Potpourri, part two

So, which are you?

Are you this?

How evil are you?

Or, are you this:

How evil are you?
Not to human bash or anything here, but you are more like the latter than the former. Just a fact. I took the quiz twice, and got the first result. I could have easily got the second.

Why? Look at it this way (and this is not an original illustration ... I got it from Don Miller's Blue Like Jazz).

Let's say a parent had twins. One was given discipline, instruction, teaching and training. Right from wrong, not to shoot people, that sort of thing.

The second? He was left to his own devices. Play in the street? No big deal. Kick his brother in the head? Well, boys will be boys, yes?

Not to get into a nature vs. nurture debate here, but how would those two kids turn out? The bottom line is that we are broken. Our souls are damaged property.

Want to know how to fix it?

Click here to read the story of how humans got here in the first place ...

At home in a house church

I grew up in a non-denominational church, but you could call us Baptists when you get right down to it.

Oh, and I almost went to a snake handling church one time -- I was invited as a reporter by a congregant who wanted to get the word out to anyone interested in praising Jesus with a canebrake rattler or two -- but moved out of the area before I could take him up on it. I seriously wanted to go, and still do. I've been to Penecostal churches and Churches of God and United Bretheren Churches and Catholic Mass.

Then, there was the first time I went to a Methodist Church. I didn't like it very well because I had a raging hangover from partying too hard the night before and I kept having to stand up and sit down, stand up and sit down, stand up and sit down while saying things like, "We lift our praises to the Lord." Bells figured prominently in the serivce.

It was not a great introducution to Methodism, even if if was my fault. Not that I would condone alcohol-induced debauchery, but if you're ever hung-over, stay away from very large Methodist Churches. If the Holy Spirit's conviction doesn't get you, the bells will. Just pray while lying down in the bathroom and save yourself the time.

These days, I love my church. Love it.

My pastor, Frank, is a wonderfully beautiful being, a corny joke machine that you just want to hug. Then hug again. The other people, too.

Frank is a wonderful teacher, too -- when he teaches (not preaches), he is all the time telling us stuff like the Greek root words of New Testament scripture or the original Hebrew from Old Testament text. This makes everyone feel smart. And everyone wants to feel smart. Especially Christians, who often are made to feel so very dumb.

My church is what you might call a house church. On any given Sunday there are, oh, about 20 or 25 of us -- children included -- and we meet in the lobby of a dentist's office. Frank's wife works there as office manager.

We're part of a growing trend these days toward smaller, more intimate congregations. Oh, sure, churches like Lakewood, Saddleback and Mars Hill get most of the publicity these days with mega-churches being all in vogue, but there's a movement afoot that's growing in spite of itself.

The numbers, according to the Barna Group, an evangelical research organization:

• Between five million and 20 million Americans participate in house churches each week; that's between 9 and 11 percent of Christians.
• The average size of a house church is 15 people, with five children.
• 72 percent of house church congregants are satisfied with the sense of community they get on Sundays.

Whether you want to call it organic church, house church or simple church, the fact is that this is something of a phenomenon.

House2House, an organization that promotes house church and offers resources such as the website Simple Church, claims "Christians in the United States are moving toward house churches faster than any American religious movement of the past 250 years." I can't say I dispute that, becaue there's no way of knowing to what they are comparing it. But when you factor in that if nine percent of Christians attend house churches compared to one percent 10 years ago, well, that's not exactly an explosion of growth. Evidence that there's some sort of momentum, to be sure. But house churches have not gone viral.

But many of us who call house church our home, we're missing something here: the long-term impact. Just what is it?

In more proof that Generation X is slouching toward respectability, my biggest concern about home churches has to do with my kids.

Home church, at least in our time, is a new concept, the effects of which over a longer period can't be known. What of my two daughters? Will the efficacy of Jesus' gospel be hindered by their being raised in a house church? I grew up in a traditional church, and my foundation was strong because I was given age-appropriate training in biblical wisdom. Now, I know it's trendy to decry this type of "indoctrination" of youth, but the Bible admonishes us to train -- not raise, train -- our children in the ways of God. If that means teaching Jesus while using a flannelboard, that's not all bad, is it? What about children's church? Lock-ins? Group trips to bowling alleys or swimming pools? House churches decry this sort of "programming." Besides, there aren't enough people to minister specifically to kids anyway.

To House2House's credit, it addresses the issue, saying "our house churches do not sufficiently emphasize the importance of growing children. The war is won or lost by the age of 13." I don't agree that the war is won or lost by the age of 13, but the point is well made.

Then there's the issue of insularity. In a recent story in the Colorado Springs Gazette -- Colorado Springs is the home of the massive New Life Church, better known as the former pastorate of Ted Haggard -- a "pastor" of a house church there was quoted as saying "We focus on each other. We don't exist for anything less than that." The question remains: do they exist for more than that?

Again, house churces decry programming, but if all a house church exists is for their own sense of community -- and I can attest that our congregation loves each other very much, which is the very epitome of Christ's message -- then what's left for a needy world?

Indeed, the Colorado Springs story says -- written by the author, mind you -- people "involved in house churches often don't feel a need to network with large groups of people. That's part of the point." And that point is a problem.

The author acknowledges this, writing, "Other critics believe house churches are ... unwilling to reach out and help those outside their close-knit group."

I wonder what Jesus would make of church today. What kind would He go to? Would He go at all?

A lot of this house church growth certainly comes from the guidance and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, but its roots are in the meetings of the first-century Christians. But we look at the first century church through what Mars Hill calls "a brush of idealism."

Yes, the first century church met in small groups, but that was a function of both persecution and the fact it was a new faith with relatively few followers. They had to grow. Does that mean bigger churches are more effective, considering the biggest explosion in church/Christianity happened after those first house churches, through the power of the Holy Spirit, flourised into something that could more effectively minister the Gospel?

