The Death of Plastic Surgery, Piercings and Tattoos

Finding Neverland....

The passing of Michael Jackson into eternity last week has been called everything from the 'sad end' or 'death of an icon,' to the 'passing of Peter Pan.' But what is most fascinating to me in Jackson's adult life and death is it's similarity to 16-year-old pop diva Miley Cyrus' ("Hannah Montana") revelation of a new nose piercing and what that might say about America's obsession with appearance. What does the death of Jacko and Miley's many piercings have to do with each other? Simply, it's an illustration of our modern-day discontent with who and what we are and look like, and our fascination- particularly by celebrities, to alter what God has created us to be.

In Jackson's case, his history does reveal a harsh if not abusive childhood under the tyranny of father Joe, as well as challenging skin problems as a youth - those not terribly uncommon to many kids today. That might explain a natural inclination to make some physical adjustments. However, to say the 'King of Pop' went through a little make-over from childhood to manhood would be an understatment, as evidenced by the fact that at his death he looked NOTHING like the boy born in Gary, Indiana. As Newsweek reported, " Jackson arguably looked his "blackest" on the original cover of 1979's Off the Wall; by Thriller, the transformation had begun. Off the Wall was his declaration of manhood: it came out the year he turned 21, and it was his greatest purely musical moment. Why did he feel so deeply uncomfortable with himself? The hopeless task of sculpting and bleaching yourself into a simulacrum of a white man suggests a profound loathing of blackness."

What is it about ourselves - celebs and now youth today that drive them to body piercings and tattoo markings of every sort and plastic surgery of every kind? We know that many, if not most, plastic surgeries are attempts to meet emotional voids in physical ways, to attract attention, or to seek approval from others. The most commonly performed cosmetic procedures include breast augmentation/lifts, liposuction (the removal of body fat), facelifts, buttock lifts, botox/fat injections, and nose and face reshaping a la Jackson, who had more thorough plastic surgery than what you get in the witness-protection program. Amazingly, two million people subject themselves to these kinds of procedures each year, shelling out money and sacrificing much time and comfort. When vanity motivates a person to undergoing surgery, he/she has become his/her own idol (Commandments 1 and 2), therefore regulating God to the status of an afterthought, which is why the Bible warns us not to be vain or conceited (Philippians 2:3-4) and not to draw attention to ourselves by the way we look (1 Timothy 2:9).

Tell the kids and write your favorite star that even the most skilled surgeon cannot hold back the hands of time, and all cosmetic surgeries will eventually have the same result—aging. Those lifted body parts will sag again, and those cosmetically altered facial features will eventually wrinkle. The Bible says, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised” (Proverbs 31:30). Therefore, it is far better to work on beautifying the person underneath, “that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight” (1 Peter 3:4), than the piercing, marking and alteration of God's good will and purposes, which ultimately is for the make-over of our hearts, minds, souls and spirits for relationship with Him- for eternity.

Do You Know the Gospel of Satisfaction?

Religion Can't Give You Eternal Life

“What can Jesus do for me that I cannot do for myself?” That was the question posed by evangelist Luis Palau to hundreds attending his Highland Festival in Inverness this past weekend. Palau, who has a Scottish grandfather, told around 1,000 people that Jesus could do everything that money could not and do that which neither scholars nor scientists could fully explain.

As we continue to ask and wrestle with the question, "Why Give the Gospel?" and how to, we have to come to grips that people almost instinctively are looking to fulfill a deeply-held desire for meaning and love in their life. A courageous ex-homosexual man in our community who is a friend and has a burden to minister to and win homosexuals to the kingdom of Christ, said that many of these people caught in this perverted lifestyle, are as the song goes, "Looking for love in all the wrong places." He added that that they are looking for a man to love them unconditionally and this local missionary to homosexuals tells them, "I know such a man- Jesus Christ."

What can Jesus do that we can't do for ourselves? One, He can love us as only God can, and as a result, He can be the only substitute necessary to forgive us of our sins- sexual or otherwise. Only HE can pay the ultimate price- or make the ultimate sacrifice for us. As I often say, that's the greatest news in the history of the world. When's the last time you shared or broadcasted that news with someone?

