Radical

"The gospel truly is radical. It makes radical sinners radical Christians."

Something I'm Working On

I am a blood-bought; born-again, radically-regenerated, determined disciple of the one and only true King of kings and Lord of Lord – Jesus Christ. I am unashamed of the Gospel and while I am always learning, I am not afraid to be one of those strange premillennial, calvinistic, leaky dispensationalists who craves a high view of God (perfectly holy), a right view of man (utterly sinful apart from the imputed righteousness of Christ), a deep love for the Word of God and a life that seeks to show just how AWESOME it is to have “Christ in you, the hope of glory” - which is called a mystery and yet it can be known!!!

Victory over the flesh

The best antidote against the poison of sin is to walk in the Spirit, to be much in conversing with spiritual things, to mind the things of the soul, which is the spiritual part of man, (more than those of the body, which is his carnal part) to commit ourselves to the guidance of the word, wherein the Holy Spirit makes known the will of God concerning us, and in the way of our duty to act in a dependence on His aids and influences.

Matthew Henry (1662-1714)

Integrity

I've often heard integrity defined as "doing the right thing even when no one is looking." However, I've been working on a definition for integrity as follows:

"Integrity is doing the right thing, all the time, with the right motives, all to the glory of God."

When David was presented with the news of the death of Saul and Jonathan, or of the murders of Abner and of Ish-Bosheth (2 Samuel), he publicly revealed his integrity, how he had not been involved with such deaths.

Integrity is not just about doing things right when no one is looking (for God is always watching), but rather seeking to do all things, publicly or privately, to the glory of God.

Psalm 7:8 (A Psalm of David)
The Lord judges the peoples; Vindicate me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me. (NASU)

New Church Schedule - A Personal Testimony

I would like to share my personal testimony regarding the “summer” schedule and the prospect of continuing it indefinitely. When the Elders first began to discuss the idea of having Worship Service, followed by a meal and then followed by a second time of teaching, I was most skeptical and reluctant. I liked the idea in theory, but really wondered about the practicality of such a schedule. Would people be inclined to stay and eat so early? Would people be inclined to stay at church until 1:15 pm? Would such a schedule interfere with people’s previous plans and expectations of church on Sunday? I realize that these are not necessarily spiritual questions, but they are questions I was concerned about. As far as the spiritual questions, I saw the schedule as wonderfully supplying our congregation with a means of practicing meaningful worship and fellowship in accords with Acts 2:42.

But even with all this and with personal prayer, I was hesitant. My two Elders were quite excited about the potential and after several weeks of discussion and prayer, I was inclined to get out of my traditional comfort zone and see what such a schedule might produce.

Remembering that in addition to seeking the fulfillment of congregational activities as outlined in Acts 2:42, I know that practically speaking the new schedule has been a tremendous blessing to those of our congregation that for either economic or time reasons (living some distance from the church) have appreciated being able to participate in the “whole” of the church’s activities on Sundays and not feeling as though they were missing out as an evening service was taking place.

One of the hopes of the Elders in pursuing this schedule was to encourage and stimulate (Hebrews 10:24) the congregation to participate “in” and “with” the type of teaching that was being done in the evening services. We have been blessed with a number of men who desire to communicate the word of God. Each of these men has brought their various styles and experiences to light during such teaching opportunities. Prior to the summer schedule, second hour participation was being decreasingly attended. Believing that any stagnant ministry is a dying ministry, the Elders had prayed that the new schedule might encourage those who had not stayed for the second hour previously to now consider staying. By and large, this has not proved to be the case, but when you put the pencil to the paper, the overall attendance of the second hour teaching time has been better attended than our evening services due to the fact that those who had previously been unable to return to Hope for evening services were able to “hear” and participate in the type of teaching time previously held in the evening.

With regard to our fellowship meal, I must say that one of my main concerns was how the women (and some of the men) would feel about making a meal every week. Would this be asking a lot of such meal preparers? I have been encouraged by so many of the reports. Many meal preparers have shared testimonies along the lines that the fellowship meal helps them out because rather than coming home and trying to figure out what to make for their families, they simply prepare one thing and know that their families’ meal is taken care of. Other testimonies have included how this fellowship time has been economically helpful for some were accustomed to eating out because they would have a meeting or be staying around until evening service. Some have conveyed how this practice has disciplined them to truly preparing for Sunday; both for worship and for fellowship, getting things ready the night before. These are things I was not anticipating hearing. Some have communicated how they thought it would be a burden, but as they have considered it and seen the blessings of it, they have now come to appreciate the time.

