Top Ten Ways You Can Know You Are Baptist

The church I pastor is an amazing family of people who are trying their best to follow Christ and believe that we can do it better together than alone. We are not perfect (not even close, really), and do not pretend to be so. But we sincerely believe that the biggest need of the human heart can be found in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We unabashedly invite others to be a part of our faith family, not because we want to be a bigger church, but because we truly believe that we can help them find answers to the big questions of life.

Because of this desire to connect others with God, we made the decision to break down any barriers which might prevent someone from taking that first step of visiting our church. We discovered that one of those barriers can be denominational structure. There is a generation today that has, with good reason, become quite cynical toward religious organizations. They've seen the news and they've read about the scandals, and so many of them have completely written off organized religion. With that in mind, we intentionally made the decision to not emphasize our particular denomination. This was not a "right" or "wrong" decision; just one that we strongly believed was right for our family of faith.

Having said that, our church is Baptist, both in our teaching and in our practice. We have many in our church who come from a variety of denominations - Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist - and are quite proud of their heritage, but now have found this to be a place where they are able to grow closer to God. In the same way, many in our church grew up Baptist and are proud of their heritage. While I personally was not raised in a Baptist church, it was in a Baptist church that my faith in and understanding of God really began to grow.

All that is just background for you to know that I'm Baptist and I have the great privilege of serving as the pastor of a Baptist church. So the following is not meant to offend anyone, just something that I came up with one day while I was running on a treadmill and my mind began to wander. If this list offends you in any way, then please accept in advance my apologies.

Top Ten Ways You Know You Are A Baptist

10. Your church has 400 members, but the FBI and Post Office together cannot find 100 of them.

9. If hearing the joke, "How many Baptists does it take to change a light bulb?" makes you respond, "Change?!? My grandmother gave that light bulb to this church 50 years ago! You'd better not change anything!"

8. Your version of the Bible says that instead of locust and honey, John the Baptist “ate fried chicken and drank sweet tea.”

7. At your last business meeting, there were 25 people and 30 opinions.

6. Gossip is not a sin as long as it is preceded with the phrase, "This is a prayer request" or "bless his heart." (i.e., "Pray for Sam, bless his heart, I saw him at... I mean, I heard that he was at a bar last night.")

5. Your church has a smoking porch for the deacons.

4. You have reserved seats in your worship service.

3. You have ever wondered when your church will finally pay off those loans to Annie Armstrong and Lottie Moon.

2. You have ever sung all 74 verses of "Just As I Am."

1. You believe that Baptists will have their own section in Heaven!

He Isn't Ours

This past week we took our 2 1/2 month old son, Ryan, to get a CT scan and an ultrasound. He was born with something called a congenital aplasia, and after going to several doctors and even driving to Atlanta to meet with a doctor, we took the little fellow to get these scans. They doctors told us that it was probably nothing to worry over, but that these tests would confirm. Before I go any further, we did get that confirmation that he is perfectly normally (well, except for the genes he inherited from me), and that the scans were all clear, and that the worst he'll have to live with is a dime-sized bald spot on the side of his head.

We went with the technicians as they placed our son in the CT scanner. They had to place pads around his head to keep him from moving and then slid him back into the machine. My wife and I talked about that scene later as we drove home from the hospital - just how emotional it was seeing him being put into that scanner. My first thought was, "I can't imagine having to see your child go through test after test like this." I suddenly had a deep compassion for parents whose children face serious medical issues and have to go through this kind of experience over and over.

As we talked about that experience, we reminded ourselves about how both of our children are not ours. It is so hard to really believe that truth, but we have to allow that truth to find its way into our hearts or we will drive ourselves crazy trying to protect our children from every little thing and completely control their environments. We talked about how our children are a gift from God, and that they ultimately belong to Him and are under His protection. We reminded ourselves of the story of Hannah and Samuel, and how desperately Hannah wanted a son, and once he was born she both spiritually and literally gave him over to God to serve in the temple. We talked about her words, which I'm sure were said with many tears: "I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord." (I Sam 1:26-27) We've found that this is the hardest thing to do, and yet yesterday we were reminded, as we saw our son in that machine, that we cannot control everything that happens to him and protect him from everything. He belongs to God; we are simply Ryan's foster parents, caring for him the best we can.

How Do I Get To Oz?