Palau, the world evangelist based in Portland, Ore., warned against the dangers of sexual temptation, saying that although sex is a beautiful gift from God it should be used within God’s plan of marriage. Urging young people to first find love in God, Palau encouraged the crowd to regard themselves as the holy temples of God and appealed to young girls and women especially to do what is right in the eyes of God, rather than give in to pressure from men to have sex.
“When you are looking for real love, pure love, you delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart,” he said, quoting Psalm 37.4.

“As a young person looking for love you have to say ‘Jesus Christ I can’t find real love without you, fill me with your love.” As you go about your daily business today and the rest of this week, pray and ask God for opportunties to walk and talk in such a way that lost and dying people will yearn to ask you about life and where and in whom they can find unconditional love, fulfillment, satisfaction and escape from the judgment or wrath of a loving AND holy God. Then, be ready to 'give an answer for the hope that lies within you (1 Peter 3:15).'

Great Fathers Are Family Evangelists

What Makes a Great Dad?

There are not too many personal nor political issues on which I would agree with President Barrack Obama on, but his call for real and serious fatherhood this past Father's Day might be one. Abandoned by his father as a child, the President understands what it means to be fatherless, like a ship at sea without a rudder, if not a compass. According to his biography, he got a basketball, his first name and ambition from his father, but little else. I would argue the greatest defficiency he suffered from in that home was a spiritual one, which may be a defficiency he's still looking to fill.

This past Father's Day Sunday, He said he came to understand the importance of fatherhood from its absence in his childhood homes — just as an estimated 24 million Americans today are growing up without a dad. It is that absence, particularly that of a godly man in the home, that has produced more than a generation of fatherless boys who are much more likely to be drug-addicted, alcoholic, poor, uneducated and crime-ridden than boys who grow up in the home of their biological father. President Obama' relative success is the exception- not the rule according to virtually every bit of sociological data we have. Why? Is it just a matter of a fatherly presence in the home that makes a difference?

What exactly did God intend for fathers to be to their children? One little boy said..."The primary duty of my dad is to take out the trash." Suprisingly enough, the primary duty of a father is not even to bring home the bacon. The primary duty of a father is not to fix what's broken. The primary of a duty of a father is to bring his children to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and then to teach holy living to his children. Fathers are to be primarily evangelists, pastors and preachers of good news and wisdom to their families as the first 10 chapters of the book of Proverbs teaches. Admittedly, parenting is a difficult and challenging 24/7/365 job and has never been more difficult than it is in 2009. However, the Job description has never changed in God's economy. As I drill in the head of my three children who in their flesh yearn for me to be more friend than father, I exist to provide, protect and prepare. The former two items are for now, the latter is current preparation of their hearts and minds for the future.

Above all dads, don't fall prey to today's post-modern and post-Christian culture which teaches you to leave all or most of the parenting to mom, step-mom, school, day-care and yes- church (i.e. youth group). But instead, love your wife and the mother of your child or children as Christ loved the church (Eph. 5:22) and love your children enough to tell them as we've been saying the last two weeks at CCC, that they're born rebels, dead in sin and need new life that only God who created them through you and who loves you even more than you do, can save them from the penalty of their sin by their repenting and placing their trust and faith in His Son, King Jesus. Though God will take care of the outcome, be what God wants you to be first and foremost in your home- an evangelist of life-saving truth.

What Are You Doing Right Now?

Study: Americans Spending More Time Online, Less Time With Family

Web-surfing and the internet are invaluable tools for me as I blog you this very minute, working from my home office. However, as my wife and kids are wont to do on occassion, they remind me that I may be spending too much time in front of this machine, at the expense of loving them, loving God and loving peoople. Perhaps more than I'd like to admit.

According to a new study, 28 percent of Americans interviewed last year said they have been spending less time with members of their households. In 2006, 11 percent of Americans had said the same. Furthermore, significant percentages of Internet users said they were sometimes or often ignored because another member of the household spends too much time online (44 percent). An even higher percentage (48 percent) said they were ignored because others spend too much time watching TV.

