The Good Samaritan

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers.  They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.  A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.  So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.” - Luke 10:30-32

The priest walks by.

The Levite walks by.

Many of us may look at that and naturally ask the question, “Well, how can the religious leaders leave the man on the side of the road?  How can the priest do something like that?”  And we think of our own church leaders and pastors and how appalling it would be to see them leave a man dying on the side of the road.

But when the expert in the law hears Jesus telling this story, he would not be surprised at this point. Because as Jesus is telling the story, the expert in the law knows the Hebrew Scriptures very well, and he knows the culture very well, and he knows that what the priest and the Levite do is exactly what priests and Levites do.  The expert in the law whom Jesus is telling this story to is familiar with the Levitical laws and the priestly system.

He knows the text:

The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, ‘A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean for any of his people who die except for a close relative, such as his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother, or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband.  For her, he may make himself unclean.  He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage, and so defile himself.” - Leviticus 21:1-4

And like it Leviticus 21:11, which gets more specific about high priests:

 “The high priest must not enter a place where there is a dead body.  He must not make himself unclean, even for his own father or mother.”

When the expert in the law hears this story, he would not be surprised at the behavior of the Priest and the Levite.  They are simply doing what Priests and Levites do.  In fact, to this day, Orthodox Jewish priests still avoid going to cemeteries or funerals of people who are not in their family to avoid breaking the Levitical law.  And so, as the expert in the hears the story, he is not surprised.  Of course the Priest and the Levite don’t help the man on the side of the road, because he was dying.  And if he were to die on their watch, they would no longer be able to fulfill their priestly duties.  Helping the man on the side of the road would risk their obedience to the law.

And so a man is left dying on the side of the road because a Priest and a Levite are focused on their religious rules.

As the expert in the law hears this story, the question would quickly become, “Where is he going to see himself in the story that Jesus tells?”  It’s unlikely that he’s going to see himself as the priest or the Levite.  As an expert in the law, he would likely not only be not surprised by the choice of the priest and the Levite, but he would be a little frustrated.  He would get the feeling that we get when we turn on the news and see people in the name of the Jesus, declaring or doing things in the name of Jesus that are contrary to his message.

The expert in the law would be thinking, “Here are the religious people; more religious hypocrites, who follow their laws but ignore the law to love your neighbor.”  And so as he hears the story, in his frustration, he couldn’t imagine himself as the priest or the Levite.

This only leaves two characters.

Jesus continues the story.

‘But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine.  Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.  The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper.  “Look after him,” he said, “and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.”  Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’

Jews despise the Samaritans.  Out of anybody in the story that Jesus tells, the last person the expert in the law would resonate with is the Samaritan.  The Samaritans were the half-bloods.  They are the hated; they didn’t truly follow God.  The plot twists in Jesus story as a Samaritan shows up as the hero.  This presents a problem for the expert in the law.  If he’s not the priest and not the Levite and he’s definitely not the Samaritan, that only leaves one person.

The man dead and dying on the side of the road.

When life and sin leaves us beaten down on the side of the road, where do we turn?  In this story, religion leaves a man dead and dying.  The religious behavior of the priest and the Levite don’t come to the rescue.  They may have been following the rules, but the man on the side of the road was still left for dead. The only one that does anything while we are beaten and dying on the side of the road is the one who is hated, who was despised and rejected.  The despised and rejected comes when nothing else could rescue and picks us up, bandages our wounds, and takes us to the inn.

Why Dads Should Treat their Daughter Like a Princess

In a matter of weeks, perhaps days, a tiny little princess will be coming home.  We've got her room ready with her chandelier hanging, Cinderella's castle is on the wall, and a Rapunzel lantern on her dresser.  I cannot wait to be the dad of a baby girl, which has led to me thinking about what it will be like to have a little princess.  I cannot wait.  The princess movies, the tea parties, the dancing, and I'm sure there are some other princess details that I haven't even discovered yet.  Since I’m in the midst of decorating a room full of princesses, I couldn’t help but think of why I cannot wait to treat my daughter like a princess.

