Read more… »

I think that anyone who has spent more than 6 months deeply involved with a church has met someone who wants to take the church in a radical new direction and claims to be led by God, but who turns out to be an Absalom.    There is often someone who aspires to be in a position of power but whom God has not appointed to a position of power.  This person will take time to consolidate his or her position and then make their power play to take over.  Do not be this person.

My personality desires to be in control.  Therefore, I must force myself to submit to the authority of those who I know are following God’s leading even when I disagree with them.  It is far too easy for me to play politics, consolidate my base, and force my will upon others.  Knowing that this is one of my tendencies I must over compensate by submitting to those that God has placed in positions of authority within the church.  Submission is a hard thing.  If Absalom had been willing to submit, it would have saved much bloodshed.

« Hide it

Read more… »

This story is really the beginning of the end for David’s family. Great tragedy began with David’s decision to have Uriah killed and marry his wife Bathsheba. From that point onward it is one great spiral into oblivion. Let this be a warning to all parents: your children will be very much like you. My children see the good things I do and they imitate those things (they pray before dinner, the say please and thank you, they read), my children also see the bad things I do and imitate those things (they belch, the watch too much tv, and I’m sure there are some other things). Be a good example to your children so that they will be Godly.

« Hide it

Read more… »

Reading Psalm 51, which is David reacting to his sin with Bathsheba, in context of the actual story is very interesting. The only punishment David seems to receive is the death of his child. The only punishment that seems to affect David directly is “a broken spirit”; is this a fair punishment? Do I have the right to judge what a fair judgment is? One important line in Psalm 51 is “give me back my joy again”. This emphasizes that a life lived in opposition to God is joyless.

The death of the baby messes with me. David spent the time while the baby was sick fasting and praying that “the Lord will be gracious” and “let the child live.” When the child dies, David goes back to his life. Knowing the fate of the rest of David’s children, maybe dying in infancy was a blessing. However, the whole story rubs me the wrong way.

« Hide it

Read more… »

Erwin McManus at Mosaic in Los Angeles just preached a decent sermon that focused on David establishing the temple musicians. It was part of a sermon on using our strengths to honor God. The musicians were chosen because they were gifted in music; he makes his point in a much more profound way. You can find his sermon here (it is the “Release Your Potential” sermon).

Mephibosheth is an interesting character. If you remember he was cripples when his nurse dropped him while fleeing David’s army. Since that time Mephibosheth has been living with the knowledge that the king will probably have him killed since he is the sole heir of Saul. However, David chooses to echo the grace he has received from God by showing grace to Mephibosheth.

The story of the Ammonites gives an important clue as to carrying out a succesful diplomatic effort: don’t insult other countries ambassadors and send them home naked. Provocation is usually a poor diplomatic strategy.

« Hide it

Read more… »

David wanted to do a good thing; he wanted to honor God by building a permanent home for the Ark. Even though God did not allow David to build the temple God did promise David a permanent dynasty. David accepted God’s decision that his son would be the one to build the temple.

We can learn three important things from this passage. 1) When we are trying to discern if God is calling us to do something it is good to consult with a spiritual adviser (as David consulted Nathan). 2) Sometimes God blesses other people through us. In this case David’s offspring were blessed in part due to David’s faith in God. David himself was not blessed in the way he requested (with the honor of building the temple. 3) God blesses as he see fit. Ultimately we do not decide God’s will; God decides God’s will. Even if we are not blessed in the way we wanted we are still to honor and worship God for blessing us in the way he has decided to bless us.

« Hide it

Read more… »

Very seldom am I willing to act like a fool in order to show my joy in the Lord. I do not like to raise my hands while singing praises, it’s just not how i worship. I do not like to dance, I do not like to clap, I do not eat green eggs and ham I do not like them Sam I Am. I am a stick in the mud. I like to sing, I like to play, I like to wait in silence, I like to listen to others praying; but I tend to be somewhat reserved in my worship. That is okay. But I need to be willing to look foolish for God. I need to not put myself above God; if God calls me to dance I need to do a jig. If God calls me to raise my hands, I need to wave them. If God calls me to clap, I need to clap exuberantly. If God calls me to dance, I need to not worry about how I look and focus on worshiping God in the manner God asks me to worship. I need to be willing and happy to look like a fool to show my joy in the Lord.

