Tony Dungy, my favorite football coach, retired today (www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/colts/2009-01-12-dungy-decision_N.htm). I'm going to miss him. He personified dignity on the football field in my eyes.
In honor of Coach Dungy's retirement, here are a couple of my favorite quotes from his book Quiet Strength:
"The lesson (that his father taught him)...was that you shouldn't allow external issues to be a hindrance, whether those issues are based on race or any other factor. Things will go wrong at times. You can't always control circumstances. However, you can control your attitude, approach, and response. Your options are to complain or to look ahead and figure out how to make the situation better" (p. 16).
"That's what this is all about. Touching lives. Building a legacy--not necessarily on the field but in those places that most people will never see. Trying to be faithful in the position God has given me. I love coaching football, and winning a Super Bowl was a goal I've had for a long time. But it has never been my purpose in life.
"My purpose in life is simply to glorify God. We have to be careful that we don't let the pursuit of our life's goals, no matter how important they seem, cause us to lose sight of our purpose.
"I coach football. But the good I can do to glorify God along the way is my real purpose. I want to help people see the path to eternal life through Christ, to enjoy an abundant life now, and to fulfill their God-given purposes here.
"We are all role models to someone in this world, and we can all have an impact--for good" (p. 301).
Monday, January 12, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
A Solid Man
"LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?
"He whose walk is blameless
and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart
and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong
and casts no slur on his fellowman,
who despises a vile man
but honors those who fear the LORD,
who keeps his oath
even when it hurts,
who lends his money without usury
and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
"He who does these things
will never be shaken" (Psalm 15).
As I read these verses recently, I kept thinking of a fellow member of the Contact Church. In fact, he was instrumental in persuading Frank Lott to leave his ministry in Chicago in order to help start the urban ministry which eventually evolved into the Contact Church.
Jim is in his 70s, but he has never retired from serving the Lord. For 40 years, he worked in the insurance business. He became such a respected businessman that he was urged by leaders of his political party to run for Congress. He declined the offer, believing it would be detrimental to his family (as I remember his reasoning).
He has been a pillar of faith and faithfulness throughout his life as a follower of Christ. While working a full-time job, Jim often served as an interim preacher for small congregations that were in need of someone to preach "in the worst possible way." As he describes it with a little self-deprecating humor, "I fit the qualifications."
I remember when the urban ministry was just getting started, Jim and his wife Judy invited a couple of young homeless men to live in their house until they got on their feet. At that point, I became impressed with not just his ability to communicate and to encourage, but also with his willingness to take risks for the sake of Christ and others.
In the years I have known him, I cannot remember Jim talking in any negative way about anyone. I suspect that he has had to confront some bad behavior and troublemakers, but he must have done so privately. He does not tend to talk about such things.
Jim is a solid Christian man who has made a difference without seeking to draw attention to himself. Even today, he teaches an average of three private Bible studies each week, in addition to teaching Bible classes and filling in as a preacher at the Contact Church when needed. He is a model of character.
When I reach retirement age, I hope the same kinds of things can be said about me and my legacy.
Who may live on your holy hill?
"He whose walk is blameless
and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart
and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong
and casts no slur on his fellowman,
who despises a vile man
but honors those who fear the LORD,
who keeps his oath
even when it hurts,
who lends his money without usury
and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
"He who does these things
will never be shaken" (Psalm 15).
As I read these verses recently, I kept thinking of a fellow member of the Contact Church. In fact, he was instrumental in persuading Frank Lott to leave his ministry in Chicago in order to help start the urban ministry which eventually evolved into the Contact Church.
Jim is in his 70s, but he has never retired from serving the Lord. For 40 years, he worked in the insurance business. He became such a respected businessman that he was urged by leaders of his political party to run for Congress. He declined the offer, believing it would be detrimental to his family (as I remember his reasoning).
He has been a pillar of faith and faithfulness throughout his life as a follower of Christ. While working a full-time job, Jim often served as an interim preacher for small congregations that were in need of someone to preach "in the worst possible way." As he describes it with a little self-deprecating humor, "I fit the qualifications."
I remember when the urban ministry was just getting started, Jim and his wife Judy invited a couple of young homeless men to live in their house until they got on their feet. At that point, I became impressed with not just his ability to communicate and to encourage, but also with his willingness to take risks for the sake of Christ and others.
In the years I have known him, I cannot remember Jim talking in any negative way about anyone. I suspect that he has had to confront some bad behavior and troublemakers, but he must have done so privately. He does not tend to talk about such things.
Jim is a solid Christian man who has made a difference without seeking to draw attention to himself. Even today, he teaches an average of three private Bible studies each week, in addition to teaching Bible classes and filling in as a preacher at the Contact Church when needed. He is a model of character.
