Burlington, Here We Come!

I have accepted the invitation of the Skagit Valley Church of Christ in Burlington, WA to become their new preacher, starting about June 1st of this year. I'll have more to say about this new work as the time grows closer.

On the Move

I announced to the Leonard Street congregation Sunday, January 7th that my family would be moving from Pensacola this summer. This was a dramatic step, although it was one that had been in the works for a long time. By the time we move this summer, we will have lived in Pensacola for almost 16 years . . . all of that time I've been the preacher for the Leonard Street Church of Christ. In this blog entry, I'll try to answer some of the obvious questions:

1. Why are you leaving? First, it is altogether my initiative. I have discussed with the elders several times over the years my desire to stay the right length of time in this work . . . neither to leave too soon nor to stay too long. Last year, we renewed that conversation and I decided that summer 2007 (just after Jared graduates from high school) would be the best time to make that transition. I know the elders here respect my decision and probably agree with me that a change may be in the best interest of both my family and the church. Moving gives me the natural renewal that comes with new people, a new place, and new challenges and responsibilities. A change gives the church the opportunity to find a new preacher. Perhaps I'll address in a future article some of the qualities I think the church needs in a preacher, but I also recognize that it is not up to me to make the choice about Leonard Street's new minister. I do have a high level of confidence in the elders and deacons here to provide good leadership during this selection process. Notices have been posted on various web sites (see this one at Brown Trail School of Preaching and this one at Freed-Hardeman University.) When the church here at Leonard Street finds a new man, he will be coming into an environment with a great deal of potential. He can bring a new sense of excitement and a fresh perspective which may propel the church into a rich period of growth and development.

2. How Do You Feel About Leaving? To be honest, the last few days I have felt very sad about the thought of moving away from Leonard Street and Pensacola. I've spent almost a third of my life here. The Leonard Street church has been so good to me and my family over those years. We feel we have very close friendships with many people here . . . friendships we expect to last for the rest of our lives. Moving away from all that leaves a feeling of tremendous sadness. At the same time, there is excitement that a new chapter is opening. I believe an opportunity is at hand which will offer us the possibility of making a significant difference in the course of a congregation's history. It might sound trite, but it actually is very important for me to be able to say that I think the Lord will be pleased with the work I'm hoping to do. Using whatever talents I have in the best possible way in the Lord's service is the top priority at this stage of my life.

3. Where are you moving? Since November, I have been talking with a congregation in the Northwestern United States . . . an area much closer to Trish's children and grandchildren and a situation where I believe I can have a considerable impact for good. All the arrangements have not been completed and I do not want to "count my chickens" too soon. I hope to be able to announce definite plans in the near future.

4. When will you leave Leonard Street? It will not be before Jared's high school graduation which will take place May 24. If all arrangements fall into place as expected, we will be leaving about June 1 or shortly thereafter. If for some reason we do not have a place to go by that time, the elders have indicated their willingness for us to remain in the work here throughout the summer if necessary.

5. How will Leonard Street's new preacher be chosen? I need to leave the details of that process up to the elders. I am available to assist in any way I am needed, but the elders and deacons will be undertaking a thorough search for the best available man to fill the pulpit here. I know that notices have been posted at various brotherhood web sites. Several resumes have already been received and many more are expected over the next two months. I am confident our leaders here will do a good job evaluating candidates and bringing the best men here for further consideration. Give them your prayers and support.

Allergy Capital

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has released its annual list of the 100 worst U. S. cities for allergy sufferers. With all the trouble I have with allergies, especially this time of the year, I was confident Pensacola would be near the top of the list. Turns out the worst place to be for allergies this year is Hartford, CT and Pensacola barely makes the list, coming in at #98. My only reaction is that if there are 97 places worse than this for allergies, I surely feel sorry for those who live in places at the top of the list. They must have runny noses and sinus headaches all the time.

Allergy sufferers are the Rodney Dangerfields of the medical malady world. You remember the late comic, Mr. Dangerfield, who always complained that he didn't get any respect. People don't seem to give you much sympathy when you complain "I feel miserable because of these old allergies."

I know, of course, that allergies aren't normally terminal . . . they just make you wish you were dead sometimes. Still, given the choice of having cancer, stroke, or hay fever, I'd take that dreadful old rhinitis every time. You don't feel healthy; in fact, you feel pretty miserable. But you know that this will pass and you'll be better as soon as the pollen index falls and all the other irritants go away.