There are, to be sure, pros and cons on the issue of house churches:

• PRO -- It's hard to be anonymous in a house church and, thus, hard not to be involved. If you're hurting, someone will see it, and someone will ask if they can help. A pro-house church writer once said (and I'm paraphrasing), "If you feel lost and ignored in a large, traditional church, it's because you are." I don't agree, but you get the point.
• CON -- A bigger church means a bigger impact in the community. Our mission is to love others, to serve the world, to make a difference in the lives of those around us. Say what you will about a big -- and some would say, impersonal -- church, but its size, if not its collective passion, enables it to do big things.
• PRO -- Sermons can be interactive, with "parishoners" asking questions that emphasize key points and make the message more relevant to each person.
• CON -- My daughter is pretty high strung, and when she decides she doesn't want to sit there anymore, EVERYONE has to hear it.
• PRO -- Ever taken communion with just 15 other people? It is indescribably beautiful.
• CON -- Start times are nebulous, at best. Church can't really start until most people get there, and if more than one family is late, it holds things up.

There are more questions here than answers. There's a reason for that. The movement, while not brand-new, has reached a tipping point where some of this stuff has to be addressed if we're to understand how Christ wants us to move His church forward.

**************************************************************************

I didnt' get this written in time for Tuesday -- which is normally one of two days for original content -- meaning I've run into Wednesday's links day. So, here are a few, courtesy of those you can always access on the sidebar on the right-hand side of your screen. For starters, you can access house church websites by clicking here (House2House), here (SimpleChurch), here (OpenChurch) or, check out the Wikipedia article on the house church movement here.

Agape Christian Fellowship -- Our church. As the unofficial webmaster, I'm at work right now tweaking the website to offer streaming video of Frank's sermons, complete with slides of scripture and study notes.

On the Way Ministries -- I had a chance to meet Bill Smith, founder of On the Way Ministries, last summer. Sharp, sharp cookie. He has some great insights.

Theology Online -- Like to debate? Click on over here and have at it.

Grace and peace ...

That's My King

It's audio/video Monday, which sort of sounds like shop class on the first day of the school week when Mr. B was coming off a long weekend bender and didn't feel like teaching. I'm not so far removed from my wild and crazy days that I can't relate.

So how about checking out this is sermon by the late S.M. Lockridge -- you can read about him here -- who gave a sermon some years ago in which he attempted to describe our Savior. (Sounds like he did a doggone good job.) It's another great video from the good folks over at Igniter Media, and I promise to look elsewhere for a video from another source next week.



Not only do I love the video itself, but it's even better because it reminds me of the types of sermons I used to hear when I was a kid, when preachers would kick off their shoes and stomp up and down the aisles proclaiming God's goodness.

Quick story, and I have a ton of these days from an idyllic childhood sitting in the second pew on the left, beside my granny, at the Bancroft Church of God Mission: one of my favorite old saints was a guy named John, who doubled as the church janitor -- in those days, you didn't have to call someone a custodian for the sake of political correctness.

I called him Big John because he was a pretty hefty dude to eight year-old eyes. He had these big ears and an even bigger smile, old tattoos on his forearms inked during his days in the Army ... and this was before barbed-wire tattoos were common on 18 year-old white kids from the suburbs, mind you. There was still significant social stigma attached to people inked up. His had turned green and faded over the years enough that you couldn't quite make out what they were supposed to be.

One Sunday -- and I'm not sure why; it doesn't matter -- John got caught up in the Spirit. He raised those tattooed arms in adulation of his God, stood from his pew with his head upturned so that tears flowed down his checks and onto his wrinkled neck. He didn't bother wiping them off; heck, he probably didn't even know they were there. He shouted his praises and walked around the sanctuary, up and down the aisles and, then, he walked through a side door and back toward the Sunday School classrooms. You could literally hear him shouting from back there, getting alternately quiet and loud as he walked around, unseen by anyone but God Himself, in the empty spaces surrounding the main auditorium.

When he finally came back around, he appeared at the door that led out to the choir loft -- he was still weeping, still shouting, still raising those tattooed arms -- before walking back down the steps by the pulpit and sitting down at his seat.

And you know the greatest thing? No one missed a beat. No one. The service rolled on, the choir still sung, people still stood and testified, all while Big John went about his business. It wasnt' that they were ignoring him -- no, Big John was given the freedom to worship His savior as he saw fit.

I can understand why public displays of emotion in adulation of Jesus might be off-putting or even uncomfortable to some people these days -- and maybe even threatening. It's not particulary dignified, at least in the way that a lot of people would define it, but it is beautiful and it is true and it is real. At least that's the way I remember services like that --and sermons like this -- and I do so very fondly.

Sadly, these days it's easy to dismiss acts of worship like the ones from my childhood, because they are characterized as those delivered with histronics by big-haired preachers or bigoted fundamentalists who'd rather shout at you about hell than hug you and tell you about heaven. You call that narrow minded?

Those with culturally acceptable tunnel vision who view southern-style Christianity without once looking beyond their pre-conceived notions and embrace that the very true story of Jesus should understand that the Gospel can come in a high-brow and very intelligently written diatribe or in the rhythmic cadence of a black preacher pouring out his heart -- or, in the weeping adulation of a simple man in love with his God.

So, in honor of both Shadrach Meshach Lockridge -- and my friend Big John, who spends his days now raising his arms in the literal presence of My King -- I ask you: do you know Him today?

More housekeeping

So here's the plan. The more you update you blogs, the more "pings" you get on blog search engines and the like.

And the more "pings" you get, the more readers you get.

And the more readers you get, the more people hear about Jesus.

And the more people who hear about Jesus ... well, if you know Him, you know what I mean.

So, in the interest of writing something on the blog six days a week -- and that's the plan, for good or ill -- I've decided to have a feature specific to each day of the week, barring Saturdays. That's my day off from adding my two cents to the blog-o-sphere.

Here's the lineup:

MONDAY -- Audio/video day ... there's all sorts of interesting and faith-related stuff on YouTube, VidMax and the like. The plan is to post one of them every Monday.

TUESDAY -- Original content ... you know, the stuff I write

WEDNESDAY -- Links day ... I'm always browsing, surfing -- pick your synonym -- and coming up with interesting sites of faith that are worth visiting.

THURSDAY -- Potpourri ... that's how you spell it, yes? Just a random collection of thoughts, kind of like Jack Handy (a reference you'll get if you were in high school/college in the 1990s.)