Why Dads Should Treat Their Daughter Like a Princess

1. A princess is defined by whose she is not what she does.  I already know that I'll love my baby girl; it's not because of the joy that she'll bring me, the cute things she'll make me, or how she will say, "Daddy."  I'll love my little girl because she's mine.  A princess doesn't earn being a princess, she's a princess because her dad is the king.  I want my little girl to know that she's a princess because she's mine not because of how she chooses to dress, act, or think.

"So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith." - Galatians 3:26

2. A princess is beautiful.  Every little girl needs to know they are beautiful.  And I don’t mean beautiful like super-model, magazine beautiful, but really beautiful - inside and out.  And when my little girl is old enough to walk into the room and show off her princess dress, I want her to hear it take my breath away.

3. A princess is joyful.  Every princess is full of joy.  They’re not immune to their fair share of trials, evil step-mothers, or witches, but even in the midst of this a princess sings and talks with the animals and goes about her life.

“Remember you’re the one who can fill the world with sunshine.” - Snow White

A princess might have challenges, questions, suffering, and difficult days, but joy seems to be the thread that weaves through her story.  A princess somehow knows how to, “Be joyful always.”  I want to teach my princess how to be joyful, even in the times life around us doesn’t give us much to be happy about.

4. A princess will one day marry a prince. The first thing I thought when I found out I was going to have a baby girl was, “Oh, crap.”  This was the reason.  I’ve been at weddings and have seen dads watch their daughters getting married… I don’t want to even think about that day.  But what I do know is that one day my daughter will find some strapping young lad and I’m going to do everything I can do make sure her expectations are set high.

What would you add to the list? 

[gss-content-box color="gray"]Be sure to get your free eBook Little Church: Discipling Your Family According to Deuteronomy 6 today for more parenting goodness![/gss-content-box]

Dear NFL

Dear NFL,

The NFL has been no stranger to controversy - that’s the result of being one of the largest organizations in the world, not to mention the sport which hosts the best sporting event in the world.  Every week there is some kind of talk about an NFL-related controversy, which often may have very little to do with the organization called the National Football League.

This year everybody talked about the Washington Redskins.  Even the UN was involved in the conversation.  This year the NFL had to deal with the issue of bullying when Richie Incognito filed a grievance against the NFL.  The NFL has faced people speaking out against the violence of football, including NFL players suing over expenses caused by concussions.  And we can’t forget all the talk when Seattle Seahawk’s Richard Sherman called out Michael Crabtree.

These issues come from all different sides and bring about all kinds of opinions.  Some of them I’ve heard and thought, “That’s bad.”  And others, I’ve laughed to myself thinking, “Really?  That’s an issue?”  These issues aren't what I’m interested in talking about.  Let’s talk about an issue that is deeply connected to the National Football League.

Human Trafficking.

27 million.

"That's how many slaves there are worldwide. Take a moment to wrap your head around it. That's the population of Georgia and Florida, combined. That's the population of New York City metropolitan area. There are more slaves around the world right now than at any time in recorded history. A problem that most people think ended more than a century ago is, in fact, thriving as never before.” - Source (via EndItMovement.com)

The cost of one of these slaves… only $90.  A ticket to the Super Bowl is almost twenty times as much.  And there are more slaves at this time in human history than ever before and it spans the globe.  This sickening industry that profits from the abuse and slavery of women and children (primarily, although not exclusively) makes more money than Google.

Human trafficking is specifically the transporting of people away from their communities in order to force them to work against their will using violence, deception or coercion.  And this happens all over the world, including the United States, and especially when the Super Bowl comes into town.

“New Jersey has a huge trafficking problem,” admitted Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-N.J.), co-chairman of the U.S. House anti-human trafficking caucus told the Washington Post recently. “One Super Bowl after another has shown itself to be one of the largest events in the world where the cruelty of human trafficking goes on for several weeks.”  - DelawareOnline

And from the Washington Post:

“The Super Bowl is a huge, huge arena for sex trafficking,” Douglas said. Some visitors “are coming to the Super Bowl not even to watch football — they are coming to the Super Bowl to have sex with women, and/or men or children.”

