We are all so different, thank goodness! I know that the world would be a very scary place if everyone was just like me. If that was the case everything would stay broken, there would be a lot more road signage (as I’m always lost), AND professional baseball would be a year-around sport! I could go on… but that probably sounds horrible enough to you. I would also venture to say that the world be a little quieter.
One of the most profound displays of Christ-like love is to truly listen.
I was a senior in high school when my family purchased our first home computer. At that time in history the Ctrl+Alt+Del command was bitter sweet. It was bitter because it meant you had reached a road block and things were locked up. Sometimes, you were even staring at that horrible blue screen which strobed in front of you in a tantalizing way. It was sweet because it allowed you to pull out of the immediate symptoms and be rescued to a fresh start.
I remember as a student beginning a new term with lofty goals of studying a little bit every day to reap greater benefits and to avoid the last minute cram. Every time, without fail, those lofty goals would meet the reality of sitting the night before a test or paper due date needing to accomplish everything in the few remaining hours. To be honest, I did learn how to function pretty well in that routine and ended up depending on that ability.
We can not procrastinate a relationship with Jesus.
In my home we have an ongoing debate of the quality, or lack there of, that is found at Luby’s Cafeteria. I understand that Luby’s can be a pretty polarizing topic… and I may lose a few friends and readers over this one. If you are not familiar with Luby’s it is usually the only eating establishment in which the parking lot is full at 4pm.
I have a theory, it is not trademarked yet so feel free to use it as your own, that the food served at Luby’s is based on a predigested menu. What once began as normal food is pre-chewed and then pre-digested so that it is in the most comforting state for the aging members of any local community. Let’s face it, this segment of the population is plagued by everything that is needed to chew and digest their food effectively. How wonderful is it that they have a local establishment which removes these obstacles and even offers great discounts. I have yet to mention the creative marketing which produced a cultural icon like the Luanne Platter.
Are you becoming dependent on predigested truth?
We’ve worked through some changes here at Suburbia Uncovered. I appreciate your patience. Honestly, it was nice to get the questions of people wondering what was going on with the site.
The short story is that we began having some compatibility issues. While working through how to fix those issues I realized that it was time for a little update to the site. The first post on the site was on April 26, 2011. I began with a strong vision and purpose, but that strong beginning found itself getting diluted amidst all of the day to day pulls of pastoral ministry.
Church is something that becomes very personal, at least here in the West. Too often church also becomes a battlefield where the bloodshed of opposing opinions takes place. History tells us of controversies ranging from whether or not women should wear pants to the seductive rhythms where drums are present.
In recent days there has been church damaging battles over the appropriateness of hymns or choruses in the worship gathering. The battles also reach over into the sermon length as well. In one corner you might hear that a sermon is not a real sermon unless it is 60 minutes and over no more than two verses. In the other corner are those who define a sermon by twenty-five minutes and an alliteration of five to seven letters that includes marriage or finances.
There is another division that is a bit less obvious. It subtly glides below the surface of outward conversation, yet peeks through in smaller huddles. It is so subtle because it manifests itself in so many different ways.
The last post highlighted many of the similar principles with which we love our sons and daughters. There are nuanced differences, but these differences fall short of fully loving our sons into their biblical role of leadership. Let’s move beyond the basics of the previous posts and look at our unique gift of discipling the next generation of men in Christ’s Church.
As Parents we have the unique opportunity to disciple our sons with the prayerful hope of them growing to be great men who love Jesus and lead in His Church. As Fathers, we have the unique gift of showing our sons an example of this faithful life lived out daily.
How can we love our sons into biblical leadership?
Here are a few thoughts on how we can love our sons into biblical leadership:
I recently finished reading a book titled, Lincoln’s Battle with God: A President’s Struggle with Faith and What It Meant for America. I really enjoyed the book. I have not read exhaustively on Lincoln and it sparked a desire to continue to dig deeper.
This was not written to be a traditional biography. This book takes the specific area of Lincoln’s spirituality and draws attention to that trajectory throughout his life. My understanding of the author’s research led me to believe that Lincoln greatly despised the religion of his father. His father was deep into the camp meetings that exploded through his hometown in the early 1800s.
However, it seems that Lincoln held onto some value of his mother’s spirituality which was different than what his father practiced. His mother, highly intellectual as well as a competitive wrestler in her earlier days, taught Lincoln Bible stories throughout his childhood. Her last words to her son were ‘worship God.’ This seemed to have a lifelong pull on Lincoln.
Our parents’ mistakes must not define our spirituality.
When my wife and I began life with our first child it was an adjustment, to say the least. We were trying our best to navigate the new challenges of midnight feedings, purposeless screaming, and sleeplessness. That being said, we were not at a deficit for ‘wisdom’ from everyone with whom we came into contact.
We quickly found that everyone, yes everyone, had broken the secret code of infant survival through this book or that book, this technique or that technique, this herbal supplement or that herbal supplement, this schedule or that schedule… you get the idea. I quickly discovered that parenting an infant often brought some significant arrogance in people because they sincerely believed they had the best method which EVERYONE else should be using. Don’t get me started on breastfeeding…
As a student of missions I have been aware that these same ideas are pervasive and so often damaging to the global church. The most obvious examples are evidenced around the globe when you come across the little white church building with a steeple which is in the middle of an African geography. This is created from a belief in having all of the right answers and strategies which solve all people’s problems.
We must be people who listen to be able to share the gospel.
On a recent Sunday we sang a song titled, Your Love is Strong. I’ve worshiped with that song many many times. However, one line hit me differently on this particular Sunday.
I look out the window the birds are composing Not a note is out of tune or out of place