In addition to all this, I have heard, and have as my personal testimony as well, that many have come to learn of, be encouraged by, and very much blessed by the opportunity to eat with others from the congregation. This time has afforded a very real way by which to get to know people in the context of church. Some, including my wife, have told me that they prayerfully consider whom they might have lunch with on any given Sunday. Many of our newer families have expressed how such a time has given them a great opportunity to come to know people more easily in the church. During the course of our meals together, I have heard people sharing prayer requests, conveying their joys, expressing their sorrows, encouraging one another and being encouraged. While the timing of our fellowship hour may not be perfect and suit everyone, I have known no other time (except perhaps for our Family Unity Nights) in which the congregation can so actively engage in true Christian fellowship.

At the beginning of this new schedule I was also concerned about the many families with young children. How would we accommodate naps and such? Of course we have been working on getting areas ready for naps, but upon reflection of the issue the reality is that most of the children’s nap schedules have had to be altered only slightly. Previously they were not leaving until about 12:15-12:30 pm, getting home, having a meal and then putting the kids down by around 1:30 or so. With the new schedule, they may not get home until 1:45 or so, but the nap schedule has only been changed by about a half-hour. I hope this is an encouragement to other parents who have had this concern.

I like to think that Hope CBC seeks to be appropriately active. And in our efforts to reach the most people most conveniently, we do have various meetings, events and even outreaches on Sunday afternoons. For many in the church under the previous schedule (myself included), Sundays were a non-stop, whirlwind that began at 8 or 9 am and continued with very little time to pause until about 8:00pm. Then, because little of this time had been engaged in “fellowship” many would get together after that to visit with others. Believe me, this is not a complaint, but my typical Sunday under the old schedule began at 4:30 am and would not generally come to an end until between 10-11 pm. Under the new schedule, the congregation can participate in afternoon activities and events (i.e. Quiz meets, Missions Meetings, Nursing Home Ministry, Youth Staff meetings, etc) and still be done before or by dinner time, opening opportunities for more intimate fellowship and still allowing families to be home at a reasonable hour on Sunday evening before the start of the work week.

I know that children’s ministries have been a concern in this new schedule. Previously, apart from the summer, the children had “Jesus Club” on Sunday mornings and “LiFE Kids” on Sunday evenings. Believing that there is a need to come along side of parents and aid them (not replace them) in the conveying of Biblical truth, we have continued through the Summer with the Jesus Club format, that is a more “one room” type of teaching ministry for the younger children during the second hour as opposed to the more age-oriented style of LiFE kids. If the summer schedule is maintained, it would most likely mean that we would maintain a “Jesus Club” style of ministry for the children, having two or three teachers rotate through a series. This would not preclude the use of the LiFE Kids materials for such a teaching time as this. As I have given much thought and prayer about this, I believe that the “one-room” ministry (or if we were to grow significantly a “two room” – younger and older groups) is in keeping with one of the philosophies of ministry sought by the leadership of Hope CBC for the past decade, a focus on fellowship. I have always believed that Sunday worship ought to be as “congregational” as possible. Sunday is a time for God’s people to come together corporately and worship together, to fellowship together, and to learn together. There are some practical divisions in this. Jesus Club would be a “congregation” of young children. A nursery is needed for the babies and perhaps a toddler class as well. But there is no reason why those from Jr. High up through Senior Adults should not learn to worship together and then interact together. Both the “youth group” and the adults have times throughout the week to focus in on their “level” – so I have come to believe that we should strive to keep Sunday’s as congregational as possible. I know that the future may force us to consider other things, but for this time, such a schedule seems to meet the greatest amount of real needs for the congregation.

The long and the short of it is this; I was the skeptical one. I was the doubtful one. I was the one who looked for all the problems and shortcomings. And while I know that no schedule is perfect, and while I know that no schedule is necessarily permanent, I have come to appreciate and anticipate this schedule, believing it to be the most beneficial to the most people to the glory of God at this time in the life of Hope CBC. I am grateful to the many who, like me, have come to see not only how the schedule might benefit them personally, but how it also has come to benefit so many in the congregation. I know it will not be the most personally beneficial and pleasing to everyone anymore than our previous schedule was the most personally beneficial and pleasing to everyone.