I know this is not the problem of the NFL.  I am still going to watch the Super Bowl with my friends and family.  I am still going to proudly (although ashamedly) hope for the day that my Detroit Lions will play in the Super Bowl.  But while it is not the NFL’s problem, it is a problem that is on us - as humans - to do something about.

So while the NFL hasn't caused this issue (although GoDaddy certainly has no problem promoting women as objects during the Super Bowl), I believe the NFL can impact this issue.  The NFL has more power and influence than most other organizations and a bigger platform than most.  And who better to speak out against human trafficking than an organization who’s premier event happens to bring about slave owners from all across the country.

This may have already been an issue in the minds and heart of the NFL; I wouldn’t doubt it as it’s an issue of human life.  The NFL may have already been taking steps to do something about this and we simply haven’t been aware of it.  I just would like clearly ask the NFL to help.  Let’s make people aware of this problem and let’s do something about the problem.  Let’s raise awareness, give time, energy, and resources to fight for the end of slavery.  There are plenty of issues that will come across the desk in an NFL season, let’s actually do something about this one.  It just might save someone’s life.

[tentblogger-youtube C7yFuLxoldU]

Childlike vs. Childish Faith

Walt Disney said, “That’s the trouble with the world, too many people grow up.”  When we are kids, we can’t wait to get older.   When we have kids of our own, we desperately want to cherish the moments we have before they grow up.  There’s something incredible about seeing the joy, the innocence, the creativity of a child as they play and imagine.  But there are also traits that we hope don’t stick around forever - things like the potty training, the tantrums, needing to have their food mashed up and spoon-fed.

When the Bible describes faith, it uses children as both the example of what to be like and also what not to be like.  In Matthew 18:3 it says, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”  And 1 Corinthians 13:11 writes, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.”  There is truth in this tension.  Be childlike.  Don’t be childish.

Childlike Faith

Frederick Buechner describes how he envisions the scene when Jesus says "become like little children."

Jesus puts him in front of him perhaps, his hands on his shoulders so he won’t make a run for it. The child stands there wide-eyed, more than a little scared, much more than a little embarrassed, toeing the dust. If it weren’t for the honor of the thing, as in Lincoln’s joke, he’d as soon have been left unnoticed. He wishes he’d had time to get the hair out of his eyes and button up his shirt, at least to spit out his bubblegum. He dreads being asked some question that he can’t answer or even one that he can. He hopes he won’t be told to do something beyond him. He’d give a lot as he waits there to be as tall as his big brother or as smart as his Uncle Joe. He wishes he were anything worth being or knew anything worth knowing. All he knows for sure is that when the man called him, he had to go. -  Whistling in the Dark

Children are helpless - powerless, in need of love, protection, and provision.  They are cute and bring about great joy to their families, but they don’t contribute to society.  They require a lot and have little to give.  Jesus calls up a little child as a great object lesson and says, “This is what faith should look like.”

Faith is not about your abilities to provide for yourself, it is not about the hard work you do or your dedication to following me.  Children are quite aware that they can’t do life on their own (at least until they hit middle school); adults on the other-hand are able to take care of themselves and think they know exactly what they need.  In the movie Willy Wonka, this same point gets made by Willy Wonka when he tells Charlie his reasoning for choosing him over and adult.  He says, “A grownup would want to do everything his own way.”  Isn’t this exactly what happens in our faith?  We want to do things our way, on our schedule, and based on our preferences.

Be like a child.  Helpless, powerless, and completely reliant on God.

Childlike is not childish...

Childlike is the positive qualities of childhood.  The qualities that we should embrace and encourage in our faith, especially as we no longer are children.  But not all qualities of childhood are childlike.  Children are afraid of the dark, unreasonable, and quarrelsome.  The require frequent changing of diapers, they can’t feed themselves, and they freak out if they don’t get what they want.  Childlike is not the same thing as childish.

So while the scriptures certainly call us to a “childlike faith,” they also call us to leave behind our “childish ways.”  This is what maturing is - both physically and spiritually - we leave behind certain childish ways.  As our children grow up, we hope that some of these things change with maturity.  If our teenagers still require us to mash up food and cut it into tiny pieces, that’s going to be weird.  That’s not maturity.  Instead, eventually our kids should learn to start to feed themselves, to go to the bathroom on their own, and take responsibility for their actions.