This marks the 15th annivesary of the web's general access to the public and the amount of time that Internet users spent online has grown in each year of the Digital Future studies, and has now surpassed an average of 17 hours per week (I easily pass that). In fact today, the percentage of Americans who use the Internet has reached 80 percent, according to the study and the highest percentage of web-surfing Americans is under age 18. What does that mean? Well, common-sense, experience, observation and more research has told us that it means more time for on-line, inconspicous, tempting and even dangerous social-networking for immature youth and even less time for outdoor work and play, for interpersonal discipleship and fellowship, time alone with God, His Word and face-time with neighbors, family and friends who need the gift of Christ and the life-saving and transforming truth of the gospel.

Yes we are to yearn for balance and in all things moderation, but that is easier said than done when you think you have time for everything and we can put off priorities and what is most important for tomorrow. What then should you be doing with your time- with a life that only God knows how long will last (Psalm 139)? Here's a hint- relationships. Alhtough the Bible does not lay out a step-by-step order for relationship priorities, we can still look to the Scriptures and find general principles for prioritizing our relationships beginning with family. First. on the vertical side, God obviously comes first: Deuteronomy 6:5, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” If you're married, your spouse comes next. A married man is to love his wife as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25).

Christ’s first priority—after obeying and glorifying the Father—was the church, where he offered an example every husband should follow: God first, then his wife. In the same way, wives are to submit to their husbands “as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22). The principle is that a woman’s husband is second only to God in her priorities. If husbands and wives are second only to God in our priorities, and since a husband and wife are one flesh (Ephesians 5:31), it stands to reason that the result of the marriage relationship—children—should be the next priority. Parents are to raise godly children who will be the next generation of those who love the Lord with all their hearts (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4), showing once again that God comes first.

All other family relationships should reflect that. Deuteronomy 5:16 tells us to honor our parents so that we may live long and so things will go well with us and no age limit is specified, which leads us to believe that as long as our parents are alive, we should honor them. Following one’s extended family in the list of priorities are fellow believers. Much of the book of 1 Corinthians is Paul’s instructions on how the church should live together in harmony, loving one another. Now how much time does that leave for YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and 'Desperate House Wives?' If you think of "God's Marching Orders" and the call to love our neighbors, I would aruge there is nothing more loving we can do than share the new life - the only life to live in Christ- in word and deed. So, what are you doing right now? I'm going to power down... I hear Mary and Bryana calling...

"Are All Things Lawful?"

Momentum Builds For Legalizing Pot

Just when you thought it was ok to say "no" to marijuana again, legalizers who love liberty and license more than purity and righteousness, are rearing their ugly heads using the savage drug war in Mexico, crumbling state budgets, war on drugs fatigue and the election of a president who said, "Yes — I inhaled," to push for the legalization of marijuana in America.

Said a veteran of the movement, Ethan Nadelmann of the Drug Policy Alliance: "This is the first time I feel like the wind is at my back and not in my face." Some examples of this momentum are:

_Numerous prominent political leaders, including California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Mexican presidents, have suggested it is time for open debate on legalization.

_Lawmakers in at least three states are considering joining the 13 states that have legalized pot for medical purposes. Massachusetts voters last fall decided to decriminalize possession of an ounce or less of pot; there are now a dozen states that have taken such steps. BTW: this policy has proven to be an abject failure in the Netherlands and Holland, as pot-smokers at open and legal cafes, have moved up the obligatory ladder of addiction to heroin use, abuse and related crime (oops- they didn't figure on common sense).

Because of these developments , legalizers are kindling unprecedented optimism among the many Americans who want to see weed legalized. Make no mistake, the "green" movement has gone haywire. National polls show close to half of American adults are now open to legalizing pot — a constituency encompassing today's college students (of course) and the 60-something baby boomers who popularized the drug in their own youth.

