This past Sunday I was privileged to sit in on a church business meeting where they were considering a couple of serious questions involving both staff and finances. The moderator stated at the beginning that he had carefully read the by-laws and understood that one of the decisions would require a two-thirds majority in order to pass.

The moderator then asked, “Is a two-thirds majority enough? Shouldn’t God’s people be ‘of one mind’?” It’s a great question. (The motion requiring the super-majority was voted on by ballot and was approved 21 to 4. A clear decision but not unanimous, which is what the moderator would’ve preferred. )

Is majority rule the Biblical model for how a church should make decisions?

Church history records “congregation voting” in the London Baptist Confession of Faith from 1689 where it indicates that elders “. . . be chosen thereunto by the common suffrage (vote) of the church itself” (chapter 26, article 9).  So churches have been voting for at least 320 years but that’s less than 16% of the time since the resurrection. Does that make it right or best?

How does Philippians 1:27-30 relate to church governance? Paul writes, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.”

Being of one mind seems to be early church model for decision making in the household of faith. That idea was previously illustrated in Acts 6 when leaders were chosen for food distribution. The account points to consensus, not a vote, when the proposal “pleased the whole group.” Acts 6:5

I used to think that voting was how they determined the consensus in Acts 6 but the passage doesn’t indicate that. Rather, the Bible seems to be conspicuously silent on the issue of majority rule except for some severe cases where it went badly. For instance, when the Israelites demanded a king and God directed Samuel to honor their wishes but also issue a warning that kings would eventually bring about their own destruction.

Voting wasn’t part of the cultures of either the Old or New Testaments; although Scripture gives plenty of instructions about a multitude of other subjects. Is it possible that voting is more a tradition that comes from a Greek/Western mindset and not from the Word of God?

What do you think about this? Is voting the best way to make decisions in the church?

The other day I was in my car praying as I drove. I wasn’t praying about driving, road conditions, or the truck in front of me. I was praying about a place to live and letting God know how frustrated I was. The house I’ve rented since August 2004 was now sold and had to be vacated in seven weeks. I didn’t see any reasonable options. I was at mile marker 89 on I-35 in Missouri when the Holy Spirit reminded me of an old story. You might remember this one:

There was once a man whose home was about to be flooded by a rising river. His neighbors urged him to pack up and get out. He said, “I am trusting God to rescue me” and refused to leave. A few hours later the Sheriff came by in a four-wheel drive and the water was up to the wheel hubs and he attempted to get the man to leave his house. But the man refused and reiterated his faith in God to save him from the flood.

Six hours later the man was now on the second floor of his house hanging out a window when the State Patrol came by in a motorboat. They pleaded with the homeowner to leave his house. The man definitely answered, “My God will rescue me” and rejected the offer of a boat ride.

The sun had set and darkness was just minutes away. The man was now sitting on the roof of his house surrounded by water when the National Guard helicopter hovered over him. The soldier’s voice shouted through the noise instructing the man to grab the rope ladder and climb to safety. But the homeowner rejected the offer and yelled back, “This is a test of my faith. Surely God will rescue me.”

The man drowned when his house was swept away in the flood.

Upon arriving in heaven, the man indignantly demanded an explanation from God as to why he wasn’t rescued. God replied, “I answered your prayer! I sent your neighbors, the Sheriff in a truck, the State Patrol in a motorboat, and the National Guard in a helicopter!”

Obviously, the man in the flooded house expected something different.

Ouch. That was exactly the situation I was in.

Here I was praying for God’s provision of a place to live but He had already provided.

I nearly missed the answer to my prayer because it wasn’t what I expected.

A year ago Joy and Tony bought some farm land that included a house. (We are calling it the Herrick house after the former owners who lived there for more than 50 years.) It’s located just six miles north of where my grandkids live and is actually closer to the nursing home where my Mom is a resident then where I now live. But it wasn’t what I expected. I don’t know exactly why, but I didn’t see the Herrick house as a solution. The only thing I could see was its rural location and run-down condition.

My hypocrisy was self-evident. I was praying for a house and telling God I would go anywhere and live anyplace but turning down the generosity of my family. I guess I was expecting God to provide some other way.