I write this as my personal testimony concerning the new schedule for the church. These are my thoughts, the things I have had to work through asking myself questions like, “Why do we have an evening service?” or “Why do we do the things we do?” I do not believe that one way is more godly than another, but I have come to believe that our current “summer” schedule is the most beneficial to the congregation at this time.

A Not So New Schedule For HopeCBC

The Board of Elders has been carefully considering whether or not to maintain what was started as merely being a “summer” schedule, making it our regular schedule. The Elders have much appreciated the input of so many concerning both the pros and cons in keeping or not keeping such a schedule.

One of the great difficulties in changing the schedule is the realization that no schedule is perfect and no schedule will ultimately suit all the people. When taking this into account, it has been the belief of the Elders that the greatest amount of people would be best served in making the summer schedule permanent. To help the Elders confirm this conclusion, they solicited input from the congregation and this input has overwhelmingly confirmed that the summer schedule is not merely more convenient, but it is also more conducive in pushing forward the philosophy of ministry that puts an emphasis upon fellowship and interaction. In short, it is the belief of the Elders that at current Hope CBC can best fulfill the fundamentals of Acts 2:42 (devotion to the Apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to breaking of bread/communion, and to prayer) by means of this schedule.

The Elders will be having some meetings with various ministry leaders (i.e. Children, Youth, etc) to discuss how this impacts them and the directions the Elders would like to have them take. More information to that end will be forthcoming.

The Elders do wish to thank everyone for their involvement and would continue to ask everyone to participate as best as they are able in light of the schedule. We look forward to what the Lord will do among the congregation of Hope CBC as we labor together in unity for the gospel.

As a recap then, the Board of Elders, having had an overwhelming positive response by the congregation, has determined to make the current summer schedule the regular schedule for the Sunday services at Hope CBC. This schedule is as follows:

9:30am – 11:00am
Morning Worship Service – 1^st Hour

11:10am – 12:10pm
Fellowship Meal – 2^nd Hour

12:15pm – 1:15pm
Bible Fellowship (Jr. High – Adults) and Jesus Club (K-6^th grade) – 3^rd Hour

For His Glory,

The Board of Elders

Consideration of Church Schedule

Back before the summer, the Board of Elders was looking at a number of issues that faced the church. Among those issues were rising gas prices, making it more and more infeasible for those attendees of the church who had to drive any distance to make two trips to the church on Sundays; a decline in attendance for Sunday Evening services and therefore a lack of exposure for the various teaching series the men had been delivering on Sunday evenings; and a need to encourage and promote more casual times of fellowship for the congregation and therefore enhance the sense of unity and community. Certainly there are other factors as well, but these were some of the more pressing ones.

With all this in mind, the Elders prayerfully considered rearranging our Sunday schedule, a schedule we have now been enjoying for the past three months. That schedule is as follows:

9:30am - 11:00am: Morning Worship Service (focus on Scripture and Praise)

11:10am – 12:10 pm: Fellowship Hour (Sharing of a meal together)

12:15pm – 1:15pm: Second Hour Fellowship (A more casual teaching time for Jr. High – through Adult; Children’s Ministry – “Jesus Club”).

This schedule has afforded us great opportunities for fellowship and has greatly encouraged those who were previously unable to make the two trips to church. While we know that any Sunday schedule will not suit or please everyone, this one has seemed to work well for the summer.

As we come to the last month of the schedule, the Elders have been giving consideration as to whether or not to continue with this schedule or to revert back to our old schedule (which was as follows):

9:30am – 11:00am: Morning Worship Service (focus on Scripture and Praise)

11:00am – 11:15 am: Break

11:15am – 12:00 pm: Second Hour Fellowship (casual teaching time; Children’s Ministries)

6:00pm – 7:15 pm: Evening Service (Teaching time for Adults; LiFE Kids ministries)

It is truly understood that there are pros and cons associated with either schedule. With the current summer schedule, some parents of young children are concerned about nap times. Some people enjoy “going out” for lunch and find leaving at 1:15 pm not conducive for that (especially after eating at 11:15 am). Some feel that we have lost a “teaching” time by not having Evening service (this is technically true, but as the Elders have been trying to incorporate Acts 2:42 into our meeting times; fellowship is included with the list of Apostle’s teaching, breaking of bread and prayer). At current then, the Summer Schedule does afford us two teaching times as well as a fellowship time. We regularly “break bread” during the second hour on the first Sunday of the month and we have regularly scheduled prayer meetings for both the men and the women (this is not to suggest there is no room for improvement in these things).