FRIDAY -- Original content

SATURDAY -- Yard work, rough-housing with the kids, staying out of trouble with my wife ... typical day off

SUNDAY -- News of the Week

There you go. Hope you'll come back.

Clarification

If you read yesterday's post, you know there's a squabble going on between the Southern Baptist Convention and the Acts 29 Network, an emerging church organization that plants churches nationwide.

The rift is nothing new -- it's in many ways the same back-and-forth between established, modernist denominations and the new, post-modern emerging church movement. There's plenty out in the blog-o-sphere about all this, and since I didn't plan on writing anything today I'll not rehash it all here. It would take more time than I have (although, like all other bloggers, I have an opinion ... and, yes, I'll be sharing in the coming days. You're welcome.) I am technically at work right now.

But as a sidebar to yesterday's news of the week item regarding all this and in response to a story that threatens to get bigger and bigger, Acts 29 released a statement yesterday that bears repeating here.

There's just too much misunderstanding about just what the emerging church movement is, what it hopes to accomplish and what its leaders believe. I can certainly understand the concern groups like the SBC has ... after all, some of the more radical leaders of the emergent movement (which is part of the larger emerging church movement ... I know, I know. It gets complicated. Read up on it ... you should be aware of what's going on in the 21st Century Church), make dangerous and heretical claims.

But Acts 29 is not a radical group by any stretch of the imagination ... at lest, not radical in the sense that they capitulate on critical areas of basic Christian doctrine. Indeed, the group is very, very evangelical and, in many ways, fundamentalist. After all, what is more fundamental than the fact that Jesus is The Way, The Truth and The Life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him? That's Acts 29's position. Interestingly enough, it's the SBC's position as well. How's that for common ground?

Anyway, read the Acts 29 statement here, and, while you're at it -- and, if you're interested -- check out a primer on emerging church courtesy of Scot McKnight, who writes the Jesus Creed blog that's listed under by blog roll and who wrote the invaluable, Cliff's Notes version of it all with his essay "The Future or Fad." I've also added my two cents a number of times here in this space, and I'd invite you to take a look back through the archives if you'd like (it just dawned on me that I should make a list of topics we've covered here and list entries under their respective headings ... I'll add that to the ever-growing list of things to do.)

Oh, and one other thing. Take a look at the SBC's list of basic beliefs, then read Acts 29's statement of doctrine. Once you read between the lines, there's not a lot of difference there. Sheesh, what are you guys fighting about? An elder in some Acts 29 church somewhere drinking a Blue Moon and a minister somewhere else serving a $9 Shiraz for the Lord's Supper?

I once heard a dear friend of mine, who is a Pentecostal preacher, give a sermon at the chuch where he grew up. This church ... well, let's just say it's not a Penecostal church. It's idea of being in the spirit is singing with your eyes closed.

Before his sermon, this preacher, a very smart and astute man with an understanding of his congregation, said that if he and the members of the church would make a list of doctrinal positions, putting them in sequential order of their importance, they would likely find themselves into the 50s before any disagreement.

The lesson? We're all on the same team here. It's a lesson the SBC and Acts 29 should take to their forgiven hearts.

For week ending April 28 ...

Real quick, before we get to the News of the Week, I'd like to give a big shout out to everyone for checking out the blog. I just got my 2,000th hit yesterday. OK, so maybe that's not a lot for a full year, but, hey, it's something. Here's hoping we'll get another 2,000 hits in the year ahead ... after all, that's 2,000 people who can hear the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.

Grace and peace ...


Wiccan symbol OK on military headstones (MSNBC)

The Wiccan pentacle has been added to the list of emblems allowed in national cemetaries and on government-issued gravestones of fallen soldiers.

Well, at least they're not taking all the crosses down ... not to give them any ideas, mind you. I just hope no one from the ACLU is reading.

Norwegian Church Aid Bringing Water to Haiti (Christian Today)

Norwegian Church Aid, a non-profit Christian group, is finalizing plans to dig 40 wells in Haiti, supplying water to 70,000 residents, a project that will cost the equivalent of $1.7 million.

Two thoughts here: first, it's a blessing to see that after the domestic turmoil and bloodshed that's taken over Haiti in recent years -- really, just the latest in a bloody history there -- Christians are able to move back in and get back to the work of being Christ's hands and feet in what is one of the world's most needy nations. I have some dear friends who have gone on numerous missions trips there, and my wife and I would love to go with them some day.
Second, the city in which I live, Charleston, West Virginia, has an estimated 51,176 people. Few, if any, are without running water ... yet in Port-Au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, digging wells to add water to 70,000 people is just scratching the surface of their need. Most of us cannot fathom the level of poverty that exists in Third World countries ... and I would suspect most of us don't want to know, either.

Asking Why (Christianity Today)

Christian Fellowship helps survivors of the Virginia Tech shooting deal with larger issues

God did not walk into a Virginia Tech classroom and kill 30-some students with two handguns.

Briefly ...
So Al Gore is blasting Canada for that country's new plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a plan that officials there say will reduce emissions by 20 percent by the year 2020. Problem is, that country signed the Kyoto Protocol, agreeing in 1997 to cut emissions by five percent lower than 1990 levels by the year 2012. Guess what Canada's current emissions levels are, according to the Associated Press? It's 30 percent above 1990 levels. And, in a story in E/The Environmental Magazine, most signatories to the Protocol won't meet the new standards to which they agreed, including Japan. The U.S. did not sign the agreement ... Mark Driscoll, of Mars Hill Church, is in the middle of some controversy again, this time the result of a public rift between his church planting network, Acts 29, and the Southern Baptist Convention. There are a number of issues at play here, and I won't weigh in ... I'm not in the loop and don't want to make any judgements on who is right or wrong. Read for yourself. Driscoll's account is here and you can read the SBC position here.

99 balloons

Do yourself a favor and grab a tissue ... right now. Then, if you have a healthy child, praise God right now.

More links

Congratulations to Aaron Shust, who won three Dove Awards Wednesday night -- best new artist, best song and best songwriter.