What is the Bible to make of this movement regardless of whether or not uber-liberals like Barney Frank can make it happen through legislative channels? The apostle Paul says we are to make of it the same as whether or not we should engage in any other addictive, tempting behavior or lifestyle that our secularly influenced government allows, such as: fornication, over-eating, drinking and gambling, as per 1 Corinthians 6:12, “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything" While Paul was speaking to lusting and partying Corinthians about abstaining from things not explicitly condemned by scripture, the principle holds true for American Christians today that love Romans 14 liberty more than holiness and Romans 13 love, which prioritizes relationship and godliness more than our legally-sanctioned appetites.

For those of my liberty loving, libertarian friends, brothers and sisters that attack anything that may smack of alleged legalism, they should keep in mind that when you take any prior substance- particularly an illegal one, that has been an attractive social lure and taboo for two generations here, legalize it, remove it's social stigma, make it more accessible and cheaper, use and abuse will only rise. Would greater pot use- abuse, be better or worse for this country? One DEA (U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency) official said, "Legalization of marijuana, no matter how it begins, will come at the expense of our children and public safety. It will create dependency and treatment issues, and open the door to use of other drugs, impaired health, delinquent behavior, and drugged drivers."

With today's marijuana containing four times the THC content (active chemical in marijuana) of it's 70's counterpart, little wonder that drug-rehab facilities are filling to the brim with young, pot-only addicts. For the Christian with (non-bloodshot) eyes to see through a biblical lens, there is only one true option regardless of U.S. law, the option Paul wrote of in that same letter to those curious Corinthians, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (1 Cor. 6:19-20)."

Life and Death

Am I the Kind of Person God Saves?

How do you really know if you’re a Christian or not? Were you to die today (like the 150,000 or so people around the world passing into eternity), do you really know whether or not you would go to heaven? A pretty important question you think? On the one hand the world is crowded with churches and preachers that say salvation is something you earn through good works and a moral lifestyle. In fact most of the cults and Catholicism that infer faith in Christ would lean toward such a doctrine. Others market salvation as a feel-good path to self-fulfillment, and downplay sin or personal guilt, and preach that salvation is nothing more than a “belief” or acknowledgement of certain facts about Jesus (the gospel).

Either way, the message is the same: God saves those who have something to offer Him. But is that really the kind of person God saves? Have you sought salvation on God’s terms, or yours? Sometimes we complicate this issue more than necessary and shouldn’t, since it’s only life and death and getting it wrong (as in more than one gospel) can cause painful consequences for today and tomorrow. John Piper in a six-minute gospel presentation defines salvation essentially in one sentence, “The Gospel is the news that Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, died for our sins and rose again, eternally triumphant over all his enemies, so that there is now no condemnation for those who believe, but only everlasting joy. That’s the gospel.” Is it that simple?

I am struck with the simplicity and profundity of the Christian gospel. You can see it from the very beginning. It's right there in the Christmas story in what the angel said to Joseph, "You shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). Perhaps the church just needs to get back to remembering that God sent His Son into the world to save His people from their sins (Mission of the Messiah- Lu. 19:10). Seemingly, a proper presentation of the gospel would focus on that. The angel told Joseph: "He is the one who will save His people from their sins. That is why you must name Him Jesus (Yeshua-“Jehovah who saves”). Humanity's real destroyer is sin and its penalty, and the guilt for sin is a real guilt, a God-imposed guilt that damns to eternal hell. That is why people need to be saved, rescued, and delivered. That is what people must understand in the gospel, and that is what we must proclaim.

That’s why this Sunday, we’ll begin part one of a two-part message in our Basic Training series entitled, “Why The Gospel?” We’re going to clear up the myths, ambiguities and questions surrounding the issue of what it means to be saved and have eternal life as opposed to eternal death (which is not so good). Come and learn once and for all what it means to be a Christian. Then, on Father’s Day Sunday, we’ll finish this message with an answer to the question, “Why Give the Gospel?” That answer will equip and empower you to meet the requirement to give the answer to the first question to those that appear lost If you have been hesitant or scared to share your faith and the gospel to family, friends and neighbors, come and learn why you MUST and can share your faith and do your part to fulfill the Great Commission. Let’s make this summer a key time to refocus on what maters most shall we?

Can you Tweet the Gospel?