In light of these things, the Elder Board has been increasingly inclined to maintain the “Summer Schedule” for an indefinite period of time. Some of the noted benefits were already mentioned above, but it might also be pointed out that soon the days will be getting shorter and we are aware that it becomes increasingly difficult for some to drive in the dark. The current schedule would ensure all would be home before dark.

With all this noted, the Elders have been casually speaking to some and have spoken to by others concerning the schedule. It would “seem” that the schedule, while needing some tweaks, has been a benefit and blessing to most from whom we have heard. The purpose of this email/blog entry is to solicit your input. If you have any thoughts, questions or concerns about the schedule in general, the Elders would like to know about it. We have placed this on our blog so that if you are inclined, you may post your thoughts, concerns, opinions here (we would ask all to be very respectful of one another). If you are concerned about “public” comments, you may talk to, call or email any of the Elders as we really want to have your input. We realize this is an important decision and therefore want to hear from you.

And please diligently pray for unity. We have been blessed with a congregation that is so gracious and has both sought and allowed for doing those things that would promote the greatest well-being for the church. To that end, realizing that no schedule will be optimal for everyone, once a decision is made, let us strive together in unity to participate with one another in light of the schedule, even if it may not be the most personally pleasing. It must be stressed that there has been no known tensions or animosities because of our schedule and we prayerfully would like to keep it that way.

One final note, if the current “summer” schedule is maintained, we will need to make some decisions concerning the start up of our Children’s ministries in October. Since there will be only one hour devoted to Children’s ministries in this scenario, we would need to decide whether to follow a “Jesus Club” format (larger classes) or the LiFE Kids format (more age oriented classes). To that end, anyone who has been or is interested in Children’s ministries (having served as a LiFE Kids or Jesus Club teacher or interested in do so), the Elders have scheduled a Children’s Ministries Teacher’s meeting on Sunday, September 7 at 3:00 pm at the church. This meeting will follow the 2008 Quizzing Meeting at 1:30 pm. At this meeting, it is believed that the Elders will have a good idea of which schedule we will be pursing and we will discuss how to organize the Children’s Teachers and materials.

Thank you for your prayerful attention to these matters. Again, we would appreciate your comments, either by means of the blog or by contacting one of your Elders. Their email address and phone numbers are below if you need them or you can of course share your thoughts with any one of them on Sunday. The email address and phone numbers of the Elders will not be posted on the blog for obvious reasons. Please refer to your email if you would want to contact your Elders in this way.

With much excitement and anticipation for the future,

The Board of Elders.

A Hymn Dilemma - Keep Thou My Way, O Lord

Any of you who knows me, knows how I enjoy my old hymnals. This afternoon I was asked by my lovely wife, Laura, about finding a hymn text to include in her mother's birthday card.

Oddly enough, the very first hymn I turned to in my 1890 Reformed Church Hymnal was wonderfully inspirational and very fitting for what my wife was looking for. However, because it was a bit long, too long to easily write out, I told her we should be able to find it at one of my favorite hymn sites on the web - www.cyberhymnal.org.

So, I jumped on the site and quickly found the first line of the text as in my hymnal only to find that the only thing in common between my hymnal hymn and the online hymn was the first line - everything else was different.

So, I thought, well, I will look for the text on the web at large. So I typed in the first line and exactly what I found at cyberhymnal was what came up in the search. I then started to type in various lines of my hymnal text only to find that there is not a trace of this text to be found. Very, very interesting.

So, (this is the third paragraph that begins with so) - I am going to make this a challenge. I know that I have very little following so it may not yield much by way of results, but I am going to post this hymn here and if anyone can find any information about it, it would be appreciated. I will say that my hymnal does state who wrote it, but even as I looked at a few lists of this person's hymn works, this hymn did not show up apart from the first line. Anyone who does look this hymn up by first line will quickly know who it is attributed to. But what I am looking for is the full text as noted below. The date of the variant (online) text is 1894, but my hymnal was published in 1890, which means my text is older. Let me know if you find anything. In the meantime, be blessed by the text:

Keep Thou my way, O Lord;
Myself I cannot guide;
Nor dare I trust my erring steps
One moment from Thy side:
I cannot think aright,
Unless imprisoned by Thee;
My heart would fail without Thy aid;
Choose Thou my thoughts for me.