Childlike means we are helpless to do the things that only God can do.  We are helpless in our own salvation, our own forgiveness, and the faith that we have.  But we are not helpless to use the gifts that God has given us.  Childish means we are helpless to use gifts like God’s Word and don’t take responsibility for our own faith.  Childlike means we are helpless in that we have to completely rely on God to provide.  But being childish means that we claim to be helpless in using what God has provided to us.

Grow up.  But don’t ever grow up.

The Tiring, Difficult, & Humbling Race

I don’t understand runners.  I understand playing a sport and being punished with running, but running simply for the fun of it is beyond me.  And runners will often talk about the way it makes them feel afterwards - they talk about the adrenaline of the “runner’s high” - this has not ever been my experience.  Running typically makes me feel like I would rather die soon.  In the few times that I’ve tried to take up running, I’ve ended my running by walking into my house, with my heart pounding through my chest, and thinking, “What in the world did I do that for?"

My first experience with this kind of running was actually in fifth grade.  Fifth grade was the first year we were ever allowed to sign up for sports at my school.  I didn’t play soccer, so the only fall sport that was an option was a sport called, “Cross-country.”  I signed up because I had been told that this would be a helpful sport if I wanted to play basketball in the Winter.  And then I showed up to practice.  And we ran.  And we kept running.  That was also my last day of cross-country.

Marathons take a certain kind of athlete and a certain amount of work and commitment.  It’s strenuous, draining, and grueling.  It requires perseverance and training.  Throughout the scriptures in a few different places, the Bible actual describes life with this same kind of language.  Life is called a race.  We are called to “persevere" and “press on.”  The same kind of feelings that are prevalent in a marathon.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” -Hebrews 12

At time life grows tiring.  It requires that we endure through the trials.  And other times it seems like we run through life right on pace.  Some days we are celebrating the victories, joys, and personal bests.  And other times we have to remind ourself to simply keep putting one foot in front of the other, pushing on for one more mile, one more week.

The runner Bill Rodgers said, “The marathon can humble you.”

Isn’t this true of life.  Life humbles.  It is exhausting.  People disappoint you, let you down, and talk about you behind your back.  Life wears you down.  And this doesn’t change whether or not you are a Christian.  Life humbles all, whether or not your hope is in Jesus.  Life is tiring, it is exhausting, there will be pain and trials.  As a Christian, you can still go to a job that beats you down, where you feel under-appreciated.  You can give, give, give to your family only to have your kids disown you.  You can pursue Jesus with all that is within you and still face pain, loss, and tragedy.  Life will humble; it will wear you down, and for the Christian, in the midst of this grueling race of life, we look to Jesus with hope.

Hope that while we run the race, we can look to Jesus knowing that it doesn’t rely on us, but Him.  Hope that while we run the race, we look to the one who ran the race before us.  Hope that while we are exhausted and worn down, we look to the one who says, “Come to me all who are weary and heavy burdened.”  We run the long, tiring, difficult race and look to Jesus.  We look to Jesus who “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross."

Do Your Work Skillfully

God has not called me to play professional basketball.  This might be obvious to you, as it should be.  I’m hardly tall enough to be a basketball player.  My genetics don’t lend themselves very well to me having a fighting chance in the NBA.  I have a wimpy vertical leap.  And while I may brag about my jump shot, I’m not very agile and have mediocre ball-handling skills.  Professional basketball is not in the cards when it comes to my calling.  God has not given me the skills to be a professional basketball player and no amount of hope, dreams, or commitment is going to get me there.  I enjoy playing basketball, but my skills are limited.

In Proverbs 22:29 it says:

“Do you see a man skillful in his work, he will stand before kings, he will not stand before obscure men.”

Skills are central to the work we do.  No matter what work you do - in your career, in your volunteering, in your family - God has given you skills so that you can use those in the work that you do.  He has given you skills to use in your family, skills to use in your job, and skills to use in your church.  And these skills are likely a combination of skills that have been wired in you from birth and skills that have been honed and refined through experience and hard work.