When I reach retirement age, I hope the same kinds of things can be said about me and my legacy.
Friday, January 09, 2009
God's Promise to Believers
"Those who know your name will trust you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you" (Psalm 9:10).
Difficult times come in life. Dreams fade away. Friends are lost. Enemies are made. Health deteriorates. Jobs are lost. Churches collapse. Wars start. Role models fail. Frustrations and anxieties multiply.
But God has made a promise to those who trust him and seek him: He will not abandon them. He said it, and he meant it. Everything else may go wrong, but he will not forsake us. He's as good as his word. We can trust him on it.
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you" (Psalm 9:10).
Difficult times come in life. Dreams fade away. Friends are lost. Enemies are made. Health deteriorates. Jobs are lost. Churches collapse. Wars start. Role models fail. Frustrations and anxieties multiply.
But God has made a promise to those who trust him and seek him: He will not abandon them. He said it, and he meant it. Everything else may go wrong, but he will not forsake us. He's as good as his word. We can trust him on it.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Hell
Walking past Janet on my way to the computer, I mentioned, "I'm going to write about hell." She just rolled her eyes, as if to say, He just doesn't know how to stay away from controversial topics. I'm sure she's right.
Actually, I have been reading a fascinating book called Heaven by Randy Alcorn. I have never read anything quite like it. The book clarifies some of the vague concepts that I have had about heaven for a long time. In addition, it has filled me with a greater passion about going to heaven. I plan on writing about heaven after I have finished the book in a couple of weeks.
In the meantime, I would like to share a good quote about hell from Why We're Not Emergent by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck. It is found on pages 198-200.
"We need the doctrine of eternal punishment. Time and time again in the New Testament we find that understanding divine justice is essential to our sanctification. Believing in God's judgment actually helps us look more like Jesus. In short, we need the doctrine of the wrath of God.
"First, we need God's wrath to keep us honest about evangelism. Paul reasoned with Felix about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment (Acts 24:25). We need to do the same. Without the doctrine of hell, we are prone to get involved in all sorts of important God-honoring things, but neglect the one thing that matters for all eternity, urging sinners to be reconciled to God.
"Second, we need God's wrath in order to forgive our enemies. The reason we can forego repaying evil for evil is because we trust the Lord's promise to repay the wicked. Paul's logic is sound. 'Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord' (Rom. 12:19). The only way to look past our deepest hurts and betrayals is to rest assured that every sin against us has been paid for on the cross or will be punished in hell. We don't have to seek vigilante justice, because God will be our just judge.
"Third, we need God's wrath in order to risk our lives for Jesus' sake. The radical devotion necessary to suffer for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus comes, in part, from the assurance we have that God will vindicate us in the end. That's why the martyrs under the throne cry out, 'How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?' (Rev. 6:10). They paid the ultimate price for their faith, but their blood-stained cries will be answered one day. Their innocence will be established when God finally judges their persecutors.
"Fourth, we need God's wrath in order to live holy lives. Paul warns us that God cannot be mocked. We will reap what we sow. We are spurred on to live a life of purity and good deeds by the promised reward for obedience and the promised curse for disobedience. If we live to please the flesh, we will reap destruction from God. But if we live to please the Spirit, we will reap eternal life (Gal. 6:6-7). Sometimes ministers balk at the thought of motivating people with the threat of eternal punishment. But wasn't this Jesus' approach when He said, 'Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell' (Matt. 10:28)? Sometimes we need to literally scare the hell out of people.
"Fifth, we need God's wrath in order to understand what mercy means. Divine mercy without divine wrath is meaningless. Only when we know that we were objects of wrath (Eph. 2:3), stood condemned already (John 3:18), and would have faced hell as God's enemies were it not for undeserved mercy (Rom. 5:10) can we sing from the heart, 'Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!'
"Sixth, we need God's wrath in order to grasp how wonderful heaven will be. Jonathan Edwards is famous (or infamous) for his sermon 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.' It's still read in American literature classes, usually as a caricature of the puritanical spirit of colonial New England. But few people realize that Edwards also preached sermons like 'Heaven is a World of Love.' Unlike most of us, Edwards saw in vivid colors the terror of hell and the beauty of heaven. We can't get a striking picture of one without the other. That's why the depiction of the heavenly New Jerusalem also contains a warning to the cowardly, unbelieving, vile, immoral, idolaters, and liars whose place is in 'the fiery lake of burning sulfur' (Rev. 21:8). It's unlikely we will long for our final salvation if we don't know what we are saved from.