So many times when we are trying to figure out God's will for our lives, we feel like Dorothy asking the scarecrow how to get to Oz. We get no further in clarifying the decision that ought to be made than Dorothy got in her answer from the scarecrow. We pray, we ask advice from friends, we get the big yellow legal pad and make our list of pros and cons, and still we are left scratching our heads. Is there way to really know God's will?

This Sunday (September 12th) I'm beginning a series on Discovering God's Will. In my preparation for this series, I have personally discovered two truths that make a huge difference in how I view God's will for my life: 1) God loves me more than I can possibly understand, and wants me to know His will for my life even more than I want to know it, and 2) God's purpose in my life is to get me to do the things that I don't necessarily want to do in order to become the person I want to be. In other words, I may think that His will is not the best for me, but God, in his infinite wisdom, understands the entire context of my situation, knows the outcome of every decision, and ultimately wants to lead me to the place I really want and need to be.

Those two truths are incredibly freeing. God wants me to know His will more than I want to know it makes my struggle to discover His will less burdensome. And, the fact that whatever His will is for my life is the place that ultimately I want and need to go means that I can trust His leading even when it doesn't make sense. Life becomes easier with a guide like that. Sure beats the heck out asking the scarecrow!

It Was A Scream!

Kevin Ryan Mills, Jr. (Ryan) came at 4:02PM on Tuesday, August 3rd, weighing in at a hefty 7 pounds, 9.4 ounces. According to the doctors and nurses, the delivery was as smooth as they come. Mama is recovering quickly; little Ryan seems to be happy, and big sister Elizabeth is, for the moment, tolerating this new "attention-stealer" who has entered our house. Now begins the crying, the screaming - and that's just from Dad! Even through it all... the mountain of dirty diapers, the feedings, the sleepless nights... it's worth every moment!

Dear Ryan

Dear Ryan,

It's 3:00 in the morning as I sit at the computer to write these words to you. Earlier this evening your mom decided she wanted us to go on a walk, "to get things moving along." Well, it apparently worked. After just 3 hours of sleep, she woke me to tell me that your birthday would be August 3rd, 2010. For a while, we debated: How long do we wait before going to the hospital? How long do we wait before calling and waking your grandparents to come watch your sister, Elizabeth? Should we call the hospital first and ask their advice? Will they call the doctor for us?

Strangely, the whole thing felt like deja vu all over again (a famous Yogi Bera quote...I look forward to sharing his famous wit with you one day.) Just 16 1/2 months before, we went through this same routine with your sister. You'd think that we'd know exactly what to do this time, but it's funny how much you forget in 16 months.

Your mom is getting herself ready and packing her bag (she'll pack enough to stay for a month). Your dog, Bella, is asleep on the kitchen floor. I'm drinking coffee, trying to clear the fog, sitting in the kitchen writing on the laptop. Even in the haze of the early hours of the morning, I'm exploding with excitement about meeting you for the first time.

I know I'll make mistakes. I know you won't always like me. There will come a time when you think you know everything and I'm a complete idiot. But know this: I'm going to love you with everything that is in me. I'm going to do my best to give you tons of my time. And I'm going to tell you about our God who loves you a million times more than I am able to love you. Unbelievable, isn't it? I cannot wait to throw a ball with you, to ride you on my shoulders, to read you a story, to put you to bed at night. I cannot wait to meet you, Ryan!

But for now, we wait. Just waiting on you to do your thing. So come on, buddy. I'm looking forward to meeting you.

Love,

Dad

"You Mean We've Had This The Whole Time?"

My daughter, Elizabeth, is 16 months old. Recently, we "turned" her car seat around. Fortunately, my wife keeps up with the rules, but there is some deal about them facing backwards in the car seat until they reach a year old or 50 pounds or some measure like that. I'm not 100% sure what the deal is, but she told me it was time, so Elizabeth now faces forward in her car seat.

Today, since now she is facing forward, we put in a DVD while she and her mom went to run errands (I was home for lunch and got to see them off). As you can tell from the attached photo, she instantly became locked in to her Veggie Tales video. One time she glanced over at me, and I was able to read her mind. She looked at me as if to say, "You mean we've had this the whole time and you guys haven't been letting me watch DVD's?!?"

I wonder how many times we end up the same way spiritually. I wonder how many times God has incredible things in store for us, but we just miss it, or aren't ready, or haven't "grown up" enough spiritually for God to be able to show us more. I wonder how many times we are facing backwards spiritually, while God is waiting for us to mature so He can show us all the great things we can see facing forward. How many times are we missing our own Veggie Tales DVD?