The rest of the drive home was a time for me to acknowledge before God that my willingness to be obedient turned out to be conditional. The next day Tony and I met with a contractor and work began immediately. The core of the house dates back to 1887 and its had at least four additions. But the structure is solid and its worth too much to just tear down.

There is a lot of work to be done: new roof, new wiring, new plumbing and new HVAC. There will be a totally new kitchen and bathroom. Pray for Travis Sines and his crew; they are determined to get things done so I can move in when I have to be out of my current house. Some mild weather is especially important so the new roof can be installed.

The scary part? I wonder how many answers to prayer I’ve missed because they didn’t fit into my preconceived idea of what the answer would look like.

From April 1975 until September 1983 I managed two different Christian Bookstores; in Jackson, MS and then in Bloomington, IN. This was before personal computers and bar code reading cash registers. Knowing the value of the books, Bibles, gifts, and music in the store was particularly important and we attempted to do so using “ledger” systems.

At least once per year I hired RGIS, a company that specializes in inventory services, to come in and “take inventory.” Eight to ten “specialists” would spend 6-8 hours handling and counting every item. The result was a breakdown which revealed the value of every department in the store: children’s books, greeting cards, Sunday School curriculum, etc. There were times when we discovered more Bibles than usual had been lost to shoplifters (the most stolen item in the store) or that we had a lot of money tied up in slow-moving commentaries.

Taking inventory was paramount to staying in business. Without solid numbers, managing cash flow and planning future purchases was nothing more than a guessing game.

As leaders we must take an honest inventory of ourselves and the Kingdom responsibilities God has entrusted to us. Only people who don’t care fail to take inventory; to honestly look at themselves and evaluate their priorities, finances, time management, family, relationships – using the immutable template of God’s Word as the standard.

“The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them. The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates.” Psalm 11:4-5 (NIV)

“Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering. Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.” Psalm 26:1-3 (NIV)

“The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be.” Jeremiah 17:9-10 (NIV)

“Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it.” 2 Corinthians 13:5 (MSG)

Here are some practical suggestions for taking inventory:

1. Pray – spend more time listening to God rather than talking to Him.
2. Be honest.
3. Read the Beatitudes (Matt 5:1-12) as if they are a personality profile. How are you doing?
4. Read the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7) SLOWLY and reflect on how those attitudes and actions are at work in your own life.
5. Consider what a Spirit-led life produces (Gal 5:16-26) and determine what results are produced in your relationships.
6. Find at least three people and ask them to “take inventory” of your life using questions 3-5.
7. Do something about it.

This is a tough exercise; it reminds me of the discomfort I experienced when looking at the inventory totals in the store. One leader states it plainly: “facts are our friends.” Avoiding inventory only reinforces my assumptions and distorts any decisions I make based on my perceptions. Facing the realities revealed through evaluation always results in confession, repentance, changes, adjustments, and renewal.

Personal inventories are often painful but it’s a valuable pain – the kind that helps us avoid pain in the future that could be much worse.

”Search me, O God, and know my heart, test me . . . “ Psalm 139:23 (NIV)

Today the U.S. observes the 10^th anniversary of the terrorist attacks but I am rejoicing in the second anniversary of Lois arriving in Glory! Two years ago today at 11:50 am, Lois was completely healed; the cancer was gone, she received a perfect body, and joined the throngs in Heaven who arrived ahead of her.

I find it so ironic that we sing songs and talk about how much we long for heaven but then do everything we can to avoid getting there very soon.

If there is anything that I find upsetting about Lois’ death, it’s that she arrived in heaven before me! In our utopian expectations we were supposed to arrive together.

I did not lose Lois – I know exactly where she is. Her skin and bones were left on the couch in our living room where she took her last breath. Her soul, the real Lois, is with God the Father and His Son, Jesus. Fortunately we have the Holy Spirit here with us to bear witness to the reality of eternal life.

I was angry. I could blame it on the heat or lack of sleep or poor communication – but that would only be a lame attempt to deflect my personal responsibility. We could certainly analyze why I lost my cool. In psychology we learn that anger is a result of losing control, embarrassment, fear, pain, or deep disappointment. But again, we would only be trying to explain away the reality that I said things in anger and then slammed a door behind me as an explanation point.

I knew the second I heard the door slam that I would have to clean up the mess I made.