I had a chance to spend a weekend with him as part of The Outpost, a men's ministry his friend, Jim Eaton, runs out of Atlanta. Every summer they invite a bunch of guys to get out in the wild, enjoy good music, conversation and a chance to reconnect with God amid His creation. The ministry's website is here.

Anyway, Shust turned out to be a great guy, of course. It was nice to sing and praise God while he led worship with his guitar. He sang most of the songs from his Anything Worth Saying album -- which is phenomenal, by the way -- around a campfire one night and told us the inspiration around each song. It was quite a cool experience.

By the way, he has a new album coming out. You can pre-order an autographed copy by clicking here.

For those of you who listen to K-Love, it just finished its spring fundraising drive, and fell short of its goal. So, how about heading over to the website by clicking here and making a monthly pledge. Or, if you can't make that commitment, maybe you can make a one-time donation.

Finally, if you live in West Virginia, you should be aware that on June 9 there is a local referendum on whether to legalize table games at the state's four racetracks. Please take action to ensure this doesn't pass. There's a group called the West Virginia Values Coalition that's leading the fight ... so visit their website to see what you can do to help.

I'll be writing more about this issue in the coming days.

Grace and peace ...

I need to wake up

So Sunday was Earth Day, which means you should take that can of Coke you're drinking and drop it in a recycling bin.

And, yes, yes, yes, you should buy those new, expensive "green" lightbulbs that look like a kid's crazy straw, turn the lights off in a room you're not using, carpool if you can ... the list goes on.

Of course, you should do those things anyway, Earth Day or not, and even if you don't agree with the alarmist attitudes of those on the political left.

Regardless of intentions, social responsibility is hip. Never mind the fact that Christ started it all and that, at times, it seems celebrities have co-opted Christ's message. "American Idol" is getting into it, for crying out loud, with something called "American Idol Gives Back," which is a show tonight with a bunch of people all getting onstage and showing just how altruistic they all are -- just so long as you photograph them from their good side.

Angelina Jolie has a heart for Third World children. Dr. Phil campaigns for the Salvation Army. Julia Roberts is concerned about something called Rett Syndrome. Name a celebrity, they have a cause.

Like Melissa Etheridge. A few days ago, I posted the lyrics to her Oscar-winning song, "I Need To Wake Up," which I found exceedlingly curious because, to me, it sounds like your garden-variety Christian song. It's almost a call to salvation. Check a few out:

"I need to wake up

I need to change

I need to shake up

I need to speak out

Something's got to break up

I've been asleep

I've got to wake up

Now."

See what I mean?

Now, this is another example of misguided philanthropy. You can tell there's a God-placed desire in everyone's heart to love people, to make a difference in a world humans intuitively know is, well, screwed up.

Theologians correctly highlight the separation of God and man when it comes to Adam and Eve's fall in the Garden of Eden. But there's another facet to it that most people miss. It didn't just separate us from God, it separated us from his intentions.

As a result, we all have this inherent desire in each of our souls to make right what was once made wrong. Because make no mistake about it, when sin entered human history it created a sinful climate that has tainted everything. That's why there's a need for social action.

Carl Jung would call it a part of our "collective unconscious," but whatever you want to call it, if it's not centered in a love for Christ then it is ultimately meaningless. Angelina Jolie can save all the orphaned babies in the world, but if she doesn't instill in their hearts the transforming power of Christ's forgiveness and salvation, then they are doomed to repeat the cycle of sin and oppression that created the situation that orphaned them in the first place.

So, do you need to wake up? You're darn right you do.

Just not in the way the world would have you believe ... you need to wake up to Jesus.

It's funny how God works. While I was writing out some ideas in preparation of writing this entry, lo and behold, yesterday's devotional from Oswald Chambers' classic "My Utmost for His Highest" was exactly on point. What a coincidence -- unless, like me, you don't believe in coincidences. At least not when God's concerened.

You can find the devotional on the links to the right, or just click here for the entry.

(copyright 2007, andrew j. beckner. all rights under copyright reserved)

Sunday's Coming

Heaven? Uh, no thanks ...

"Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.'"

(Rev. 21:5)

One of the best movies that I wasn't allowed to watch when I was a kid had to be "Predator."

You know the one, right? A pre-gubenatorial Arnold Schwarzenegger is stranded in the jungles of South America and pits himself against an alien hunter from another planet, with the help of Jessie "The Body" Ventura and the guy who played Apollo Creed from the "Rocky" movies. Man, you gotta love the 80s.

Something struck me when I was reading about Heaven recently, and I thought about the Predator. Well, this alien only sees in infra-red, right? He doesn't know what the ocean looks like, or how beautiful a sunset is, or how awe-inspiring snow-capped mountians can be. He can't see these things, but he doesn't really care, right? He has no frame of reference. He is blissfully ignorant of the beauty around him.

When I asked a group of Christian college students once if they were looking forward to going to Heaven, I wasn't surprised by the answer. They were about as excited at the prospect of going to Heaven as a trip to the mall on a Tuesday afternoon.

The next logical question, of course, was: "Why, then, did you decide to follow Jesus anyway?" There are any number of fringe benefits to doing so, not the least of which is the chance to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. But most of them said nothing about going to Heaven, or the immeasurable comfort of knowing their sins are forgiven. They became Christians because they didn't want to go to Hell.

That's just sad, really. No, not because they understood the very real place that Hell is, but that they failed to realize how very real Heaven is as well. Ask someone to picture Hell, they can conjure all sorts of horrific images -- fire, demons, etc. -- and, to be sure, there's no way of comprehending the terror of that place.

But you ask that same person about Heaven, and you'll invariably hear about harps and clouds and a bearded old white guy with a halo standing at a pearly gate with a big book. That would be St. Peter ... pick your punch line.

See that picture above? Porcelin Jesus and a bunch of creepy, chubby babies with wings? Man, you can keep that. I want no part of that ... and I suspect most people don't, either.

Take a look at how the Bible describes Heaven, and you'll get all kinds of stuff. It says there are many mansions (John 14:2), that it's a country (Hebrews 11:16), that it's a place of rest (Hebrews 4:9, Revelations 14:13) and that no bad people will be there (Galations 5:21, Ephesians 5:5, Revelation 22:15), among other things.