In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. Hebrews 5:12-13

Laughter

Very early in Genesis, there is this great story of God coming to Abraham and Sarah and telling them that He will give them a son. The story is great because God was doing something that seemed impossible - allowing this woman who was a few decades past her childbearing years to become pregnant. When God came to Abraham and gave him the news, his wife Sarah overheard the conversation and laughed; not with a joyous, excited kind of laugh, but a cynical, pessimistic kind of laugh. The kind of laughter that said, "Yeah, right. Like I'm really going to be able to have a child."

A few chapters later in Genesis, she gets pregnant (Ch 21:1 - "...and the Lord did for Sarah what He had promised.") She gives birth to a son, names him Isaac (which means, he laughs) and then said, "God has brought me laughter (not the cynical, pessimistic kind of laughter, but a joyous, excited kind of laughter), and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." (Gen 21:6)

On two separate occasions, Sarah laughs, but her first laugh is dramatically different than her second laugh. Her first laugh is full of cynicism. Her second laugh is full of joy at God doing the impossible in her life.

In my own life, there is far too much of that kind of cynical laughter and far too little of the joyous laughter at God doing the impossible. It's far too easy to become cynical and jaded in our society, and I've fallen victim too many times to the curse of cynicism toward everything, including God. I want to laugh, but not like Sarah's first laugh. Lord, help me to not cast a weary, cynical eye toward You doing the impossible in my own life.

Waiting

I'm an extremely impatient person. Standing in long lines; waiting for a table at a restaurant; waiting for someone who is late to an appointment... these things all drive me insane. I'm not good at just sitting and waiting.

But when I read the Bible, I find that I'm commanded to wait on God... a lot. Psalm 37:7 - "Be still and wait before the Lord." Psalm 27:14 - "Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Psalm 33:20 - "We wait in hope for the Lord." Proverbs 20:22 - "Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you." And the list goes on. I mean, come on, God, don't you know that I've got things to do, and I need you to solve my problems NOW?!? What is the deal with this whole waiting thing, anyway?

This coming Sunday we will be talking about why God makes us wait - and since you are a faithful blog reader, I'll give you a preview of the sermon. The major reason God makes us wait is that what God does in us while we wait is just as important as that we are waiting for. In other words, the waiting is not just killing time, but part of God's plan. The journey is just as important as the destination.

So, I guess I'm praying that God would give me the ability to be patient and wait on Him. Is it okay to pray that He would hurry up and give me patience?

Sex, Sleep, and Snoring

The first command given to mankind from God was one that many people are willing and able to follow: "God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number.'" (Genesis 1:28) So, God's plan is clear on the fact that men and women are to 1) Reproduce. Secondly, we are told that Christian married couples have a certain obligation to engage in sexual relations with one another for a purpose beyond just reproduction: "The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband... so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control." (I Cor. 7:3,5) So, the Bible is clear that mankind is to reproduce (note: this does not mean that a child-less couple is out of God's will any more than a single person is out of God's will. If reproduction was an individual requirement, as some Christians try to proclaim, then Jesus would have been out of God's will) and that Christian couples are to engage in sexual relations with one another in order to help their partners avoid the temptation to seek sexual fulfillment outside of marriage. So, that part of marriage is clear from the Bible.

What is not clear, though, is whether or not Christian couples have some sort of obligation to sleep in the same bed together. In other words, is it okay for a Christian couple to sleep in separate beds or even separate bedrooms? Obviously Ozzie and Harriet were able to get away with sleeping in separate beds, but Mike and Carol Brady decided that they needed to be in the same bed. But what if one partner snores really loudly? Is it then okay to sleep in separate bedrooms? Or what if one partner likes the ceiling fan on Cessna speed while the other partner needs the air movement in the room to be a little less than 75MPH? What if, only hypothetically now, one partner is pregnant, likes the temperature in the room to be only slightly above freezing, cannot get comfortable so she's constantly rolling over, and wakes up in the middle of the night to watch television, while the other partner is a light sleeper? If that purely hypothetical situation were to take place, does the Bible prohibit that pretend couple (who really do love each other a whole lot, but one of them just isn't any good without his necessary sack time...) to hypothetically sleep in separate, but hypothetical bedrooms? Is there a moral obligation on that couple to always sleep in the same bedroom? And, is it justifying behavior to say that one of the hypothetical partners may perhaps be a lot nicer after getting the proper amount of sleep, thus being a better husband and making for a better marriage? Is there any kind of Christian rule on this matter? And, is it okay for just a period of time (like during the last trimester of a pregnancy)?

