Crisis of Faith

I would guess that every serious follower of Christ goes through a time of questioning, or a "crisis of faith". I know I did. A number of years ago several events occurred in my life that caused me to reevaluate every part of my belief system. I started at the existence of God and the reliability of the Bible, and went from there. I asked myself the question, "Do I believe this because it is all I have ever known, or do I believe it because it's true?"

I realized very quickly that it was nice that I knew what I believed, and it is important is to know why I believe it. What is most important is to know if what I believe will actually hold up under the pressures of life and the promise (or threat) of eternity.

I emerged from my crisis of faith with a simpler, stronger faith that can go with me into every situation. It is not dependent on my relationships with others, it will hold up regardless of financial situations, health issues, or political legislation. I discarded many things that I once felt were really important and found that I no longer have to "fake it till I make it". I don't have to have to put on a happy face when events knock the props out from under me. I don't have to pretend that I am perfect when I know what I really am. I don't have to pretend that nothing bad is happening to me even though it is evident to everyone else. But I have an inner peace that allows me to face those trials and disappointments without sacrificing my joy. I have learned to embrace the challenges of life and see how they are working in me to bring me closer to God. I am learning to release the outcomes I desire in favor of the outcomes God wants. That doesn't mean I am having a good time during the trial; it means that I know that God is working in each of these situations for my ultimate good. I am grateful for the events that caused my crisis of faith. They caused my faith to grow stronger.

Bangladesh Food In OKC!

Martin Urbina and I just returned from trying out a new restaurant, Desi Biriyani. It features cuisine from Bangladesh. They have a buffet, which both of us tried. We had lamb and chicken dishes, and topped it off with a mango smoothy. It was really pretty good. It is located in a former Taco Bell location on the SW corner of NW 10th and Meridian. Open from 11am to 11pm 7 days a week, you will most likely find it open when you have a craving for mutton biryani or chicken masala.

I asked the young lady who served us if there were a lot of people from Bangladesh in Oklahoma City, and she said there are. It amazes me to find people from so many countries and cultures here in good-ole OKC. I have no idea how they end up here, but I enjoy having them here, especially when they open restaurants. I can go recommend Vietnamese, Peruvian, Guatemalan, Salvadoran, Russian, German, authentic Mexican, Moroccan, Ethiopian and Iranian places, all within a 15 minute drive from my house. We are very fortunate to have all of these cultures and nationalities here in our midst.

If you ever feel like having an eating adventure, give me a call. I can hook you up with some amazing food.

Baseball as life

Well the World Series is set. My Yankees will square off with the Philadelphia Phillies and it should provide an entertaining series. Each game will probably be a nail-biter. There will be momentum shifts and lead changes. Baseball is different from other major team sports in that there is no clock. The game is over when both teams have exhausted their allotment of 3-out innings. This, and the fact that if a player leaves the game he may not come back means that the tension of a close game may take a while to build but the whole complexion of the game can change with every swing of the bat. Folks who do not care for baseball say that it boring and that the action comes too sporadically, but I beg to differ. I say that baseball is more like life than any other game. In life, we go day after day in seeming inactivity. We eat, go to work, hang around, do stuff. Then suddenly, in the midst of our normalcy, something happens that changes the whole landscape. Maybe it brings cheers, maybe it causes us to groan. But it happens, and we've got to react to it. We might have to change what we are doing. We might have to stay with what we are doing, but try harder. But we never stop trying until we have taken the last swing in the last inning. Falling behind is not losing. Quitting when we fall behind is the worst kind of losing.