"Seventh, we need the wrath of God in order to be motivated to care for our impoverished brothers and sisters. We all know the saying that Christians are so heavenly minded they are of no earthly good. The idea is that if all we think about are heaven and hell we'll ignore ministries of compassion and social justice. But what better impetus for social justice than Jesus' sober warning that if we fail to care for the least of our brothers we will go away to eternal punishment (Matt. 25:31-46)? The wrath of God is a motivator for us to show compassion to others, because without love, John says, we have no eternal life, and if we don't share our material possessions with those in need, we have no love (1 John 3:17).
"Eighth, we need God's wrath in order to be ready for the Lord's return. We must keep the lamps full, the wicks trimmed, the houses clean, the vineyard tended, the workers busy, and the talents invested lest we find ourselves unprepared for the day of reckoning. Only when we fully believe in the coming wrath of God and tremble at the thought of eternal punishment will we stay awake, keep alert, and be prepared for Jesus to come again and judge the living and the dead."
Actually, I have been reading a fascinating book called Heaven by Randy Alcorn. I have never read anything quite like it. The book clarifies some of the vague concepts that I have had about heaven for a long time. In addition, it has filled me with a greater passion about going to heaven. I plan on writing about heaven after I have finished the book in a couple of weeks.
In the meantime, I would like to share a good quote about hell from Why We're Not Emergent by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck. It is found on pages 198-200.
"We need the doctrine of eternal punishment. Time and time again in the New Testament we find that understanding divine justice is essential to our sanctification. Believing in God's judgment actually helps us look more like Jesus. In short, we need the doctrine of the wrath of God.
"First, we need God's wrath to keep us honest about evangelism. Paul reasoned with Felix about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment (Acts 24:25). We need to do the same. Without the doctrine of hell, we are prone to get involved in all sorts of important God-honoring things, but neglect the one thing that matters for all eternity, urging sinners to be reconciled to God.
"Second, we need God's wrath in order to forgive our enemies. The reason we can forego repaying evil for evil is because we trust the Lord's promise to repay the wicked. Paul's logic is sound. 'Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord' (Rom. 12:19). The only way to look past our deepest hurts and betrayals is to rest assured that every sin against us has been paid for on the cross or will be punished in hell. We don't have to seek vigilante justice, because God will be our just judge.
"Third, we need God's wrath in order to risk our lives for Jesus' sake. The radical devotion necessary to suffer for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus comes, in part, from the assurance we have that God will vindicate us in the end. That's why the martyrs under the throne cry out, 'How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?' (Rev. 6:10). They paid the ultimate price for their faith, but their blood-stained cries will be answered one day. Their innocence will be established when God finally judges their persecutors.
"Fourth, we need God's wrath in order to live holy lives. Paul warns us that God cannot be mocked. We will reap what we sow. We are spurred on to live a life of purity and good deeds by the promised reward for obedience and the promised curse for disobedience. If we live to please the flesh, we will reap destruction from God. But if we live to please the Spirit, we will reap eternal life (Gal. 6:6-7). Sometimes ministers balk at the thought of motivating people with the threat of eternal punishment. But wasn't this Jesus' approach when He said, 'Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell' (Matt. 10:28)? Sometimes we need to literally scare the hell out of people.
"Fifth, we need God's wrath in order to understand what mercy means. Divine mercy without divine wrath is meaningless. Only when we know that we were objects of wrath (Eph. 2:3), stood condemned already (John 3:18), and would have faced hell as God's enemies were it not for undeserved mercy (Rom. 5:10) can we sing from the heart, 'Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!'
"Sixth, we need God's wrath in order to grasp how wonderful heaven will be. Jonathan Edwards is famous (or infamous) for his sermon 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.' It's still read in American literature classes, usually as a caricature of the puritanical spirit of colonial New England. But few people realize that Edwards also preached sermons like 'Heaven is a World of Love.' Unlike most of us, Edwards saw in vivid colors the terror of hell and the beauty of heaven. We can't get a striking picture of one without the other. That's why the depiction of the heavenly New Jerusalem also contains a warning to the cowardly, unbelieving, vile, immoral, idolaters, and liars whose place is in 'the fiery lake of burning sulfur' (Rev. 21:8). It's unlikely we will long for our final salvation if we don't know what we are saved from.
"Seventh, we need the wrath of God in order to be motivated to care for our impoverished brothers and sisters. We all know the saying that Christians are so heavenly minded they are of no earthly good. The idea is that if all we think about are heaven and hell we'll ignore ministries of compassion and social justice. But what better impetus for social justice than Jesus' sober warning that if we fail to care for the least of our brothers we will go away to eternal punishment (Matt. 25:31-46)? The wrath of God is a motivator for us to show compassion to others, because without love, John says, we have no eternal life, and if we don't share our material possessions with those in need, we have no love (1 John 3:17).