So… is there a uniquely Christian way to use these skills?

Do your work skillfully.

The writer, Dorothy L. Sayers said, “The church’s approach to intelligent carpenter is usually confined to exhorting him not to be drunk and disorderly in his leisure hours and to come to church on Sundays.  What the church should be telling him is this:  That the very first demand that his religion makes upon him is that he should make good tables."

When talking about the work that God has called us to do, it is easy to begin thinking of ways to spiritualize our work.  We think that the Christian carpenter should make Christian tables.  The Christian designer makes Christian posters.  And the Christian filmmaker makes mediocre Christian movies.  But being a Christian doesn’t mean doing “Christian” work, it simply means as a Christian, you should be doing your work skillfully.  You work hard using the skills that God has given you to serve those around you.  If you are a carpenter, make good tables.  If you are a mother, raise your children well.  If you are a graphic designer, make great graphics.  If you own a business, run your business well.  If you are an artist, make good art.

Where in your life do you feel like you get to do work skillfully?

The Pub as a Sacred Space

[This is Part 2 in an interview with Ken Chitwood regarding his vocation as a volunteer bartender at a local brewery in Texas.  Check out Part 1, Pouring Beer for the Glory of God]

Mission happens in whatever places God places you.  You have been placed in your family and therefore have a calling to live out your faith in that family and be a blessing to your family.  You have been placed placed in your neighborhood and have a calling to that community.  And if you happen to a be a beer connoisseur, who likes to drink craft beer at the local microbrewery, God may have even placed you there for the sake of his kingdom.  And I don’t mean, you should start bringing bible tracts to the bar with you..unless you want to get treated as if you ordered a Coors or a Miller Lite.

In order to explore what this looks like in the craft-beer world, I asked my friend Ken a series of questions about God’s calling as he volunteers at a Texas micro-brewery.  In Part 1 of our interview Ken discussed pouring beer for the glory of God.  Ken Chitwood works at Crosspoint Community Church and Memorial Lutheran Church, both in Katy, Texas.  He blogs at Sacred Duty and is a phenomenal preacher.  Ken also is a volunteer bartender at a micro-brewery.  Ken has become a good friend in the past year and has been a huge help challenging me specifically in the area of preaching.

RJ: Why a brewery?  If you're looking to be bi-vocational, there are plenty of other places you could work, so why pouring beer for people?

Ken: As a bi-vocational minister I’ve worked as a security guard, a graphic designer and an assistant on a dairy farm. Here in Texas I applied to work at a running store, manage a wine bar and be a brewery volunteer. The latter made the most sense because this was a world that a missional community I lead was a part of already and seeking to actively bless with our presence and our gifts. I like to drink beer. I like to share beer with others. Checking IDs, helping with bottling and pouring taps at our Saturday tastings seemed an easy way to get to know people, deepen relationships and bless people on a regular basis.

RJ: Church people hanging out in bars isn’t really a new thing.  Some of the early reformers hung out and discussed theology in taverns and that shaped the trajectory of Christianity for hundreds of years to come.  How might what we talk about in bars today shape Christianity in years to come?

Ken: Excellent question, a couple things come to mind here RJ.  The missional community I lead is called “The Publicans.” This is an intentional name with four motivations:

1. In the past, local publicans (in Roman usage these were public contractors or tax collectors) were entrusted with a community’s beer supply. They doled it out as trusted members of the civil authority and as people with a firm foot in the community. Hence, people would go to “the publican’s” for a fine ale. This eventually got shortened to “the pub.”
2. Pubs, especially in British contexts, can often become the focal point for a community - the place where the community gathers to drink, talk and share life together.
3. The publicans were seen as a sinful and traitorous lot in Jesus’ day. Still, the disciple Matthew was a publican…but he was called by Jesus to follow him. We too, as sinners in the contemporary scene, are publicans called to follow Jesus as sinner-saints.
4. You bring this all together and we are people who drink beer, follow Jesus and gather together as a community - we are “The Publicans.”