I'm just asking, you know, just in case the hypothetical ever becomes reality...

Butler Jesus

A good friend of mine recently forwarded me a sermon by John Piper, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In this sermon, Piper asserts that for so many people in America, their Christian life never goes beyond turning to Jesus for their needs and wants. Piper states:

"Instead they (nominal Christians) have absorbed the notion that becoming Christian means turning to Jesus get what you always wanted before you were born again. So, if you wanted wealth, you stop depending on yourself for it, and by prayer and faith and obedience you depend on Jesus for wealth. If you wanted to be healthy, you turn from mere human cures to Jesus as the source of your health. If wanted to escape the pain of hell, you turn to Jesus for the escape. If you wanted to have a happy marriage, you come to Jesus for help. If you wanted peace of conscience and freedom from guilt feelings, you turn to Jesus for these things.

In other words, to become a Christian, in this way of seeing things, is to have all the same desires you had as an unregenerate person—only you get them from a new source, Jesus. And he feels so loving when you do. But there’s no change at the bottom of your heart and your cravings. No change in what makes you happy. There’s no change in the decisive foundation of your joy. You just shop at a new store. The dinner is still the same; you just have a new butler. The bags in the hotel room are still the same; you just have a new bellhop."

Piper's point is this: for those who have become followers of Christ, the source of our joy changes. Our foundation of happiness is not found in what Butler Jesus can deliver to us, but rather in Jesus himself. Our joy is not found in what we get from Jesus, but in the fact that we are able, through his death on a cross, to have a relationship with the God the Father. Is my life spent making much of God, or hoping that He makes much of me?

This sermon certainly causes me to do a heart check. Is my passion to see God's name made great, or to see my own needs and wants met? Do I view Jesus just as a my Divine Butler, or are my prayers that he would be glorified through my life? From where does the core of my joy and happiness come? What am I hold onto as the greatest treasure? At the end of the day, no matter how much God blesses me, self will never completely satisfy me. My supreme joy has to come in my relationship with God.

Who Am I?

So this week I'm reading through the events of the last week of the life of Jesus. (I'm using Luke's version, so I started at Luke 19 and reading through to the end of his account). This morning I read through the accounts of Jesus being questioned (more like verbally attacked) by the religious leaders. I was amazed all over again at the answers of Jesus - he took on the scholarly elite of His day and put them in their place every time they attempted to trap him (check out his amazing debate skills in Luke 20).

But the question which plagued me as I read through these passages was, "Who am I in this story?" In other words, which character would I have been in that day? Where would I have fit into these accounts of Jesus being challenged by the religious mafia? I came up with several possibilities:

A Sadducee - I dismissed this one pretty quickly. These guys were the social upper crust of their day. This red-neck Georgia boy would never have been asked to be part of their club.

A Pharisee - These guys were the religious leaders of the day, so yeah, I guess that there is a chance that I could have fit into that group. Most of them weren't fans of Jesus, though... he was upsetting their system. So I wonder what my reaction would have been if my "status quo" was being challenged?

Part of the crowd - These were the rubber-neckers of the day. They stood on the edges, listened to the debates, laughed when Jesus put the religious leaders in their place, but also chanted "crucify Him" when Jesus stood beside Pilate. They weren't committed either way; they just wanted safety, security, and their next meal. Yeah... I bet I could have been a face in that crowd.

A Disciple - These were the guys who abandoned everything they knew to follow Christ. Sure, they flinched when Jesus was arrested and crucified, but ultimately these guys came through because nothing mattered more. Man, I sure would love to say that I would have been one of those guys.

I've found that it is really easy to Monday morning quarterback all these different characters, point out flaws and mistakes and to make statements like, "I would have..." But during this week leading up to Easter Sunday, I've been plagued by this nagging question - who am I in this story? And... I guess the more important question - what in my life now proves that I would not have been one of the bad guys? It's a hard question to ask; maybe harder question to answer. And yet... what could be a more important question?

What's in a name?

