Old Movies

I love old movies. No, not because I’m getting old and am trying to relive my youth. I’ve always liked old movies. Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Llyod make me laugh. Unafraid of losing my man card I adore the old musicals. I get a kick out of the wild costumes and the opulent extravagance wrapped in toe tapping tunes. If you’re worried at this point let me ease your mind and say I thoroughly enjoy Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney playing tough gangsters and John Wayne, Gary Cooper, and Joel McCrae shooting straight from the hip at the guys in black hats. I love Hitchcock’s suspense, Orson Well’s tragic tales and the Marx Brother’s chaotic madcap fun. If it’s black and white count me in. That’s why I’m thankful for Turner Classic Movie channel. It feeds my soul… and yes, occasionally lets me relive my youth.

Recently, I saw a movie with Joel McCrae entitled, “Stars in My Crown.” It was made two years before I was born but it reminded me not simply of a time when movies were simple and sweet with a moral but that a good story stands the test of time. I hope you have the good fortune to see the movie someday or read the book by Joe David Brown. The setting is a small Midwest town where civil war veteran Josiah Grey settles to be the local parson. A great scene in the movie is opening day of school and Parson Grey comes to address the students. He asks them, “How many of you faithfully say your evening prayers?” Most of the students raise their hands. “Good” he responds. “But let me tell you a story about when I was riding with the troops in the war. The battle had gotten fierce and I got knocked off my horse and landed in a ditch with an old soldier. He spied my bible sticking up out of my pocket and said to me, ‘I see you are a praying man… that’s good son. But even if you’re a praying man you better keep you backside down or it’ll get shot off!’ So, kids you keep up your prayers but don’t forget to do your part to!” Yup… I love the old movies!

I’ll keep watching Red Skelton, Bob Hope and Danny Kaye and even sing along with Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney but I’m going to make sure to keep my backside down and do my part. May God bless us all as we share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ with prayer, passion and participation! -DAN

Embrace What Is Right

Joseph E. Lowrey, native of Huntsville, Alabama, and leader in the civil rights movement along side of Martin Luther King Jr. closed his prayerful remarks at the 44^th presidential inauguration with challenging words. They evoked laughter and then a wave of amens. Lowrey called for the country to work for a day “When Black will not be asked to get in back; when Brown can stick around; when Yellow will be mellow; when the Redman can get ahead man; and when White will embrace what is right!” He then summoned all who will do justice and love mercy to say amen! He stole the show and produced the only grin to surface on president Obama’s face during these historical and somber proceedings. Some may take umbrage to his somewhat subtle reminder that a nation unified under God should strive for racial, social and economic equality but Lowrey challenges our faith to seek justice and love mercy! Behind the small town Methodist preacher’s message is the prophet’s voice, “And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).” That is indeed, what must be embraced by all.

So, what about the challenge to do what is right? I suggest this is more than a call to social justice or a cease and desist order on bigotry but rather a call to walk humbly with our God! I love the old rabbinical story that explained the curious passage in Genesis 5:24 (“Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away”). According to the rabbis, Enoch one day was walking with God and God told Enoch that they had gone too far for Enoch to make it back home and so he should come home with God! Walking with God is more about trust and relationship than it is about rules or expectations. Walking is the perfect metaphor for life because it cast the image of direction and agreement. That is, I’m going where God leads me and I trust that GDS (God Directed Steps) is better than GPS. So, as for me and my household we will humbly walk with God!

One might raise the objection that such is fine rhetoric and a carefully crafted metaphor but what exactly do you mean by humbly walking with God? That’s a fair question and I think it brings us back to embracing what is right. Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good (Romans 12:9). Walking humbly with God is embracing the source of all that is good and refusing to let go! Let us all embrace what is right! -DAN

LOVE

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him (1 John 4:16). And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity (Colossians 3:14). Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:1,2). Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love Never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a). See, from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down; Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown? (Isaac Watts, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”). Love, love, love, love; the gospel in a word is love (Traditional folk tune). For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life (The little gospel – John 3:16).

A long time ago someone said to me… “All you ever preach about is love –how about preaching the whole counsel of God?” I miss the good old days when the cantankerous and heart-shrunk myopic sentinels of rusted faith would spar with me about God’s grace and love! I’m hopeful that the church has acquired a divine sophistication that embraces the wondrous love and grace the cross has afforded us… but I must admit I worry if that distant voice of dissent hasn’t been replaced with apathy and a resounding, “Whatever?” Postmodern, post-Christian, relativistic, pluralistic and universalism philosophies have left us in a world that acrobatically bends over to ensure we all have our own personal truth. We are entitled to champion it. However, only as long as we do no harm to the next man’s right to his own brand of truth. So, preach on brother just don’t say, “Thus saith the Lord!” And don’t suggest that one thing, like love, is the greatest of all!

Okay, let me clear this all up. I have and I always will ONLY preach LOVE. I am constrained by the Love of Christ and I cannot but speak of my one true love and Savior of all. Love is the greatest of all. Love never fails. Love, love, love, love, the gospel in a word is love! -DAN

Recession

This past week I reconnected with a College friend via facebook (If that is Greek to you… we communicated through an internet community –and if that’s Greek to you… hello, it’s 2009). My facebook like most has a picture of myself and Pam and my college buddy’s response was, “Hey, you look the same except for not so much hair.” Okay, okay… I get it; the economy is not the only thing in a recession! Why are we so surprised when things recede? Didn’t Newton remind us that what goes up must come down? Yes, I understand that Paul did tell Timothy, “Be diligent… so that everyone may see your progress (1 Timothy 4:15).” And I’m certainly not sounding the bugle to retreat but battles are not always won while advancing. The road to victory often takes its toll and yes, tires that have served well start to get bald!

Now, I said all that to say this… times are going to get tough. Faith will be tested. Hope will need to anchor battered lives. And the road ahead will require us to fully comprehend what Paul meant by, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).” Paul wasn’t advocating that Jesus ensured His followers that they were invincible or recession proof. Instead Paul suggest that he’s learned the secret of contentment that whether things are plentiful or in recession he could still accomplish his goal… to find strength in Jesus partnership. What Jesus offers is not circumstantial but rather eternal. In Him is eternal life and nothing but nothing can separate us from the love of God we have experienced in Christ Jesus our Lord! All else may fail us but Jesus will never fail us nor leave us.

Yes, but faith doesn’t put bread on the table and it’s hard to get warm from the glow of good wishes. True, but faith reminds us of God’s history. David reflects, “I was young and now I am old, yet, I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread (Psalm 37:25).” Yes, but bad things happen to good people! Yes, and it is their faith that sustains them and prepares them for future blessing. Okay, now I got you because you are never going to get your hair back! You’re not looking at the full spectrum of God’s grace… O, I have as much hair as I did it just grows in different places than it use to and as my father use to say, “I’m not going bald, I just have more face to wash!” The point here is victory is in our outlook not our current situation. Faith does move mountains! -DAN