These things challenge some of our basic assumptions. First, Jesus tells his disciples in one of the most quoted scriptures that "In my Father's House, there are many mansions." It has been widely assumed that we would be living in those mansions -- remember the old hymn? "I've got a mansion/just over the hilltop/in that bright land where/we'll never go old ..." Now that you have that song stuck in your head, we'll move on -- but Jesus never says that.

Oh, and that city everyone talks about? Sure, it's there. But look at that scripture in Hebrews. It talks of a country, too. Think everyone will live in the city? Or might some of us live in the mountains ... or near the beach ... or both?

See, a lot of people in my generation don't really care that much about Heaven for two reasons: one, our parents and grandparents and anyone in church old enough to remember Richard Nixon as president talk about the prospect of not growing old and having new bodies as a big plus about the whole living forever thing. Fair enough, that's a valid reason for them. But our bodies are still relatively young ... yeah, I have aches and pains, but it's not like I need to trade in this 1975 model. I've got a few more miles to put on it yet.

Second, our ideas of Heaven come from those flannelboard stories we were taught in Vacation Bible School ... you know, the ones with the angels flying around a pasty white Jesus with the white robe and the purple sash. It's always bright, there are these gold streets and mansions that are impossibly large and look nothing like I'd ever be interested in. Again, no thanks.

We're like the Predator. Our human eyes can't comprehend the majesty and beauty of Heaven. What we have are images of what people imagine it to be -- clouds, pearly gates and chubby babies with wings.

What if Heaven isn't like that at all? What if Heaven is this beautiful country with a vast desert, deep jungles, miles of unblemished coastline, mountains that stretch for miles and miles and miles, rivers that roar with whitewater one moment and, in the next, gently trickle across smooth stones. What if our house is a modest little place right on the beach with a hammock out by water that's so clearly blue you can see right through to the bottom. What if you could sleep on that hammock for hours and hours and no one would bother you. Ever try to explain color to someone who is completely color blind? What if you wake up from your nap on that hammock -- I'm talking a real good nap, too, one that's a whole lifetime in the making -- and you're just in time to see the sun set and look like it's sinking into that pale blue water, and when it does there are colors in the sky that you and I have never seen, colors so beautiful we'll sit and stare for days on end just trying to come up with names for them all.

What if it's this great big party, the best outdoor barbecue you've ever seen, with scrumptious grilled lobster, steamed crabs and juicy steaks? What if there's a live band, and everyone gets along?

What if there's no fear of walking alone because no one wants to hurt you. Indeed, everyone loves you with a perfect love. And you love everyone else, too. What if every bad thing that's ever been done to you isn't just erased from your memory ... it never happened in the first place. That means you'd never need forgiven for anything you'd done to someone, either. What if you knew no emotion but pure happiness?

What if you could tell your granny how much you missed her? What if you could tell your grandpa you were proud to bear his name while on earth? What if they looked as wonderful as you remembered?

And what if, in the middle of this fantastic country, is this majestic city with a skyline that stretches for miles, and it's full of mansions and high rises and five star restaurants with the most wonderful food you can imagine; there are deluxe hotels where you can sleep in when you visit, stunning monuments more beautifully sculpted than anything you've ever seen, art galleries where painters and musicians display the masterpieces a finite life on earth never allowed them to finish.

What if, best of all, Jesus is in the middle of it all, calling the shots and making sure the whole thing runs perfectly? Because, you see, Jesus makes ALL things new.

What if you could visit Him anytime you wanted? What if you could have lunch with Jesus, go on a walk with Jesus, shoot pool with Jesus? Does that sound silly? It's not.

What if you could touch his hands that bore the nails that pierced your sin? What if you could hug Him and feel the warmth from his arms and feel His heart beat against your chest and hear Him say, more beautiful than any song, "I love you."

What if that is Heaven?

Yeah, me too ... I want to go there.

(copyright 2007 by andrew j. beckner. all rights under copyright reserved. contact me at ephesians514@gmail.com for terms of use.)

Links, links, more links

My church -- Agape Christian Fellowship in Charleston, W.Va. -- now has a website and a rudimentary pocast of Sunday sermons available. I say rudimentary because we're working to do a better job with it as soon as our technical expertise matches up with the vision. Here's hoping our heads are as big as our hearts.

You can visit the website here. It's a blogspot site for now, but it looks like we'll be moving to our own domain name in the near future. Stay tuned.

Speaking of local churches, a couple of larger churches in West Virginia have caught my eye, and both are related.

Chestnut Ridge Community Church in Morgantown, W.Va., is one of the fastest growing congregations in the state. Visit its website here.

The leaders up in Morgantown decided to plant a church in my hometown here in Charleston, and River Ridge Church is what they came up with. I had a chance to meet its pastor, Matt Santen, recently, and came away impressed. Visit their website here.

Finally, check out the lyrics to the song "I Need To Wake Up,", written by Melissa Etheridge for the documentary An Inconvenient Truth -- you know, Al Gore's environmental opus. I have a few thing I'd like to share about it in the coming days. To be thinking about it, just pay close attention to the words of the song.

Grace and peace ...

Ephesians514 Ministries

Here's the first discussion thread at a new Facebook group I've started. You can check out the group by clicking here, and can sign up for Facebook here. If you want to join, drop me an e-mail and we'll get you into the discussion group.

So, here's the discussion thread, re-posted below. Feel free to comment here on the blog, but it would be great to get the Ephesians514 Ministries discussion group up and running, so, please, head on over to Facebook, sign up for a free account and then join our group.

On to the thread ...