Within minutes I was talking to God. After all, as my Father, he saw and heard everything. I confessed my sin; that I’m not worthy to be called his child. I asked for and received forgiveness. Then came the hard part.

After I cooled down I found the person who had become the object of my anger. I confessed my sin to him. I asked for forgiveness. I tried not to explain away or deflect or blame something or someone else. The three of us: me, myself, and I, were fully and completely responsible for what was said and done.

To make matters even worse, several people witnessed my angry outburst. That meant I had to go to each of them and apologize. I felt like asking if anyone had some ketchup since I was eating so much crow!

There might be many ways to justify anger. Christians are especially good at claiming “righteous indignation” but anger is still anger and righteousness is rarely involved.

How about you? Have you “lost your cool” lately? Did you discuss it with your Heavenly Father and receive his forgiveness? Did you clean up the mess with the people involved? It may be hot outside, but you don’t have to be hot on the inside, too!

When I was a senior in high school there was a student, a girl, who disappeared after Thanksgiving. There were lots of rumors but all was confirmed when she showed up at graduation with a baby. That was 39 years ago when shame was heaped on unmarried, pregnant teens. Now attitudes have changed so dramatically that a senior in a Washington state high school faked a pregnancy because she wanted to expose the stereotypes and rumors associated with being an expectant teenage mom. (Read the story at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1379460/High-school-student-17-pretends-pregnant-senior-project.html)

Gaby Rodriguez convinced all her classmates, teachers, family, and even her boyfriend’s parents that she was expecting a baby in July. Only her mother, her boyfriend, her best friend, and the principal knew the truth. (That in itself ranks as an excellent experiment in successful lying and secret keeping!)

I have great respect for the maturity and poise this young lady showed in pulling off this project. There is little doubt that she will make a great social worker (her goal) or an accomplished actress. However, I would like to offer some observations:

1. The bias, discrimination, and mean-spirited whispering that Gaby experienced are wrong and should be exposed within the church as well. Once God has allowed life to begin, the baby should be respected, honored, and loved. No pregnancy is an accident since life begins in the mind of God before two people ever have intercourse.

2. Teenage fathers must be held accountable for their role and inability to control hormone-driven pleasure seeking. Too many fathers are nothing more than low-life sperm donors. More states should enact laws requiring a father’s Social Security number on the birth certificate in order to collect child support and private pay health insurance! There are even some states that require a teenage father’s parents to pay the child support until the father is 18 or 21 yrs old.

3. Sex is not a recreational activity! When adults quit treating it as such, teenagers will get the message. In the correct context, sexual activity is holy and belongs in marriage – a life-long, covenantal commitment between one man, one woman and God.

4. Parents and the church, in partnership, are the best educators for communicating and modeling the theology of sexuality to children and teens; not schools. The church must confess and repent of its abdication of the responsibility for teaching healthy guidelines for sexuality and immediately begin to take corrective action.

5. Teenage parenting is not cute nor should it be treated like a status symbol. Although it is tremendously difficult, it is possible for teens to successfully parent a child when they have the unconditional love and support of their parents and/or the household of Faith. However, adoption may be the better alternative. Either way, the church needs to embrace the responsibility to come alongside parents and grandparents.

We live in an increasingly sexualized world where few people understand the implications that sexuality is God created, God given – it was and is His idea! Contrary to conventional thinking, human beings are not animals in heat that cannot control themselves. All sexual fulfillment – before marriage, in marriage, and after a marriage ends, either due to the death of a spouse or divorce – all sexual fulfillment comes through self-control, self-sacrifice, and self-discipline.

The recent media coverage of “Love Wins,” a new book from Rob Bell, has produced a lot of emotion. It is interesting to read and listen to all the pundits pass judgment on the book and on the author. Is Bell a Universalist? He says he’s no, but the book leaves one with the opposite impression. Many pastors and leaders have expressed their own opinions and it’s fueled quite a debate among Evangelicals of all flavors. Time magazine even featured the controversy as its cover story.

I’ve read the book and also a score of blog posts and listened to or watched several interviews. It’s prompted me to refresh my memory of the definition of universalism as well as Christian Particularism. And books like “Love Wins” always help me review and renew why I believe – not just what.

