Looking Out for the Vulnerable (Psalm 41)

I worked my way through college as a carpenter’s helper. My boss’ name was Kevin, and he was one of the greatest guys I have ever known. He died from cancer a few years ago.

One summer we were painting a house. In the back of the house, at the highest point of the house, was an overhang that was extremely difficult to get to. Finally, after trying everything, we set up three sets of scaffolding as close to the overhand as we could get. Then, we extended a 2 x 12 off the scaffolding. Then, I stood on one of the 2 x 12 as my boss scooted out on the end to paint that last two or three feet of the overhang. He was easily bouncing up and down on a 2 x 12, twenty-feet from the ground. The only thing keeping him from falling was my slender build (it was a long time ago) standing on the board. When he got out on the end, I asked him for a raise.

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Chaos or Control (Psalm 46)

According to Greek Mythology, here is how the universe came into being:

In the beginning, there was only Chaos (a female deity), the gaping emptiness. Then, either all by themselves or out of the formless void, sprang forth three primordial (before the Olympian gods, like Zeus) gods: Gaea (GUY-uh, Earth), Tartarus (Tar-TEAR-us, the Underworld), and Eros (Love). Once Love (Eros) was there, Gaea and Chaos – two female deities – procreated, shaping everything known and unknown in the universe.

Contrarian’s Guide #4

con-trar-i-an (noun): a person who opposes or rejects popular opinion; a person who goes against current practices.

Not too long ago, while I was reflecting on ministry and my years of being a pastor, I had the following thought: What if I took everything I learned about church growth and turned it on its head? .) 

A Highly Probable Immigration/Deportation Scenario

Our present administration has shut the government down over a contrived crisis. Now, both sides are dug in and innocent people are being hurt. All over what to do about immigrants and border security. Let me give you a likely scenario of why Hondurans risk their lives to come to the states illegally, and what happens when they get deported.

Worthless

During this Christmas Season, let’s not forgot to pray for those in prison. After all, the Bible tells us to remember those in prison as if we were in prison as well (see Hebrews 13:3).

One of my friends in maximum security came me this poem today (Friday, December 21, 2018). He is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. He was a minor when he received that sentence. An incredibly cruel injustice! He has been locked up for thirteen years. He has been in maximum security, locked down twenty-three hours a day in a single person cell, about the size of a walk-in closet, for four years. His pen name is Rylee. The poem is personal, honest, and transparent. He titled this poem, WORTHLESS. I print it here with his permission.

Racism

For years I have been making the following statement: “By definition, as a white person, I cannot experience racism.” In other words: There is no such thing as reverse racism. The reason for my statement is because of the fact that racism, by definition, is about power.

Of course, most white people disagree with me because most white people will swear either themselves or a close friend or family member has been a victim of reverse racism. I then try to explain that they have been a victim of prejudice or discrimination, but not racism. Most of the time, in spite of my best efforts, I have failed in convincing my white friends they have not, nor can they be, victims of racism.

Contrarian’s Guide #3

con-trar-i-an (noun): a person who opposes or rejects popular opinion; a person who goes against current practices.

Not too long ago, while I was reflecting on ministry and my years of being a pastor, I had the following thought: What if I took everything I learned about church growth and turned it on its head? (In actuality, that is what I did 11 years ago when I returned to Franklin, TN to restart a church I had previously pastored. To be honest it goes back even farther than that. I have always “pushed the envelope” and thought outside the box. It’s both a blessing and a curse.)