Things I Don't Understand, part four

Obnoxious “Merry Christmas” Christians (see previous post).

Bob Dylan’s popularity.

Why those who insist that Acts 20:7a is binding precedent, but 20:7b is not.

News segments designed to inform people how to prepare for winter (e.g. “have a shovel handy” or “wear gloves when it’s cold outside.”).

My Yearly Rant

Ugh, here we go again. I received the following in my inbox this morning:

Sign your pledge to boycott Walgreens this Christmas season.

November 21, 2011

Dear Friend,

Yesterday, Walgreens placed a 24-page circular in newspapers all across America. It had all the festive markings of that day known as...Holiday? It's true! At Walgreens, they advertise "Holiday Candy," "Holiday Gift Tags," "Holiday Gift Wrap," "Holiday Decor," "Holiday Accessories," "Holiday Nuts and Snacks" and "Holiday Hats and Stockings." But no Christmas! In total, Walgreens used the term "holiday" 36 times, rather than using "Christmas."

Oh, the trees advertised in their circular? It's just "Prelit" trees. Go to Walgreens' website and you can shop their "Holiday Shop" and take advantage of their "Holiday Shipping." If you want Christmas, it's not there.  At Walgreens, Christmas doesn't exist! Walgreens wants you to do your "Christmas" shopping with them, while refusing to recognize that Christmas even exists.

Walgreens doesn't want to offend non-Christians by using the word Christmas. The fact that they're censoring the use of Christmas and might offend Christians by doing so seems to be of no importance.

TAKE ACTION, blah blah blah.....

Seriously, "Christians" are still pulling this crap? See previous rants here and here.

Invest in Young People

I read something today that was a much-needed reminder:

What causes some young people to walk away from the faith after they graduate from high school? And, more important, what causes other young people to hang on to their faith during those post-high-school years?

A few years ago, I heard a Christian sociologist offer his assessment: "The most important factor is not whether the young person "accepted Christ' or was involved in a youth group or even went on a missions trip. The key factor seems to be how many meaningful relationships the young person has with Christian adults who are not his or her parents."

ReChurch

The staff and some elders from Cedar Creek just returned from the ReChurch Conference hosted by Indian Creek Christian Church in Indy. This was our second year attending. It was great last year, and this year it again exceeded my high expectations. The theme was  Surrender: A Surrendered Church. A Surrendered Team. A Surrendered Life. The worship was powerful and the messages were convicting. The Holy Spirit moved the hearts of our team members, especially mine. ReChurch came at just the right time. God has a way of doing that.

These past two days have served as a catalyst to motivate us to clarify our vision and redefine our roles. We have a lot of work to do. But I’m excited and looking forward to seeing how the Lord leads us.

Things I Don't Understand, part three

The Occupy Wall Street protesters.

Anti-Halloween messages on church signs.

Dancing with the Stars.

Vegans.

Revival in Virginia

I spent this past week in Roanoke, Virginia preaching in a Revival Meeting with the Edgewood Christian Church. It was a wonderful week. I got to meet some terrific brothers and sisters in Christ. And it is always a privilege to preach God’s Word. But the best part of the week was that I got to spend it with my son Luke. His school allowed him to take a few days off so he could accompany me. The father/son time that we had together was really great.

One of the church elders hooked us up with tickets to a big-time college football game on Saturday night. Virginia Tech hosted Clemson. The Hokies didn’t play well (and Clemson is now ranked number 8 in the country), but it was a really cool experience. Luke is now a VT fan.

The Roanoke area is a beautiful part of the country. The leaves on the trees were just starting to turn. Things were gorgeous. We spent an afternoon with another one of the church elders and his wife. They took us out for a boat ride on Smith Mountain Lake. It was a lot of fun.

We also enjoyed spending time with the staff from Edgewood. They are genuine servants of the Lord. It’s good to be back home now, but we truly enjoyed our week in the Old Dominion.

How to be a Christian Hipster

Preaching Matters!

Things I Don't Understand, part two

The random dual bathtubs (usually outdoors) in the Cialis ads.

Farmville.

9-11 Conspiracy Theories.

Why we need a remake of Footloose.

Preachers who feel compelled to use questionable language from the pulpit (yes, there are still quite a few people who find freakin’, flippin’ and frickin’ offensive and inappropriate).
See my rant here.

People who forget to silence their cell phones in church, theatres, meetings, etc. And then when the ringtone blasts, they act like they’ve never used it before and can’t seem to figure out how to turn it off.

Televised poker tournaments.

Things I Don't Understand, part one

I have been a fan of my friend Jen Taylor’s lists of “ThingsI Don’t Understand.” She has inspired me to start a list of my own. I don’t understand why these things are a big deal, or in some cases, why they exist at all.

• Angry Birds.
• Fantasy football.
• KJV-onlyism.
• Girls who wear spaghetti strap shirts with a bra strap that is three times as wide.
• Worship leaders who shout “here we go” when we are halfway through the song.
• Reality shows like Hoarders, My Strange Addiction, and Jersey Shore.
• Why MSNBC put Al Sharpton on the air.
• Christians picketing or boycotting things they don’t like (has this strategy ever worked?)

More to come, but what would you add to the list?

25 Years!

Tracy and I are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe how quickly the years have passed. 25 years of family and ministry and friends -- the Lord has blessed us more than we could have ever imagined. And we are just as much in love as the day we were married, even moreso! We are celebrating at one of our favorite places, Macinac Island, Michigan.

Northmen Sing

The Northmen

Getting ready to head to The Northmen in Kalkaska, Michigan. This will be the 50th and final year of this annual event for men  & boys in Northern Michigan. It is very primitive. We camp out in the middle of the woods (the nearest town is 12 miles away). No electricity or indoor plumbing (bathing is done in the creek). Even though I grew up in Michigan, I had never heard of The Northmen until I was an adult. I've had the privilege of preaching there three times. Since moving to Indiana, we have attended nearly every year. It has become a family tradition. We will miss it, so we are really going to cherish this final time.

Dave Parker

Former MLB player Dave Parker recently visited Fort Wayne. Seeing an article about him in the local paper reminded of what I think is one of the greatest plays I have ever seen (from the 1979 All-Star Game). Watch it here.

A Really Cool Old Building in Antigua

Great Trip!

The trip to Guatemala went very well. The Lord is good! Much was accomplised for His sake. Click here for pics of what we did. Thanks so much for your prayers!