The following excerpt is from "Searching for God Knows What," by Don Miller.
"God wired us so that He told us who we were, and outside that relationship, the relationship that said we were loved and valuable and beautiful, we didn't have any worth at all. As horrible as it sounds, it would make sense that things of worth are things God loves, and things that don't have worth are things God doesn't love ... maybe a human is defined by who loves him. I know it sounds terrible, because we have always grown up believing that a person is valuable even if nobody loves them, and I certainly agree with that because God made everybody and the Bible very clearly states that He loves everybody. But if those relations are disturbed, the relatiopns between God and man, then we feel the desire to be loved and respected by other people instead of God, and if we don't get that love and respect, we feel very sad or angry because we know that our glory is at stake, that if there isn't some glory being shown through us by somebody ... we'll be dead inside, like a little light will go out and our souls will feel dark, like nothing can grow there."
Your thoughts? Is this the reason we try to hard to please other people? Are our priorities at fault because we are seeking love and approval from the world instead of from God? Or, perhaps, did you get something else out of the passage?
(Oh, by the way ... I highly recommend reading the book, and another by Miller called "Blue Like Jazz." Look them up on Amazon. You won't be sorry.)

The Resurrection: What came next?

NOW that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.
He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"
They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?"
"What things?" he asked.
"About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see."
He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them.
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"

Luke 24:13-32

Read the IVP Commentary here, the Matthew Henry commentary here and the Oswald Chambers commentary from "My Utmost for His Higest" here.

Back soon ...

Basketball season is over ... and the search for a new coach will soon be, too, thank God. I'll be back to writing in no time.

In the meantime, enjoy this photo from a recent trip to New York ... and reflect on the awesome joy of knowing all about The Cross.

Speaking of The Cross, while you're at it, check out this video, courtesy of Igniter Media (via YouTube).

Best ... and worst ... airports

Did you know it takes about 14 hours to fly from Bradley International Airport outside of Hartford, Connecticut to Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia? It's true. (Well, if you fly Delta, it is.)

I was jotting some stuff down in my travel journal while waiting to board a plane at Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta, and two things occurred to me: 1) I'd been to enough airports and been on enough airplanes to actually make a relatively comprehensive list of the best and worst airports our great country has to offer, and 2) I'd been either sitting in a terminal or on an airplane so long, burning through at least three magazines, a novel, several playlists on my MP3 player and wandering aimlessly that the only thing left to do was actually write said comprehensive list.

It's late right now, and I can't sleep. I'm also craving some candy -- I gave up sweets, soft drinks, etc., for Lent -- and I need something to take my mind off it. Thus, this list which, if you're needing to take a flight anytime soon -- and, really, I'd suggest finding some other method of travel; walk if you have to -- might come in handy. Call it my act of public service of the week, if you will. You're welcome.

First, a few ground rules. I've disqualified Columbus International Airport in Ohio because A) it was from CMH that I took my first flight, and I was sufficiently excited (I was 16 at the time) to render any critique of the place moot. It could have been LaGuardia and I would have thought it cool (OK, so maybe not); and, B) I didn't include Barajas International Airport in Madrid, Spain, for much the same reason: it was my first time overseas, and I was just thrilled that a man at baggage claim could understand my broken Spanish. Again, it could have been a dump and I wouldn't have cared, I was too busy grinning from ear to ear that I was in another country.

So, without further ado -- except to say that on my next long business trip (in three weeks to New York City for a few days), I'm taking Amtrak ... seriously -- here's my list of the best and worst airports I've ever had the misfortune of setting foot in. Drumroll, please ...

17) Washington-Dulles International Airport.
Pros: Um, well ...
Cons: I've never flown from IAD on time, the last time I flew there the plane almost crashed (I'm not kidding), the tiny terminal at which all planes to or from my home airport (CRW) is so small there's literally nothing to do other than walk around in circles. I just hate the place.

16) Newark-Liberty International Airport
Pros: See Washington-Dulles
Cons: Security lines are monstrosities, everyone is as rude as a Parisian waiter serving an American from the South, air traffic is so bad you can't get anywhere on time, the hallways are narrow, the bathrooms are dirty ... I could go on.

15) Detroit-Wayne County
Pros: See Newark-Liberty
Cons: It's old, dirty and getting to baggage claim is like navigating Pan's Labyrinth.

14) Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Atlanta
Pros: It's big enough that there's plenty of places to eat, get a cold drink, a magazine, etc.
Cons: It's the busiest airport in the East, so good luck getting anywhere on time. No one seems to know what they're doing. Your departure gate will change at least five times ... if you're lucky. The hallways are pretty wide, but there are so many people there's still nowhere to walk. ATL is just too, too busy.

13) New York-LaGuardia
Pros: Flying in and out is always a treat, just for the views of the city.
Cons: Very, very dirty, and the hallways are more narrow than Nicole Richie's waist.

12) Roy Rogers International Airport (Oklahoma City)
Pros: Very wide hallways. Very quiet, and not at all busy so you can get away from people.
Cons: Security there is as tight as anywhere I've been, which isn't a bad thing until it takes you an hour to get through. If you're hungry, you have a choice of ... well, very little, in fact. I think there are two restaurants, and both serve cold food. Yum.

11) Chicago-O'Hare International Airport
Pros: I've been to large shopping malls that have fewer stores. Hallways are wide, and there are lots of places to sit.
Cons: It's as busy as ATL.

10) Bradley International Airport, Hartford
Pros: It's small, laid back. In the Delta terminal there are these great comfortable sofas that are fantastic for napping.
Cons: The in-terminal airport staff are so clueless, I had to tell a guy at the Delta terminal at what airports to look for additional flights to get me on when mine was cancelled. He apparently doesn't know what a computer is.

9) Providence/T.F. Green International Airport
Pros: Again, it's small, laid back.
Cons: Bring a book. There's nothing else to do when you get there.

8) Syracuse-Hancock International Airport
Pros: Another small, quiet airport.
Cons: The weather can be brutal, making for some rough flights in and out.

7) Philadelphia International Airport
Pros: Ground transportation is really convenient. The city views flying in and out are pretty cool.
Cons: It's another busy, busy airport.

TOP SIX COMING TOMORROW.

Have a heart

I don't know why this is bothering me so badly -- perhaps it's knowing, as a song by Casting Crowns puts it, that there's a storm raging inside this young woman's soul. I've been there, when the soul is stirred not by the gentle ebbs and flows of daily life, but swirling in a storm whose only logical conclusion is misery.

See that poor girl there? She's hurting. Somewhere along the way, her life has taken a dangerous turn, and you know what our response is? To glance at pictures of her plastered across magazines as we wait to buy our gallon of milk, rubber-necking just as at a car wreck, hoping to see a tragedy. Our wish is being granted. That tragedy is happening right now, in real time. Shame on all of us for licking our chops as it happens.