« Hide it

Read more… »

There are lots of interesting things going on in this passage.  David reigned “forty years in all” 2 Samuel 5:4.  The number 40 has connections with the idea of completeness: the earth was completely destroyed after 40 days of rain, a complete generation died off as the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years, Moses fasted for 40 days (later Jesus would fast for 40 days).  I do not think that it would be out of line to think that the author is suggesting that David had a full and complete reign as King.

Above I also quoted 2 Samuel 5:12.  I would be interested to find out exactly who the pronouns in the quote are referring to.  Is it saying, “And David realized that the Lord had made David King over Israel and had made David’s Kingdom great for the sake of the Lord’s people” or “and had made the Lord’s Kingdom great for the sake of the Lord’s people” or “and had made David’s kingdom great for the sake of David’s people”?  Regardless, I think it points out that often God does not bless us for our sake but rather for the sake of the people we are to minister to and care for.  I take far too much credit for the things God is doing.

Finally, the story of Uzzah has always fascinated me.  The Ark was falling off it’s cart and Uzzah reaches out to balance it; for this act God kills him.  I’ve heard and read many explanations of why Uzzah was killed, the text does not give an explicit reason.  The text does say that “David was angry because the Lord’s anger had blazed out against Uzzah.”  The text does not say (as I have heard many preachers preach) that David was angry with God, rather David was angry at what had happened and because of his anger the Ark was not brought into David’s city Jerusalem.

I think it is significant that David had consulted with God before each of his battles against the Philistines and God had granted overwhelming victory.  However, before moving God’s resting place on earth, the Ark, there is no mention of consulting God, rather David consulted his generals.  I think it would be reading too much into the text to say that David was angry because he realized that he had messed up by moving the Ark, but that is where I tend to go.

« Hide it

Read more… »

10. Field of Dreams

My favorite moment in the movie is when Karin falls off the bleachers and chokes on her hotdog; this forces Doc Archibald to decide if will once again choose to be a doctor rather than a ballplayer. To me this moment affirms that the doctor made the right decision in his younger days. It’s wonderful to be able to play baseball and it’s wondeful to have that dream, but it is a far greater thing to be a healer. For some reason this moment has given me comfort when I have doubted my calling as a pastor.

9. Chariots of Fire

As a kid I hated this movie. It felt sooooo long and moved sooooo slow and was sooooo boring. As an adult I appreciate it a lot more. We are all called to use the gifts which God has blessed us with; but we are called to use them to serve God first. It is a dangerous thing to use our God given gifts in a manner contrary to God’s will.

8. The Hustler

I’m a sucker for a good pool movie and the music in this one combined with the great performances by Jackie Gleason, Paul Newman, and George C Scott make it the best of the bunch. However, the dark exploration of self-destruction probably means you shouldn’t watch this one if your feeling a little blue.

7. Raging Bull

Speaking of self-destruction… (side note: Raging Bull 2 is scheduled to come out next year…that just makes me sad.)

6. Bull Durham

Bull Durham is the second of five baseball movies on this list (yes I know baseball is over represented but baseball is probably the easiest sport to capture on film). The story of one man’s ascendance to the pinacle of his sport set against another man’s descent to the end of his career. The scene that best captures baseball is when the team is having a meeting at the pitchers mound because the pitcher can’t breath through his eyelids, the outfielder needs a live chicken to take the curse of his glove, and no one can figure out what to get the third baseman for his wedding. The coach comes out to see what’s going on and suggests that candlesticks always make a nice gift.

5. Hoosiers

Every time I watch Hoosiers I’m suprised at what a good movie it is. I think this movie is the opposite of self-destruction. Everyone is going through the long slow process of getting over their destructive behaviors and becoming better human beings. Whenever I have to speak in front of a really big group I think back to the scene in Hinkle Field House when Coach Dale measures the basket to show the boys that even though the arena is bigger, the court is still the same. For me even if the crowd is bigger, the message stays the same.

4. Pride of the Yankees

Gary Cooper taught me that life is not fair. Sometimes bad things happen for absolutely no good reason. What matters in life is how we respond to our unique circumstances.

3. League of Their Own

This is by far Madonna’s best movie.