"Eighth, we need God's wrath in order to be ready for the Lord's return. We must keep the lamps full, the wicks trimmed, the houses clean, the vineyard tended, the workers busy, and the talents invested lest we find ourselves unprepared for the day of reckoning. Only when we fully believe in the coming wrath of God and tremble at the thought of eternal punishment will we stay awake, keep alert, and be prepared for Jesus to come again and judge the living and the dead."
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Pro-Life Articles
"For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well" (Psalm 139:13-14).
World Magazine contains several excellent articles about the pro-life movement in its current issue.
An article about the American pro-life movement of the 19th century can be found at www.worldmag.com/articles/14857. (This was an interesting piece of history which is generally unknown, even in pro-life circles.)
About 15 years ago, the pro-life movement made a conscience shift in its strategy. As a result, the abortion rate in the United States has declined nearly 25%. The story can be read at www.worldmag.com/articles/14862.
A disproportionate number of African American babies die by abortion each year. In recent years, a number of black leaders have become aware of this tragedy. They have begun to work to overcome the problem. The story can be found at www.worldmag.com/articles/14858.
More articles may be found on the magazine's home page. Janet and Christopher have given me a subscription to the magazine as a gift for the past two Father's Days. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a great news magazine from a Christian perspective.
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well" (Psalm 139:13-14).
World Magazine contains several excellent articles about the pro-life movement in its current issue.
An article about the American pro-life movement of the 19th century can be found at www.worldmag.com/articles/14857. (This was an interesting piece of history which is generally unknown, even in pro-life circles.)
About 15 years ago, the pro-life movement made a conscience shift in its strategy. As a result, the abortion rate in the United States has declined nearly 25%. The story can be read at www.worldmag.com/articles/14862.
A disproportionate number of African American babies die by abortion each year. In recent years, a number of black leaders have become aware of this tragedy. They have begun to work to overcome the problem. The story can be found at www.worldmag.com/articles/14858.
More articles may be found on the magazine's home page. Janet and Christopher have given me a subscription to the magazine as a gift for the past two Father's Days. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a great news magazine from a Christian perspective.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Reasons to Love Jesus: #4 His Anger
Jesus became angry at the right time for appropriate reasons. His anger was never driven by selfishness, narcissism, or fear.
Jesus Christ became angry when someone used religion in an inappropriate way.
"When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, 'Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!'" (John 2:13-16).
Jesus Christ became indignant when children were mistreated and not allowed to approach him.
"People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.' And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them" (Mark 10:13-16).
Jesus Christ became angry and distressed when people allowed rules to stand in the way of helping others who were hurting.
"Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, 'Stand up in front of everyone.'
"Then Jesus asked them, 'Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?' But they remained silent.
"He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored" (Mark 3:1-5).
Jesus Christ became angry when someone used religion in an inappropriate way.
"When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, 'Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!'" (John 2:13-16).
Jesus Christ became indignant when children were mistreated and not allowed to approach him.
"People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.' And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them" (Mark 10:13-16).
Jesus Christ became angry and distressed when people allowed rules to stand in the way of helping others who were hurting.
"Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, 'Stand up in front of everyone.'
"Then Jesus asked them, 'Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?' But they remained silent.
"He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored" (Mark 3:1-5).
Thursday, January 01, 2009
The Blessed Life
"Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
"But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
"Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
"For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish" (Psalm 1:1-6).
Delighting in the law (or instructions) of the Lord and meditating on it produces a blessed life. It makes one stable, strong, and productive like a tree which bears fruit for the benefit of others near streams of water in an otherwise dry environment.
Choosing the other course creates instability in one's life. One becomes fidgety and anxious...always walking, standing, and sitting. Such a person looks for counsel and approval among the wicked, sinners, and mockers. As a result, he lacks the substance of faith and character to withstand the winds of life and the judgment of God. He is useless to everyone.
As the new year begins, I want to concentrate on cultivating a delight in the law and instructions of the Lord. I want to practice meditating on those instructions so that I may be able to bless the lives of the people around me.
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
"But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
"Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
"For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish" (Psalm 1:1-6).
Delighting in the law (or instructions) of the Lord and meditating on it produces a blessed life. It makes one stable, strong, and productive like a tree which bears fruit for the benefit of others near streams of water in an otherwise dry environment.
Choosing the other course creates instability in one's life. One becomes fidgety and anxious...always walking, standing, and sitting. Such a person looks for counsel and approval among the wicked, sinners, and mockers. As a result, he lacks the substance of faith and character to withstand the winds of life and the judgment of God. He is useless to everyone.
As the new year begins, I want to concentrate on cultivating a delight in the law and instructions of the Lord. I want to practice meditating on those instructions so that I may be able to bless the lives of the people around me.
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