I know what your problem is.
Really, I do. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about it.
I have the same problem, that’s how I know so much about it. It’s at the heart of every problem, everything that bothers you (everything that has ever bothered you.) (more…)
Archive for the ‘All of Frank’s Articles’
Every Problem I’ve Ever Had
The Metaphor of Worship
There is a lot of talk about worship. What kind of music should be played, what form and style of service is best suited for the church, what is best pleasing to God, and what is best pleasing to us. We confuse the idea of worship with singing, and we turn the focus of our attention to our preferences and what is pleasing to us. We define and re-define worship to accommodate ourselves. (more…)
The Kingdom of Chocolate Cream
The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who has a strange fruit tree in his yard. When he was given the land by his father he was warned to leave the tree alone or it would overgrow the whole garden. The man lived there alone for a while, but he was lonely, so he fell in love and was married to a beautiful woman.
It just so happens that a black hearted dragon lived next door, and he liked to look over the fence and talk to the man’s pretty young wife. One day the dragon asked the woman about the strange fruit tree.
“Have you ever made a pie from the tree in the middle of the garden?” the dragon asked.
“No, my husband thinks the fruit is poison,” answered the woman.
“Nah! He must be one of those kooky food nuts. You should try it, it tastes like chocolate cream. He probably just doesn’t want you to get fat.” (The dragon said this, but everyone knows you shouldn’t trust a dragon.) (more…)
Ever Wonder What Thoughts Go Into Our Setlist?
Each week I have the job of looking at the upcoming Sunday worship services and choosing songs that will bring it all together. Setting the tone for people walking in (many for the first time), songs of praise, prayer, worship, participation, instruction, lamentation, comfort, and joyful fun. Songs to stir the emotions and imaginations and set up the teaching. Not every week has every element, of course. Ever wonder what some of my personal guidelines might be? I’m so glad you asked. (more…)
Saturday Was A Good Day
Some days are better than others.
Saturday 6-28-08 was one of those days.
1. My daughter, Von Behr, rode her bike for the first time without training wheels. We have been going for long walks most days for the last two months. Angel and Von ride their Razer scooters while Kim and I walk the hike-and-bike trail in our neighborhood for 45 minutes. I think the time on her two-wheeled scooter prepared her for two wheeled biking. She was awesome! A vision on her little purple bike with a purple helmet, two long sleeve shirts, and wool mittens on her hands all in the 90 degree heat. She had a little trouble getting started, but once she was going, she did great. Stopping was not really a problem like I thought it might be. I’m sure we were quite the sight with me running along beside her in case she fell.
2. I found the power supply to my scanner. I’ve been looking for it for over a year. It was in the drawer of our antique buffet. (Of course it was)
3. Kim now has internet access in her home office. Hey, it’s only been a year! I had to buy and install an ATT 2Wire modem/wireless router. For some reason the Netgear wireless router kept locking up.
4. We had dinner at the Clay Family Restaurant (on Clay road). It’s a chicken fried steak kind of place, very Texas. They have a huge playground for the kids with a petting zoo and sandboxes. Kim and I sat inside watching the kids through the big windows in the dinning room. I put Kim’s phone in Von’s pocket, and when our food arrived I called her to come inside. Genius.
5. Our Sony portable DVD player starting working again. We only use it for long car trips, and we are getting ready to take another one. Good timing.
For God and Country
To be patriotic is uncool. Popular culture tells us how uncool it is to be patriotic in every way possible, it’s everywhere we look. For example, if a character in a movie is waving the flag and says that they “love their country” then they will probably turn out to be a bad guy. They will use the motive of loving their country to do some horrible crime against humanity. You know it’s true. You’ve seen that movie, too.
“Born in the U.S.A.” seems like a patriotic song at first glance, until you look at the lyrics. He’s a cool rockin’ daddy in the U.S.A. but he has the flinch of a dog that’s been beat too much by his cruel government. “Little Pink Houses” for you and me, is another seemingly patriotic song, it describes America as a place where blind men sit in poverty feeling the oppression of the rich in the home of the free, baby.
We are told in the media that the rest of the world hates us. We should be ashamed of ourselves. We assume that our leaders are dishonest, shallow and selfish. Each generation gets further entrenched in the self-hating apathy that has become our national self image.
Cheery thoughts.
The heart of the Bible is what Jesus calls the greatest commandment. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.” Love God with everything that you are. In all that you think and all that you do. What does it mean to love God?
This love is not a romantic love. This love is better understood as a patriotic love. It is the kind of love that a true patriot would have for his country as he marched off to war to defend it. It is the kind of love that you have for your family. It is the kind of love that you have for a group that you are deeply committed to being part of, a group that you would give up your life for. A group that defines who you are by being part of it.
Jesus is our King. He has established and is establishing a kingdom that transcends national borders. All Christians are to pledge their allegiance first and foremost to the Kingdom of Heaven. Before themselves, before their family and before their country. Our citizenship is in heaven. Our loyalty is with Christ.
We have other duties that flow from this, however. With our heart first given to our King, we are to also love our neighbor as ourselves. We are to honor our mother and father. We are to love our family. With our loyalty first given to the Kingdom of Heaven we are to honor the rulers that God has placed over us in our various countries. 1st Peter says to honor the emperor. Even when the emperor is not honorable, and the emperor is hardly ever honorable.
This brings me back to my original point. Being patriotic is not in style. This makes it difficult for us to understand what it truly means to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. It is difficult for us, because we think we are too cool to give our whole heart, soul, mind and strength to anyone or anything other than ourselves.
We need to snap out of it. We need to repent of our national self-loathing. We need to get our priorities in order and let that inform how we live the lives that God has given us. We need to pray for the leaders that God has placed over us and live as if everything matters. Because everything matters.
Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy. AMEN