Oldie- Not Edgy

On a recent road trip, Carole and I stopped for a meal at a little roadside cafe; the kind that used to be typical along route 66. It had the requisite red vinyl booths along a window overlooking the highway. I was suspicious of its six page menu offering everything from grilled cheese to tilapia, so I ordered a cheeseburger and fries. I wasn't surprised to hear Brenda Lee and Pat Boone songs played over the sound system, but I was a little taken aback when suddenly I heard Jefferson Airplane doing "White Rabbit". That song came from the edgy side of music from the 60's. It was counter cultural and was performed by people my parents didn't approve of. I loved it. I still remember vividly the first time I heard "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin. I was in the back of my best friend's brother's '58 Chevy station wagon. He had a brand new 8-track player and enormous speakers in the back. He had it cranked up. In true stereo, the music swept from speaker to speaker in a way I didn't know was possible. I thought, "If Jesus returns right now, He won't be looking in the back of this car for me." But the music was exciting. It was new and different. It spoke to my generation in ways other music didn't. It felt so rebellious. This kind of music wasn't played on the top 40 AM stations. It was only played on the new FM "underground" stations.

So it was a little unsettling when one of those songs was played in a set with top 40 soft rock songs. I realized that my music was no longer counter-cultural. It was no longer edgy. It has been thrown in the "oldies" pile along with Barry Manilow. It has been relegated to nostalgia status.

That experience happens to all of us. What was once groundbreaking and exciting is now quaint. That is okay if we are willing to move along with the times. But it is sad to see the guy who stubbornly clings to the 60's or 70's and refuses to move ahead. He loses all influence with others. He may be tolerated, or maybe even honored, but he is not consulted on current matters. Those of us who are in positions of influence need to listen to the younger voices among us if we don't want to be relegated to irrelevance. The awesome 8 track players of my youth have been replaced by ipods. I have one and love it. It is far superior to anything previous. I have Kashmir on it. But the day is soon coming when the ipod will be quaint. Bob Dylan sounded the clarion call to my parent's generation. The message still rings true today:

Come gather round people wherever you roam
And admit that the waters around you have grown
And accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth saving
Then you'd better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone
For the times, they are a changing.

An Unashamed Attempt to Get a Free Book

I read quite a number of blogs, as well as quite a few books. One blogger and author I read consistently is Mark Batterson who is lead pastor of the National Community Church in Washington DC. Although I'm quite a bit older than he is, I think I would like to hang with him. I met James Kennedy one time, and although I respected him greatly, I never had the idea that I would like to hang with him. Batterson gives off the vibe that he has it going on and he makes it look easy, even though it can't be. He pastors an amazing multi-site church, is a sought after speaker, and seems to be able to balance all of this with strong family relationships. In Mark Batterson's latest blog post I learned that his publisher is giving away a number of copies of his newest book, Primal. The only condition was that bloggers would have to post a review of the book after reading it. I immediately registered my blog as one which would like to have a copy.

When Batterson's last book, Wild Goose Chase came out, the publisher made the same offer, but I was too late. I think I was on a trip to Sudan or something like that and missed the opportunity. A friend of mine (who stayed in the comfort of his own home) got a free copy and I had to pay full retail price for mine. I had to repent of the sin of envy.

So, if you are from the publishing company and you are scanning the registered blogs to assess their free-book worthiness, I hope that you can realize the awesomeness of this blog and send me a book. I promise to read it right away and publish a review the next day. Then maybe the dozen or so people who read my blog will rush right out and pay full retail for their own copy of Primal.

Highway Construction

On our way home from the Grand Canyon last Tuesday night, we hit rain when we got to Amarillo. A few miles east of Amarillo we came to some road construction. It was dark and rainy; we were tired from driving all day. As we hurdled down the highway we encountered the orange barrels always found at highway construction sites. The barrels were arranged in such a way that they caused us to turn off the road and away from the construction area. We slowed down, slightly, but we willingly allowed the barrels to guide us off of the road and into the unknown. The darkness and the rain kept us from being able to see more than a short distance in front of the car. I couldn't help but think, "We don't know who put those barrels there or where they are leading us. They could be part of some cruel trick to steer us to a horrible death into a massive pit full of other fooled cars." But still we went blindly along where the barrels led us. Fortunately, no one was playing a trick on us and we made it home safely.

