, one another, our neighbor and yes, even our enemies! It’s time to pray for our president and vice president elect, the Congress, the current administration and the peaceful transition of our government. Don’t you think it’s time we started doing what the government cannot do and that’s caring for the orphans, widows, children, and needy? It’s time we promoted justice for all and showed the world the unconditional love of our Savior and leader.

I close with a memory of my formative years growing up in the home of Bill and Ann. Not once. Not one single time in my memory can I recall my parents ever verbally insulting, or personally attacking a sitting President or governor, even those for whom they did not vote, or share their political views. We were taught as children to refer to the president as “President Johnson”, “President Nixon”, “President Ford”, “President Carter” and “President Reagan”. Even if they weren’t Mom and Dad’s pick at the poll, we knew better than to refer to the resident of the oval office by his first, or last name. Mom and Dad taught us to respect our leaders. I think I remember both Jesus and the Apostle Paul commending Christ-followers to do likewise in our submission and respect to those placed in civil authority over us. It’s time Christ-followers were known for love, mercy, action, obedience, faithfulness, prayer, and most of all, the Gospel, instead of trying to run the government. Trust me, we have a higher calling and responsibility to an eternal Kingdom!

Aren’t you glad those political ads and endless urban legend emails are over!

Congratulations to President-Elect Obama and Vice President-Elect Biden! Gratitude to Senator McCain and Governor Palin. Profound gratitude to our military. You are all in my thoughts and prayers. I love my country and I am proud to be an American, but I am more humbled and privileged to be a follower of Christ, and child of THE King!

Vote!

Exercise your freedom on Tuesday!