Watch this video, via YouTube (I'd embed it directly here, but I've been having some problems doing so lately.) It's late night talk show host Craig Ferguson, describing the storm that once raged in his life and his admirable decision to not poke fun at Britney Spears.

What's it hurt?, you say. Hey, she asked for it, right? Wanted to be famous. Made herself a target by making stupid decisions, parading half-naked for the paperazzi (sp?) and then having the audacity to be upset when the press turned ugly. OK, so maybe all of that is true. But, as Ferguson points out in his monologue, Britney Spears is, what, 25 years old? "She's a baby herself," he says.

This isn't the thing I normally write about, but for some reason I'm heartbroken over what has happened to this young woman. I don't know why. Maybe it's because I've been there, where she is, and was fortunate enough not to have the national media following me around and pontificating on what a bad person I was each time I screwed up. Truth be told, I screwed up probably more than Britney Spears.

So here's the thing: stop reading about her. Stop talking about her. Don't gawk at her pictures in the tabloids. Don't crinkle your nose and say to your friends, "Did you see how bad she looked in that picture?" Or, "She's such a terrible mother." If you see her newly bald head on your television screen, turn the channel (you shouldn't be watching "Access Hollywood" or "Entertainment Tonight" anyway). Don't buy "People" magazine if there's even so much as a mention of her.

I'm begging you to do two things: first, pray for her. Ask God to reveal Himself to her, to soothe her spirit, to help her find the truth of love. Not love from whatever deadbeat who wants to exploit her, but the love of Christ, the only person who can heal her spirit.

And, second, just leave the poor girl alone.

For week ending 2-17-07

Madonna: "We All Need to be Like Jesus" (Christian Post)

That's very true, although I'm sure she and I would disagree on what that means. For instance, she says that her recent concert performance, which includes a scene where she is mounted on a large cross, is all about Christ's message of "loving thy neighbor and tolerance (emphasis mine)."

Why is it most people want to define "tolerance" as turning a blind eye to sin?

Iraqi Christians Fleeing Violence Face Uncertain Future (ICC)

Be thankful that you won't be attacked when leaving Sunday School this week.

Prison Fellowship Rresident Blasts Mindset Regarding Faith-Based Programs (One News Now)

Bottom line? The best hope for reducing recidivism in inmates is the hope found in Christ. I suppose we should stick with outdated paradigms of prisoner rehabilitation. Since that's working so well.

Hiatus

Just been takin' a short break ... lots of work travel, sick kids and the like.

Stay tuned ... same Bat time, same Bat channel.

For week ending Jan. 27, 2007

Compassionate Conservatives
Study: Religious people give more to charities than secular (Christianity Today)

You're not surprised, are you?

Baptist Megachurch Fires Minister After Probe
A longtime minister of Bellevue Baptist Church was fired weeks after being suspended for what the church called "a moral failure" 17 years ago and after an internal investigation amid allegations of child abuse. (AP, via Christian Post)

Sigh ...

Binge Drinking Common Among Teens
NASHVILLE, Tenn. --The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that 69 percent of students who reported binge drinking indulged in the activity on more than one occasion in the past 30 days. (Lifeway.com)

At least I waited until I was 21.

When Not All Publicity Is Good Publicity
Alexandra Pelosi finished her HBO documentary on evangelical America and then her main guide, Ted Haggard, was ruined by a sex scandal. (Newseek, via MSNBC)

You know, it sounds to me like she was probably under conviction via Haggard's witnessing ... then sin goes and ruins it, just as it always does.

Gender and the Pulpit
Workplace difficulties can arise for trangendered persons in nearly all professions, but what about those who are called to work for God? (Newseek, via MSNBC)

No comment.

Beliefwatch: Blasphemy
'Hi my name is Lindy and I deny the existence of the Holy Spirit and you should too.' (Newsweek, via MSNBC)

I wonder if God will allow someone to go to Hell for stupidity

Briefly
... The U.S. House of Representatives voted in December to allow debtors in Chapter 13 bankruptcy to tithe. The bill responds to a New York court's August ruling that a 2005 federal bankruptcy reform bill bars middle-income debtors from making charitable contributions. The Senate previously passed the bill, and President Bush is expected to sign it

Check these out ...

"The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."
(Psalm 18:2)

In the interest of liberating anyone out there who may want to kill some time while at work )not that I'm trivializing the content here; it's really, really good stuff ... the second link is downright heart-wrenching), here are a couple of links that are worth your while.

(Oh, before I forget ... I added a daily devotional to the site, which is in the margin to your right, below the links and near the daily scripture. Also, I removed some links in the margin and added a few more Christian bloggers that are worth reading. I'm also planning a few more structural changes like that in the coming days, so y'all come back now, y'hear?)

Five Streams of the Emerging Church

It's been awhile since we broached the subject of the Emerging Church "conversation," so here's another link for those of you who might not be familiar with it, courtesy of Christianity Today magazine and Scot McKnight, who has emerged (get it? get it? Oh, nevermind) as one of the leading evangelical experts on the Emerging Church phenomenon.

Sarah McLachlan -- "World on Fire" music video

I tried to just post the video itself so you wouldn't have to navigate away from this page, but couldn't do it. Watch it ... pretty powerful stuff.

Selah.

The Digital Church

From where I sit right now, at this very moment, I'm surrounded by modern technology.

On the desk in front of me are two MP3 players, a digital camera and a positively Neanderthalian calculator. To my right is a portable DVD player sitting atop a device that could, at any moment I wish and with a push of a button, print out these very words on a piece of paper. My printer is also a scanner and copier, if that's your thing.

I have a hand-held alarm clock right here that gives the time in London, Beirut and Osaka simultaneously. A video camera. A cellular telephone.

Oh, there are these things called books surrounding me here in my little home office, to be sure. But the information contained in them is far more easily accessed by an Internet search engine -- also available in the flashest of flashes.

I could "Google" something right now. In fact, I just did -- for the heck of it and just 'cause I could, you understand. There are 40,300 entries for the query "pepperjack cheese," in case you're wondering.