I realized that am willing to place my faith in unknown highway workers of unknown character and motivation and drive at full speed down a dark and rainy road. But so often, I am unwilling to trust God when he desires to lead me to an unknown outcome. I insist that he turn on all the lights and let me see where I will end up before I follow. Of course, he doesn't do that, so at times I have just parked and waited for daylight. Even though I have a life-long relationship with God, and know him to have my best interests at heart, my actions show that I suspect that he is trying to trick me when he leads me down that dark road.

Why do I trust the unknown highway worker more than I trust God?

Grand Canyon Assembly of God

Last week Carole and I took a quick trip to the Grand Canyon. It was our last chance to get away for a few days since we have a second grandson arriving in a few weeks. We had a great time and as always, the Grand Canyon was amazing. We have been there several times and always enjoy the grandeur and serenity of the place. While we were there, we were able to connect with Brian and Debbie Fulthorp, who pastor the Grand Canyon Assembly of God, located inside the park. Their work resembles a Chi Alpha work more than a church. They minister to several who are permanent residents of the Grand Canyon village, but they also minister to many summer workers and tourists, many of which come from many countries around the world. Every church presents its leadership with unique challenges, and Grand Canyon A/G is no exception. But Brian and Debbie have great hearts and a desire to minister as bi-vocational pastors. Grand Canyon village has a gospel resistant population that is very secular or New Age spiritual. Working in the community allows them to connect with people on a different level. By facing the same issues as those they come in contact with, they can reach out to many more people than they could as full-time pastors. That may not always be the case, but it certainly works now. They have pastored there for two years now. Remember to pray for them as they seek the most effective way to reach this unusual mission field.

I like stories best

Last week I wrote about preferring words over numbers. I think I made my case brilliantly. But as we enter the realm of words, I feel that the highest and best use of words is when they are used in a story. I enjoy telling stories and love to hear a well-told story. Stories suck me in and cause emotions to swell. I find myself involved with the action. When I read a well-written story, I can actually "see" the setting and the characters, and can feel tension, apprehension, increased heart rate or excitement. It is as though I am there. I can remember stories long after the telling. Many of our deepest friendships are forged in shared experiences related in story form.

Eugene Peterson, in his book, "Christ Plays In Ten Thousand Places" says, "Stories are verbal acts of hospitality."

I like stories best.

Back to AZ

Hey guys, we are going back to Arizona next June to help build another church on an Indian reservation and it would be awesome if you came. We will be leaving OKC early on Saturday, June 12 and will arrive in Cedar Creek, AZ later that night. We will attend church on Sunday morning and commence work on Monday. I will find out in a couple of weeks what kind of work we will be doing. We will work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Thursday we will do some siteseeing and will return home Friday evening on the 18th. We will take a church van or you can take your own car. The cost of the trip is $350 if you ride in the van, or $300 if you provide your own transportation. The cost includes lodging in Charley Odell's luxurious portable bunkhouses, and all meals. We will have a great time while we are doing a good work. I'm letting you know early enough for you to put it on your schedule. Come join us!

Everything was contemporary at one time

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands,
His feet,Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
- Isaac Watts 1707

This hymn may or may not be familiar to you but it is significant. It is revered as one of the best loved hymns ever written for its powerful theology, vivid imagery and thrilling melody. It was among the first hymns written in first person. Until this time, songs sung in church were mostly theology set to ponderous music. Although they were accurate depictions of God and his love, they were sung about God. This song was sung to God. As such, it stirred up quite a contoversy. Such songs, with their description of a personal experience in God, were not appreciated by the church establishment, who thought it demeaning to God for an unworthy individual to sing directly to him. Churches were divided into churches who would sing this type of song and those who wouldn't.

So, "When I Survey The Wondrous Cross", written in 1707, was at one time a contemporary song disliked by those who liked the style of songs they already knew. Who'da thought it?

Ecclesiastes 1:9- What has been will be again,what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the son.