How Twitter Changed- Ruined Our Lives

Though I am loathe to tweet or text, I find it interesting that one could theoretically tweet the gospel- at least the plan of salvation via John 3:16, as it just makes it under the 140 character limit, though the gospel as presented by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:2-3 does not. Though God can and uses all mediums of communication to gather His elect and bring glory to Himself including Twitter I'm sure, short, limited electronic burts of words are not my preferred means of sharing life-transforming truth. How about you?

I agree with the introduction of this week's TIME cover story about this latest techno fad, which begins by saying, "The one thing you can say for certain about Twitter is that it makes a terrible first impression. You hear about this new service that lets you send 140-character updates to your "followers," and you think, Why does the world need this, exactly? It's not as if we were all sitting around four years ago scratching our heads and saying, 'If only there were a technology that would allow me to send a message to my 50 friends, alerting them in real time about my choice of breakfast cereal." Indeed. Our President, the leader of the free world as we know it, took time from his busy schedule to alert his "followers" (disciples) last year, "Hosting a 4th of July family picnic in Butte, MT and celebrating Malia's 10th Birthday! Watch it live: http://my.barackobama.com/l...11:05 AM Jul 4th, 2008 from web." Did we need to know that? Was that TMI (too much information)? Do Tweeting followers have a life?

Better yet, what happened to interpersonal communication? Can anyone pick up a phone and make a call today? At this rate my beloved email habit will become archaic by next month. Tweeting may have its place somewhere under the sun, but nothing can replace personal, loving, discipleship- discipleship that is about exhortation, encouragement, yes reproof and as we learned last Sunday, "instruction in righteousness." This Sunday, we'll take at least 40 minutes to answer the question, "Why the Gospel?" Be sure that no tweeter can fit that message in nor should, as it happens to be the most important news in the history of the universe. I pity the fool who tries to tweet that truth in our church!

More Biblical Blindspots

How About a Bible Study?

While it’s one thing to expect a sitting U.S. President to have proper biblical theology, it’s quite another thing when a Christ-professing protestant denomination seems to lack a clue. Again, as we’re learning from our Basic Training series, the church of America continues to struggle with retaining a biblical world-view as evidenced by the Episcopal Church’s recent decision to appoint a panel of its theologians to prepare a paper on same-sex relationships in the life of the church.

According to one Episcopal leader quoted by the Christian Post, the project is "designed to articulate theologically a full range of views on the matter of same-sex relationships in the church's life and to foster better understanding and respectful discernment among us." Have any of the leaders in this denomination considered God’s “view” and “understanding” through His revealed Word as Paul exhorted Timothy (2 Tim. 3:16-17)? Obviously, Episcopalian theologians think the scripture is as inspired by God and as sufficient as President Obama, who just declared June “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month,” becoming the first U.S. president to include bisexual and transgender in the proclamation’s title.

How curious is it that a professing Christian president issued a proclamation encouraging pride in what God clearly calls sin? Does such an act profess more biblical compromise or plain biblical ignorance? Less we’re too harsh towards public figures, note that nearly nine in ten Americans who participated in the latest Associated Press poll identified themselves as Christian but only about half of them fit the typical picture of one – or at least one close to what their leaders try to paint. Case in point, though 86 percent of those polled said they consider themselves a Christian, only 35 percent said they attended religious services at least once a week. Meanwhile, 51 percent said they believe abortion should be legal in all (19 percent) or most cases (33 percent). Are U.S. ‘believers’ misinterpreting their Bibles (even more fundamental and straight-forward doctrines) or flat-out not reading them?

Your Best Life or Risky Advice?

How Many Steps to a Better Life Now?

No sooner do we preach a sermon last Sunday about the debate over whether or not the Bible is sufficient and authoritative over all matters of life, do we get a deluge of news items and controversies in the culture war this week, highlighting that very same world-view conflict.

First, the church of Oprah is actually being scrutinized by Newsweek over her holiness' advocacy of Suzanne Sommers unusual secrets to staying young. The cover story reports that "Each morning, the 62-year-old actress and self-help author rubs a potent estrogen cream into the skin on her arm. She smears progesterone on her other arm two weeks a month. And once a day, she uses a syringe to inject estrogen directly into her vagina. The idea is to use these unregulated "bio-identical" hormones to restore her levels back to what they were when she was in her 30s, thus fooling her body into thinking she's a younger woman."