Alright... so yesterday we got the big news... this August we are having... a son! While I was mainly just happy to hear the words, "As far as we can see, everything looks find and the baby is healthy," and while I would have been just as excited if it was a girl, there has definitely been a lot of dreaming about what it means to have a son. We've got a precious little girl, Elizabeth (who turns 1 year old today, by the way), and it has been the thrill of a lifetime to be her dad. But now I get to start dreaming about this future baseball / football player / golfer / soccer player and all the games that I'll get to sit through and yell at blind referees / umpires. For the last 24 hours, my thoughts have been in the sports world. For my wife, though, her thoughts have been on one thing - what will we name this man child of ours? The moment we left the doctor's office, the discussion began. I came up with several names - all of them were shot down. Here is the list of names I thought would work. I'm certainly open to suggestions, but let me warn you - don't get your feelings hurt if your suggestion is shot down. I thought the ones below were all home runs, and, well... turns out that they had "K's" put beside each one. Here are the "winners" I offered:

General (such a fine name anyway, but combined with his last name, he'll make the Wheaties box even if he's not the best athlete).

Cotton (anyone ever heard of Cotton Mather, the famous pastor of the 1700's? Katie says with that name he'll sound like a pillow factory. Plus we have friends who've already taken that name for their little boy).

Concord (my Charlotte friends will get that one).

Wind (I know, not as creative, but if he became a pitcher, would give the guys on ESPN some good lines for when those batters whiff his split-finger fastball).

Saw (Waaayyy to graphic for my wife, but can't you just imagine him being a linebacker with a name like that? He would cut through that offensive line like a... well, you know.)

Seven (100 bonus points if you can tell me what television series that is from).

Sue (not only is it a family name, but according to Johnny Cash, he'd be the toughest kid in school).

Well, the bad news is that none of these winner names turned out to make the contender list. I just bet you we'll end up with some old boring name like John or David or Paul or... Kevin.

Crazy Love

Without a doubt, my favorite book is the Bible. There is no other book I've discovered that speaks to me over and over like that book. It is amazing to me that I can read a passage from the Bible that I know I've read two or three dozen times before, and for some reason, I will see some new concept or application for my in the passage. There is no other book that continues to change my life like the Bible.

But... every now and then I'll come across some other book that will really speak to my heart. In January a friend recommended to me Crazy Love by Francis Chan. It is a fairly short book - maybe 200 pages, but I have been reading it for nearly two months now. It's not that I'm that slow (please... no snide comments from those who know me), it's just that the book is so convicting, I've had to read a few pages, then stop and digest and pray. The thrust of the book is that as American Christians, we've become quite complacent in our faith. We are fine with lukewarmness. Or, to quote Chan directly:

"This (lukewarmness) went against everything I was reading in the Bible... I began to compare all aspects of my life to Scripture. I quickly found that the American church is a difficult place to fit in if you want to live out New Testament Christianity. The goals of American Christianity are often a nice marriage, children who don't swear, and good church attendance. Taking the words of Christ literally and seriously is rarely considered. That's for the 'radicals' who are 'unbalanced' and who go 'overboard.' Most of us want a balanced life that we can control, that is safe, and that does not involve suffering." (p 68)

Please do not read this book if you are not ready to be challenged to make your pursuit of God the number one priority of your life. You won't get past the first few pages without tossing the book aside. But if you want your heart spurred toward a whole-hearted pursuit of God's presence in your life, I highly recommend this read.

Med Center Northway

This week I'm beginning a new sermon series called, "Med-Center Northway." The focus of this series is that our church, and churches in general, are supposed to be places of spiritual healing. And yet, far too often, those who are not part of the church perceive that church is a place for those who are already well. The perception that I've heard so many times from those outside the church is, "I need to get my life right before I go to church. I'm so far from God right now, my life is so full of junk right now, I'm so spiritually sick right now, that I just don't think I would be welcome at church."

I take my share of the blame for this false perception that we've given. Jesus said in Matthew 9:12 (and Luke 5 and Mark 2), "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." Jesus understood that His purpose was to go to the very people who were hurting, or outcast, or felt far from God. Those were the people who desperately needed the healing touch of the Great Physician. But somehow we have sanitized the message of Jesus enough that now the church isn't a hospital, but a place for those who are already well.

I've thought at times about placing on our church, just under the cross or in some other conspicuous location, the Caduceus (the medical symbol of two snakes coiled around a rod that is surmounted by wings. By the way, I realize that there is controversy over the use of this as a medical symbol, and that many have argued that the appropriate symbol should be the rod of Asclepius, but that is for someone else to figure out.) I would place this symbol on the outside of the church in order to announce to the world, "If you are hurting, if you have issues, if you are spiritually sick, then THIS is the perfect place for you. Jesus came and died on the cross in order to spiritually heal you!"

Will the church in America ever get to the place of being seen as a hospital? Who knows... maybe I'm just a dreamer...