This type of Christian community opens our eyes to a few important aspects of following Jesus in the 21st-century world.

We need to live out the life of a disciple, and extend the community of Christ, wherever we go - including the pub. And if the pub is the place where the community is gathering, as the brewery I volunteer at is, then that’s where Christ followers should be. Not as “undercover evangelists,” but as human beings trying to bring healing, illumination and hope as we all fumble, falter and fail in our following of Jesus. It’s just one more step in trying to break down walls between the local community that we live in and the Christian community we worship in.  The pub can be sacred space, and God is already at work there, so I don’t see why we shouldn’t be there too, mindful of how Jesus may be calling us there to be his ambassadors of reconciliation.

Beer, Orthodoxy, & Orthopraxy

Ken: Also, there was a study done to compare the impact of coffee and beer on the human mind. The researchers wondered which libation would make you more focused, more creative. They found that coffee, in moderation, makes you more focused - it helps you zero in on details and take care of business. It’s a left brain stimulant. Beer, and alcohol in general, again in moderation, opens you up creatively, releasing your right-brain resourcefulness, vision and innovation. For so many years the Christian church has done a great job of drinking coffee and eating stale donuts, and our theology and practice reflects that. We know our stuff, we’ve whittled down the details and rounded up all the informational theology we can handle. The problem is, we’ve self-segregated and stopped innovating. In all our coffee-induced theological focus, we’ve lost sight of the expansive, re-creative, enterprising work of the Holy Spirit in the marginal places of our world, in the community squares and local pubs. If we could adopt a bit more of a beer-drinker’s mentality to orthodoxy, and orthopraxy, I think we’d see some pretty cool innovation when it comes to imagining how the Gospel can indwell in our particular cultural context and historical moment. Plus, we’d have a TON of fun along the way.

RJ: There’s a growing popularity of things like bible studies at bars, beer & hymns, church plants in pubs, etc.  With the popularity of craft beer, so it seems the popularity of Christians hanging out in bars.  What would be one warning you would give to the Christian who wants to be on mission by going to the bar?

Ken: Right from the outset we wanted to be aware of two things as we waded into this world.

First, we wanted to watch out for alcoholism. If we saw it creeping up in us, or taking hold of others we met, we wanted to be mindful of it and do what we could to release and liberate people from it. Alcoholism destroys lives and ushers all types of sin, death and destruction into one’s life-orbit. We wanted to work at confronting this with the Law, releasing people with the Gospel and leading them into a new humble obedience of life-long recovery. At the same time, we wanted to learn from those who were recovering alcoholics - they have some of the best redemption stories in the world and know what it means to be an ever-recovering sinner-saint.

Second, we wanted to avoid the “Vegas” problem, or at least be prescient of it. When people drink, they get, as the rapper-cum-theologian Yeezus would say, "cray-cray.” Basically, people do stupid stuff when they drink. We really don’t want to drink too much, act a fool and regret a bunch of stuff later. We don’t want to see marriages ruined with one-time uninhibited adulterous flings or words to drunkenly escape someone’s mouth and cause untold, and unintended, damage.

I can’t say things have gone perfectly. Sometimes we drink too much. Sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes we aren’t as aware as we need to be. It’s a different set of sins than what you typically deal with as part of a typical congregation. Still, it creates opportunities for confession and absolution, for confrontation and forgiveness, for repentance and restoration. That’s what being a follower of Jesus is all about anyways, whether there is beer involved or not.

Photo Credit: Corey Grunewald Photography

Little Church: Discipling Your Family Based on Deuteronomy 6

I’m excited to announce the launch of my new eBook.  I’ve spent some time editing, designing, and putting together: Little Church: Discipling Your Family Based on Deuteronomy 6 so I could give it away for FREE!

Update: This book is no longer available for free, but you can find it for on Amazon for only $2.99. 

This eBook began as a sermon that I preached at Faith Lutheran Church in June 2013.  It has since morphed into some blog posts and now into an eBook.  The theologian Jonathan Edwards once said, “Every Christian family ought to be as it were a little church.”  This begs the question, “How is your little church?"  What are you doing to pastor your family?