Sommers also swallows 60 pills per day and practices "overall detoxification." If she drinks wine, she goes to her doctor to rejuvenate her liver with an intravenous drip of vitamin C. If she's exposed to cigarette smoke, she has her blood chemically cleaned with chelation therapy. In the time that's left over, she eats right, exercises, and relieves stress by standing on her head. Somers makes astounding claims about the ability of hormones to treat almost anything that ails the female body. She believes they block disease and will double her life span. "I know I look like some kind of freak and fanatic," she said. "But I want to be there until I'm 110, and I'm going to do what I have to do to get there." That was apparently good enough for Oprah. "Many people write Suzanne off as a quackadoo," she said. "But she just might be a pioneer." While I'm tempted to go with the former description as I'm reminded of her Three's Company character Chrissy, I'm thinking that this obsession with finding a biological fountain of youth is endemic with an attitude that says this life is all there is and we determine it's length and breadth.

Sommers and others with a similar worldview, omit God from the picture and ignore His sovereign rule as creator and sustainer of all life in the universe. While some people focus entirely on spirituality, to the neglect of their physical bodies, others focus so much attention on their physical bodies that they neglect spiritual growth and discipleship. 1 Timothy 4:8 informs us, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” Notice that the verse does not negate the need for physical care. Rather, it says that exercise is valuable, but it prioritizes exercise correctly by saying that godliness is of greater value. To say nothing of the fact that it is God who "fashioned" all of our days and are written in His book (Psalm 139:16). More on this story Sunday at CCC.....

Are Pro-Lifers 'Facist?'

Hours after the Sunday morning shooting death of late-term abortion doctor George Tiller in Wichita, Kan., a Boulder Colorado physician — who says he could be the only doctor in the world still performing the procedure — said Tiller’s assassination was the “absolutely inevitable consequence” of decades of anti-abortion fanaticism.“I’m profoundly sad and I’m furious and I think the American people need to understand that we have a fascist movement in this country,” Dr. Warren Hern told The Colorado Independent on Sunday. “We don’t have to invade Iraq to find terrorists. They’re right here killing abortion doctors.”“Every doctor that does abortions has been under an assassination threat for decades,” Hern said. “The anti-abortion movement message is, ‘Do what we tell you to do or we will kill you,’ and they do. This is a fascist movement.”

Gee, I never thought being pro-life in my view equated me to being a Nazi-like facist! This view leads to the common fallacy that Christianity is cruel or false because of the Inqusition and the Crusades done in the name of Christendom or every Muslim should be condemnded because of extreme terrorism. To paraphrase the good doctor above, I'm more concerned about the ignorance expressed by abortion advocates, who while crying out about a rare case of exteme and inexcusable murder, turn their back on the more than 3,000 children being legally executed in this country every day. May God remove the scales from their eyes and be merciful to us all.

Gay Double Standards

Former Vice President Dick Cheney became the third national Republican figure to publicly approve of gay marriage this week, joining a former McCain campaign manager and President Bush's former Solicitor General Ted Olson, who is helping spearhead a legal challenge to Proposition 8 in California. Yet, Cheney also signaled his support for letting states ban gay marriage. Is it possible to hold both positions simultaneously? Absoutely, if you ignore scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17) or leave your biblical worldview behind when thinking about issues - especially when they impact your family.

At a press conference this week, Cheney said, "I think freedom means freedom for everyone. As many of you know, one of my daughters is gay and it is something we have lived with for a long time in our family. And I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish. Any kind of arrangement they wish." So we can take this to mean should we have a child who wished to marry three or four people (regardless of their gender and age) it would be allright and good for everyone, as long as they consentually "wished" right? This kind of thinking doomed Israel when in the time of the Judges, "everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). While I symphatize with the former Veep's family conflict, we cannot form good public policy on personal and emotional whims absent from the wisdom of God's Word.