2. Mystery, Alaska

This movie captures how sports has the potential to bring people together as well as the potential to destroy people. The town of Mystery gets the chance to prove that their hockey team can compete with anyone. If they fail, the town will never be the same. (Spoiler!!!)The greatest thing about this movie is that they don’t win. But even though they don’t win they do not fail.

1. The Natural

What is there to say about the quintessential sports movie. The natural is the story of a man whose youthful potential is destroyed, but who is able to recapture what he could have been. The movie of the natural is the story of a man who narrowly escapes self-destruction. The book is the story of a man who continues to make the same mistakes and in the end loses. The movie is great because Roy Hobbs summons one final burst of energy and ends his short and star-crossed career with one final homerun. This is the way we wished life was. The book is great because Roy Hobbs who all is life has made the same mistake over and over strikes out. This is the way life tends to be.

Honorable Mentions: The Sandlot (which should be on this list but I wouldn’t know which other baseball movie to remove) Cars (which may move on to this list some day), and Caddyshack (which has great moments but just doesn’t make it for me as a great movie)

« Hide it

Read more… »

This passage can serve as a powerful warning to the leaders of our churches.  If we are not listening to God and following his leading it affects many other people and it affects the future of the church after we have gone.  Saul’s failure to listen to God led to the division of the Israelites; it pitted those who supported David against those who supported Saul’s dynasty.

I have witnessed many church splits both up close and at a distance.  What usually happens is a central person or issue comes to the forefront.  The different cliques within the church gather their forces in either support or opposition to this person or issue.  Rather than seeking out God’s will and leading the two sides war against one another to defend their position.

There is a profound lack of humility within the churches of America.  we are not willing to accept that our opinion is not necessarily the will of God; rather we defend our point of view even if it means the destruction of our relationships, families, and churches.  We must listen to and embrace one another, especially when we disagree.  We may not always understand God’s will, but we still need to obey it.

« Hide it

Read more… »

David and his men destroy the camp and all but 400 warriors who escape on camels. All of the women, children and possessions are recovered along with what the Amalekites had plundered from the Philistines. Over the objection of some of the men David decides that the plunder must be divided evenly between those who fought and those who stayed behind and gaurded the weapons.

Meanwhile Saul is killed in battle. 1 Chronicles 10:13-14: “So Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He failed to obey the Lord’s command, and he even consulted a medium instead of asking the Lord for guidance. So the Lord killed him and turned his kingdom over to David son of Jesse.” David writes a song of lament for Saul and his friend Jonathan.

There is an obvious parallel in this story between David who sought out God’s will before chasing after his captured wives and children, and Saul who died because he failed to obey the Lord’s commands. David is never portrayed as a perfect person, but he is a God focused person. This is the example that we should take away from David. In our lives we need to be seeking out God’s will. Saul did not seek out and follow God’s will; eventually Saul was so removed from God that he consulted with the Witch of Endor hoping that the spirit of his mentor Samuel could give him some direction. Saul, forsaking God, tried to find direction through human means and failed. Ultimately Sauls failure led to his death far from God’s will.

If I have a decision to make and I do not sense God’s leading, that does not mean that I should begin using whatever means I wish to make the decision. Rather, that is the time for me to spend more time with God seeking his leading. God may ultimately say, “you choose.” But more often God is saying that I need more time before he is ready to lead me down this course of events. I have often found it difficult to be as patient as God wants me to be. Christian patience is trust that God will lead us through decisions; this is the opposite of Christian arrogance which assumes that whatever decision we make, it must be God’s will.

« Hide it

Read more… »

Basketball

My Jayhawks made the Final Four!!!  It was a tough game to get there (I think Davidson was much better than a 10 seed), but all that matters is they got there.  I priced tickets this morning and if it wasn’t such a long drive I would go.  It seems that it’s destiny that Kansas has to play a Roy Williams led North Carolina team and then avenge last years loss by beating UCLA in the national championship game.

Hockey

It looks like my Senators will make the playoffs.  That’s all that matters.  Once the new season begins anything can happen.

Football

My wife was excited that Green Bay and Minnesota are playing in the opening Monday Night Football game.  Green Bay’s first post-Favre game (or so we think…)

Politics

Can Pennsylvania hurry up and vote already?!?!?!?

« Hide it