About Little Church.

I intentionally made the book short and sweet so you could read it all in one sitting.  It’s also meant to be highly practical.  I want you to be able to read the things talked about and have some practical ways you can start implementing it in your home.  Years ago, I read the book Think Orange by Reggie Joiner and his description of Deuteronomy 6 has been influential ever since.

“Children learn best through routine, and when families create the right rhythm it helps to accentuate learning and development. Although every family should look for the patterns that work best for them in light of their schedules, four specific times are listed in this passage that any family can leverage to build the faith of their children.” - Reggie Joiner in Think Orange

This framework based on Deuteronomy 6 - teacher, friend, counselor, coach - is what we will explore in this eBook.

How to get a copy

Little Church is available on Amazon for only $2.99.

My 10 Favorite Posts of 2013

Over the past year, I have had several blog posts and wanted to share with you 10 of my favorites.  I could easily share the 10 most popular posts, but as Seth Godin said - “Best is rarely the same as popular.”  Some of those posts were popular and others of them hardly got read.  Regardless these are some posts that you should check out. 10. Outsourced Parenting.  Parents can outsource any job they have; are you outsourcing the job of discipling your children?

9. Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?  Is Halloween a pagan holiday or is there something redemptive hidden within this holiday?

8. God’s Calling is About More Than Some Day.  Following God’s call is not a matter of figuring out what God wants you to do in the future, but is more a matter of figuring out where God has placed you right now and how he might use you in those places.

7.7 Practices that Make Church Weird.  Church is weird.  You may not realize it if you’ve been going your whole life, but it is.

6. Duck Dynasty Controversy.  The blogosphere went crazy when the whole Duck Dynasty controversy took place.  This post recorded some of my thoughts on the whole fiasco and what we could learn from it.

5. The Power of Habit.  Habits either destroy us or they are incredibly helpful. What habits have you formed?

4. How to Memorize the Bible in only 5 Minutes a Day.  Memorization is all about repetition, repetition, repetition.  And given some discipline in 5 minutes every morning, you could be on your way to memorizing a ton of scripture this next year.

3. The Definition of Marriage Has Already Changed.  The way Christians have defined marriage is no longer the way that culture defines marriage.  This isn’t simply a matter of politics - it has changed regardless of what government decides.  How will Christians respond?

2. Hey Macklemore!  Teach Me About Preaching.  Macklemore is one of the most popular preachers in our culture.  He even preaches about taboo topics that aren’t supposed to be talked about.  In his rapping and creativity, there is something significant we can learn about the preaching of God’s word.

1. Blue Jeans and God’s Calling

Eric makes blue jeans because God has called him to make blue jeans.

But here’s what’s interesting; when initially talking about all the things that he is passionate about in his business and the journey into it, he struggled connecting his faith and God’s calling to his small factory in Detroit.  After all, he never heard God tell him to make blue jeans.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! Laugh. Play. Open presents. Eat a ton of cookies. Stay in your Christmas jammies as long as possible.

And of course, remember a King has been born.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.  - Isaiah 9:6-7

Duck Dynasty Controversy

If you haven't yet heard about the Duck Dynasty controversy, you likely haven't spent much time on the internet in the past 24 hours.   The guilty parties are A&E and Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty fame.  After an interview with GQ, A&E put Phil Robertson on an indefinite hiatus from the show.  A&E responded to the interview by saying, "We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson's comments in GQ, which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series 'Duck Dynasty.'"  There are people fuming in anger that A&E would censor a man's Christian beliefs and see this as an attack on freedom of religion and freedom of speech.  And there are others who applaud A&E for what they've done, finding Phil's comments offensive to LGBT people.

In the midst of all this, I thought I'd share a few thoughts that have been helpful for me as I've thought through and read about the controversy.  As with any controversy, a lot of people are quick to speak and attack all kinds of people - I''m less interested in attacking and more in talking about what can we, as Christians, learn from this and be reminded of.  I hope Duck Dynasty continues for many  more seasons.  I hope Phil Robertson returns and continues doing what he's doing on the show.  And I hope that Christians always speak the truth in love.