This controversy and media attention has resulted in calls, emails, and text messages with the same general question, “Should I throw out all my Nooma videos?” My answer is, “No, but with this stipulation: Use them cautiously.”

If we screen everything from anyone we have a disagreement with on one point or another, there wouldn’t be much left. Just like any other resource, we must be vigilant when using Rob Bell’s material. And I would recommend that when it is used, we clearly state that we are not endorsing all of his views, especially his suspected universalism.

Twenty years ago, when our children were testing the limits of their parents’ patience, Lois and I would relieve the tension with the line, “Well, when you put two sinners together you get sinnerlings.” We would smile and go on with the work of parenting having reminded ourselves that we, too, tested our parents.

Sometimes we forget that sin is part of our DNA and how desperate our sin is and how much we need a Redeemer! Paul makes it clear in Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned –.” It’s not a pleasant thought is it? And it certainly doesn’t seem fair to blame the entire human race for the sin of Adam and Eve. We can claim there is no connection but in so doing we act just like them. We bear the burden of sinfulness both as individuals and as humans. No one had to teach us how to sin; it was part of our nature as much as the color of our eyes or the size of our feet.

This week we humbly observe the death of Jesus Christ. His death is for all but it is also very personal. Admit it: “I have sinned. I do sin. I will sin again.” The Prophet expresses it well: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, and each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6) Christ died for me. His death is payment for your sin and mine. We are all responsible for His death. Our sin – my sin – caused Jesus to have spikes driven through his hands and feet.

That is a sobering truth.

But on Easter morning we will join with millions of brothers and sisters in Christ to rejoice because “just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19) We have been liberated from the bondage of sin! We are bought with a terrible price. We have been redeemed!

Jesus, who died for our sin, is now alive. He is risen!

Rejoice!

The white stuff just keeps coming down. As it accumulates we use brooms and blowers and all shapes and sizes of shovels and plows to push it out of the way. Then the winds create new piles and drifts and we start all over again.

If we don’t move the snow at all we soon find ourselves unable to open the front door or get out of the driveway. Leave it unattended on a walkway and a few cycles of sunlight create a very icy surface. Fortunately we haven’t had so much snow to necessitate climbing on the roof to clear it off but we’ve watched the news stories of buildings collapsing from the weight.

It’s difficult to ignore all this snow.

And, just as it’s dangerous to disregard the snow, it is equally devastating to ignore sin.

Sin is anything we do, say, or think that’s displeasing to God and it’s a very uncomfortable subject. We prefer to ignore sin; pretend it doesn’t exist or even convince ourselves that we don’t have any. The Bible says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8)

You and I deal with sin on a daily basis; no one is without sin. Only Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life, all the rest of us need to realize that blowers, shovels and plows aren’t going to succeed at pushing our sin out of the way. We can’t ignore it or else we will find our lives “high-centered” on the accumulation and unable to make progress. Deceiving ourselves into thinking the sin doesn’t matter will only result in falling flat on our faces.

Forgiveness, the cleansing of sin, is free. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he (God) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” And remember: genuine repentance always results in change.

All too often we fear the immediate consequences of our sin more than the eternal cost. As this is being written, New York Representative Christopher Lee has resigned because of sin. Of course, no one calls it that, but what a terrible price to pay for an “indiscretion.”

Pastors and church leaders have a unique opportunity to model confession, repentance, and forgiveness. Don’t allow the fear of consequences keep you from full fellowship with God. It’s just not worth it. Let’s not pretend that sin is like snow; it won’t melt away when it gets warm. Sin has a tendency to accumulate to dangerous levels and many a pastor and church leader has been crushed.

Forgiveness is a free gift from God; we don’t have to do anything to earn it. Its grace; just like when someone shows up with a snow blower and clears my driveway and won’t accept any pay. All they want is a “thank you.”

Thank You, God, for forgiveness.

Being alone is not a bad thing. Having time to oneself is not something to be avoided. Silence is a comfortable friend. Right now, in my house, the only thing I hear is my fingers on the keyboard and the blizzard outside. In seconds the furnace will probably kick in.

It’s in the silence that we have opportunity to clear our minds of all those things that so easily distract us; center on our thoughts on God through Jesus Christ, and listen. Do you hear Him? He cares about you; every detail of your life matters to Him. He speaks when we are still, silent and listening.