I'm nearly a year into the MP3 player revolution -- details here -- and I couldn't be more happy with it all. I was reluctant at first, if only because it's one of those "everyone is doing it" things and I am naturally suspicious of trends and what-not. Maybe that just means I'm not hip. Oh well.

But what I've discovered is that my MP3 player has become one of the most important tools in my Christian walk. You read that correctly. It's become a tool for worship -- I listen to tons of good contemporary Christian music on it -- and for spiritual instruction. Indeed, I listen to more sermons, teachings and devotionals (via podcasts) than anything else on the little gadget. In many ways, it's revolutionized my devotional life.

By far, there are more podcast downloads of sermons, devotionals, etc. from Mars Hill Church in Seattle than anything else. Indeed, I download PDF files of sermon notes each week, read them and listen to the subsquent sermon on my player. As I was updating some files the other day a thought occurred to me: am I a "virtual" member of Mars Hill Church?

It's an interesting concept to consider, and it highlights the way technology has transformed the Church, i.e., the Body of Christ. For instance, the church in which I grew up has limited technology. If I wanted to listen to sermon I missed, I'd be welcome to ... I'd just have to dig through the tapes of past services. Problem is, I'm not sure I even have anything on which to listen to tapes. That little church doesn't have CDs, let alone MP3s.

Now, there's nothing wrong with that, per se. That church, Bancroft Church of God Mission, is faithful to the mission to which God called it. It faithfully serves those people who attend and the community in which it exists.

It's just that, for that church's generation, the community consists of about 180 regular members and a town of some 300 people in Putnam County, W.Va. For me and my generation, tranformed by modern technology and the information revolution ushered in through new media and the Internet, our community is the world. It's an exciting and terrifying prospect.

In the past week, I've listened to a teaching from Rick Warren (of Saddleback Community Church and "The Purpose Driven Life" fame); a sermon from Bluer Community Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota; a theological roundtable from author Don Miller ("Blue Like Jazz"); several discussions related to Mars Hill's Film and Theology night; and, of course, Mark Driscoll's latest sermon (the first of a series on the Old Testament book of Ruth).

(Oh, by the way, in the interest of full disclosure, Drisoll has been the source of some controversy in the blogosphere lately, speficially about his comments on the Ted Haggard scandal and the role of women in church leadership. The blog that started the whole uproar is here, with follow up entries here, here, here and here. A blog from one of his most vocal critics can be found here.)

In answer to an internal question that sparked my interest, no, I'm not a member of Mars Hill Church. Being a member of a Christian fellowship is just that: it's fellowship. It's more than listening to sermons and studying your Bible. It's a sense of community, and there's no sense of community between me and my MP3 player.

But the issue remains: as technology and interpersonal media continues to shrink our world -- as the theory of six degrees of separation is turned on its ear by MySpace, Internet message boards and Google Earth -- I think we have a moral responsibility to fulfill our mission to the global community and to engage our culture which, like it or not, is a digital, information-seeking society.

It can be scary, yes, and my first response is to move to a cabin somewhere and cook my meals over an open flame. But that's taking a Ted Kaczynski-ish approach, don't you think?

Instead, our role should be to engage the culture head on, and, like Paul in Athens, use it to change the world for Christ.

(copyright 2006, andrew j. beckner. all rights under copyright reserved)

The Crowd or the Cross




Which do you choose?

Evangelicals United for Darfur

"And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'" - Matthew 25:40

I didn't write what's below. It's taken from Evangelicals for Darfur, a non-profit organization trying to shed some much-needed light on what is one of the greatest humanitarian crises in African history -- and that's saying a lot.

Anyway, I hope you'll take a moment to visit the website listed below and consider ways you can help. There are a number of ideas on the website on how to get involved. I think all of us -- Christians and nonChristians alike -- share a moral responsibility to speak out when people are suffering. The war in Iraq has diverted a lot of attention away from the Sudanese crisis, and it's up to all of us to recognize there's more to the world's problems than what you see on CNN every day.

I hope you'll take a small piece of action at least by sending an e-mail to your legislator or the White House to signal that it's time for urgent action. Sure, you'll get a form letter back, but the more e-mails the White House and Congress get, the more serious they'll take this crisis.

So, without further ado, here's the lowdown:

Evangelical Christians are uniting in an urgent effort to bring an immediate end to the genocide in Darfur.
In recent weeks, evangelical leaders have discovered profound unity on this crisis. Believing that God was calling them to act, a number of those leaders began talking about how evangelical Christians could respond together to this call. Those conversations led to the creation of Evangelicals for Darfur, a campaign that brings together media, web, and grassroots advocacy to call for an end to the senseless suffering in Darfur.
A broad and diverse group of evangelical leaders were eager to participate in this project. The leaders signed onto ads that are currently running in the nation's major newspapers calling on our nation's political leaders to boldly lead the effort to stop the suffering. As evangelical Christians, we now have the chance to add our voices to this important message.
I hope you'll visit www.evangelicalsfordarfur.org and decide to join in this urgent effort. I am deeply encouraged by the broad spectrum of Christians who are speaking out together on this issue. For in matters of life and death, there is no left or right, there is only right and wrong. Together we can help make a life-saving difference for our brothers and sisters in Darfur.
Click here to learn more and to add your voice to this campaign.

Still here ...

I hereby offer you, whoever YOU may be -- family member (most likely), person bored at work and surfing the Internet who stumbled across a random blog (quite possibly), etc. -- the most important link you'll ever find on this humble blog.

Curious? Click here ...

I'm just back from a blog break (after taking courses in alliterative prose ... just kidding). Holidays, tons of work-related travel (and more to come, unfortunately) and just a general lack of inspiration has conspired to keep me from writing lately.

Anyway, I've got a few things on my Stegosaurus-sized brain and, because of the premium on room up there, it's best I get rid of it. I'll be doing so in the next few weeks, and I hope you'll enjoy it.

In the meantime, check this out.

Oh, real quick: did you know that God loves you? Sounds silly, maybe, and certainly Pollyanna-ish. It also happens to be true.

Want proof? Click here.