The way we talk about homosexuality matters.

If I said what Phil Robertson said in his GQ interview, I would have gotten in big trouble by my employer.  And I work in a church -  a  church that is full of passionate conservatives and a church theologically opposed to a homosexual lifestyle.  There are a couple of areas in the article in which homosexuality has come up.  Most quoted by those who are upset when referencing the GQ article is Phil referencing Corinthians when asked "What in your mind, is sinful?":

“Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men,” he says. Then he paraphrases Corinthians: “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers—they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.” - from GQ interview with Phil Robertson

But that's not all he said about homosexuality.  If he simply said this, I would completely understand the anger and say it is justified.  It'd be justified because while a lot of people wouldn't agree with him, he's simply paraphrasing the Bible.  And this is a belief that A&E already knew about - there is no way in all the seasons of Duck Dynasty that A&E just now figured out that the Robertson are biblically opposed to a homosexual lifestyle.

Phil also said this:

“It seems like, to me, a vagina—as a man—would be more desirable than a man’s anus. That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical.” - from GQ interview with Phil Robertson

Homosexuality may be illogical, in fact I would argue it is.  It is sin.  In fact, I would even say that what Phil said was accurate - and probably puts words to what many people have thought.  But what he said in GQ is not the way I would go about describing it.  Phil Robertson should have probably kept that statement between him and the friends he hunts with and not said in an interview that would be broadcast to the world... but Phil may also not be concerned with that.

Christians absolutely need to find ways to talk about their faith - but there will always be certain things that we should say and other things that we shouldn't say.  I'm not sure that this issue for A&E was about Phil being a Christian who is opposed to homosexuality, but more of he is a star on A&E's network who spoke about his issue with homosexuality in a way that was perceived as crude.

As a youth worker, if I want to talk to my students about what the Bible teaches about homosexuality - saying what Phil Robertson said does not open the door for conversations with students who struggle with homosexuality.  I don't believe Phil was intending to be crude or stir up controversy - but I wouldn't say it the way he said it.  If we truly believe a homosexual lifestyle is sinful, we also need to approach it in a way that allows for us to have conversations with people who struggle - and this won't happen by ridiculing or making fun of their struggle.

A&E is a business and will respond in a way that they think is good for business

Some have argued that A&E is not allowing for Christians to have free speech.  This may in fact be the case, which would be a shame.  But I think it is far more likely is that A&E is trying to protect their brand.  A&E wants to sell products, keep viewers, and attract other successful TV shows.  A&E likely made the call they did to prevent backlash from a LGBT supporters who would be very vocal about the things that Phil Robertson said.  A&E now is feeling backlash from passionate fans of Duck Dynasty.  Whatever A&E decides long term is probably not going to be rooted in a moral agenda - they are not going to change their mind about Phil Robertson because they feel they were wrong and they are not going to stick to their guns because they believe in gay marriage - they are going to do what they think will make them the most money.

And that decision may mean bringing back Phil.  And it might mean Phil Robertson doesn't return.

GQ was clearly looking to stir up controversy

Read the GQ interview.  GQ is loving every minute of this controversy because people are flocking to their website and buying issues of their magazine.  And that's exactly what they wanted.  It's actually a very interesting article, but it also very clearly trying to stir up some drama.  Phil was asked about politics, his faith, civil rights, and more.  The interview is obviously shaped by the author's own beliefs (as would happen with any journalist):

It’s the direction he would like to point everyone: back to the woods. Back to the pioneer spirit. Back to God. “Why don’t we go back to the old days?” he asked me at one point. But now, I’m afraid, I must get out of the ATV and go back to where I belong, back to the godless part of America that Phil is determined to save. - from GQ interview with Phil Robertson

GQ interviewed Phil Robertson and asked questions just hoping for the perfect sound bit that would spread like wildfire on the internet.  In fact, if you read the article you will see the potential for several of those, not to mention the same kind of language that people are upset with by the author. The homosexuality one took and GQ is reaping the rewards of the controversy.  A&E is suffering in this fiasco.  Duck Dynasty and Phil Robertson will have consequences because of this.  GQ will make a bunch of money.