This caused me to start thinking about whether Christians ever suffer from any kind of spiritual allergies. We know we should be concerned about our spiritual health. We understand that the soul can experience some spiritual equivalents of fatal diseases. The works of the flesh . . . the things that will keep us out of heaven. If we don't believe in Jesus, we will die in our sins [John 8:24]. If we don't repent, we will perish [Luke 13:3]. Galatians 5:21 says, ". . . those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." We all know the big, bad sins . . . the terminal spiritual diseases which cause us to lose our souls.

But what about people who don't have anything "fatal" or "serious" wrong with their souls? We've just grown a little lukewarm. We don't have the enthusiasm we used to have. Coming to worship services is more of a chore than a make-your-week special event. Call it indifference or apathy . . . but something isn't just quite right. Maybe you would say the "thrill is gone" in your marriage to the Lord.

Wait a minute. Who said this isn't a serious spiritual malady? Jesus was ready to spit the Laodiceans out of His mouth because they were lukewarm [Revelation 3:16]. We'd better pay attention and find some remedy . . . or else the spiritual blues that many of us face from time to time could draw us away from Christ and leave us stranded in a condition a whole lot worse than the sniffles and runny noses of springtime allergies.

We'll continue this thought later and try to think about some ways we can combat those spiritual allergies that leave us discouraged and "just not caring" as much as we know we should.
In the meantime, go take your allergy pills and get out there and enjoy life.

Mellow Love

I preached last Sunday night from Titus 2:2 about the qualities God would like to see in older men. One point I made is that as we grow older, we should be growing in the maturity of the love we show toward one another. The apostle John is a good example. As a young man, he was one of the "sons of thunder." He was ready to call down fire from heaven to destroy his enemies. Much later in life, he is the "apostle of love" writing the wonderful description of godly love found in the book of 1 John.

Today we see aggressive young men who are firebrands ready to rise up to contend for the faith with zeal and vigor. I don't believe that is all bad. But it does need to be balanced with patience and understanding. Our goal as Christians should be helping one another get from where we are to where we need to be in our spiritual maturity and in our relationships with God and with one another. To use a dated expression from a generation ago, perhaps we need to "mellow out" a little while standing firm in our convictions and in our stand for God's truth.

Conservative brethren today seem to be becoming more and more consumed with a "witch hunt" to find something wrong in just about everybody. Unless one belongs to the select few, they are going to be targets of suspicion if any difference in viewpoint or understanding of Scripture can be identified. Paul warned the Galatians about "biting and devouring one another." We should be paying attention to his warning.

Anniversary

My wife Trish and I will celebrate our 6th anniversary tomorrow. It's been said that we loved paying taxes so much that we decided to make April 15th our anniversary. Actually back in the spring of 2000, we faced an unusual set of circumstances that made April 15 the only possible date we could schedule our wedding so we turned an unpleasant day into one to remember with pleasure every year.

This is the second go-round for both Trish and me. My first wife died in 1998 after a seven-year battle with cancer. We had celebrated our 25th anniversary two months before she passed away. A year and a half later, Trish and I discovered one another. I had studied the Bible with Trish and had the pleasure of baptizing her into Christ. We became friends and friendship blossomed into romance. Several months later, we were married.

Six years later, we're continuing the adventure. It hasn't always been easy. Of course, marriage is never always easy. That is especially true when two forty-somethings (now fifty-somethings) try to mesh their lives together. However, it's been a wonderful, amazing journey. I feel so blessed to have found Trish and I hope she feels something of the same regarding me. She is a very special person in a hundred different ways . . . a Hospice nurse, a faithful Christian, a Bible teacher, a loving mom and grandmother to her children and mine, and my best friend.

We're leaving this morning on an overnight anniversary trip. . . just a road trip to spend some time together and enjoy one another's company. We're traveling down the Florida coast a little ways heading east from Pensacola to Fort Walton, Destin, and then wherever we happen to decide to go.

Did Judas Write a Gospel?

That's not really the relevant question because I haven't heard any knowledgeable person actually suggest that the so-called Gospel of Judas was really written by the apostle who betrayed Jesus. The earliest historical record of this document comes from a mention by Ireneus circa A. D. 180. The assumption is that Judas was written sometime in the middle of the second century . . . about 120 years or so after the man Judas committed suicide after betraying Jesus. The manuscript we've heard so much about is a 3rd or 4th century copy of this document by an anonymous second century writer.

So once we understand that this is one of many second century Gnostic documents which claim to be expressions of ideas held by first century figures, we're prompted to ask what all the excitement is about. There's nothing that indicates that The Gospel of Judas is inspired or that it belongs in the canon of Scripture. It's simply a second century work of fiction. As such, it's an interesting curiosity, but not any kind of earthshattering discovery. It certainly doesn't live up to National Geographic hype that it's "a discovery that will rewrite Bible history."