For every act of faith,
And every pure design,
For all of good my soul can know,
The glory, Lord, be Thine;
Free grace my pardon seals,
Through Thy atoning blood;
Free grace the full assurance brings,
Of peace with Thee, my God.

Oh, speak and I will hear;
Command, and I obey;
My willing feet with joy shall haste
To run the heavenly way;
Keep Thou my wandering heart,
And bid it cease to roam;
Oh, bear me safe o'er death's cold wave
To heaven my blissful home.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Ed

Well I'm back - at least for now.

I know that it has been entirely too long since my last post. Some times I miss being regular with the blog and other times I have not missed it at all.

I will let you know that I make no promises here, but I do intend to be more regular at posting - at least posting something. By and large I simply intend to post things of interest to me and if by chance they interest you, so be it - - - and I would love to hear what you have to say about whatever it is that has interested you.

So, we will see how this goes - I'm back - at least for now.

Hope CBC and Acts 2:42

In and effort to promote meaningful and biblical fellowship, the Elders have used Acts 2:42 as a templete of sorts to guide our fellowship hour at church. After the main service (9:30 am to 11:00 am) and a breif recess, we have a fellowship hour (which is only about 45 minutes). For several years this time was used exclusively to have an open discussion and interaction with the sermon, asking questions, sharing insights, seeking a more thorough application of principles. But sometimes change is good, keeping us "on our toes" and causing us to stretch spiritually as well as creatively.

So, in an effort to promote this "change" for the spiritual good of the body at Hope CBC, the Elder have assigned an aspect of Acts 2:42 to the fellowship hour each week. Here is the text itself:

Acts 2:42
"They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."

There are obviouly four key elements here and for a standard four week month this is how we determined to promote each of these ideas:

On the first Sunday of the month we have appropriated the fellowship hour to the "breaking of bread" or the Lord's Table (communion). Here we have asked the men to be prepared to bring an exhortation from the Word, a Scripture reading, a prayer, or the requesting of a particular hymn that would focus the congregation on the sacrifice and blessing of our Lord's death and resurrection. We have done this a couple of time now and it is "different" for us, having a 45 minute communion service, but it has also been a blessing.

On the second Sunday of the month we devote ourselves to corporate prayer, praying for one another and for the needs of the ministry both at Hope CBC as well as abroad.

On the third Sunday of the month we enjoy a time of interactive teaching (apostles' teaching). The "teaching" is done by one of the Elders or Pastoral staff (including interns) and is not meant to be another sermon, but a time to work through a particular subject biblically. We have had two of these interactive times thus far looking in June and July at biblical fatherhood. In August and September we will be considering together evangelism and outreach.

The fourth Sunday is more "traditional" (if you can say there is anything traditional at Hope CBC) focusing our time on sermon interaction. On this Sunday, we consider the morning message (and the previous weeks' messages) seeking corporate insights as well as practical applications.

And what do we do if there are five Sundays in a month? On five Sunday months we have an extended main service, utilizing the last 20-25 minutes (11:00 am - 11:25 am) for a "hymn sing" - offering up praise to our Lord in song. This is followed by a church-wide "pot-providence" (not a pot-luck as God is in control).

The desire in all of this is to promote godly interaction and fellowship among the congregation to such an extend that it will continue beyond the walls of the church facility.

May God be glorified and Jesus Christ exalted through it all!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Hello Again!

It has been a long time since I have posted anything of much substance. This is not because of a lack of desire or thought - life has simply been "life" - always moving, always something going on. And in the midst of all this - somethings got to give.

My intentions are to blog and journal my thoughts, perceptions and post any insights that strike me in some way or another, but as time allows - not for the sake of doing it.

This next week I will be at youth camp and so there will be another gap in the posting - but after that - we'll see.

In the meantime, please take a look at these "weeds" that I photographed on a walk behind our church. They look like some kind of artichoke, but they are only about the size of a quarter. It shows the total creativity of God.

Have a blessed week!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Sermon Manuscript

Sermon Manuscript
Originally uploaded by LOvED88

Still in the book of Hebrews!
Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Consider Yourself Warned!

Consider Yourself Warned!
Originally uploaded by LOvED88

Proverbs 4:14
Do not enter the path of the wicked and do not proceed in the way of evil men.
Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Happy Memorial Day 07

Happy Memorial Day 07
Originally uploaded by LOvED88

I know I have been away for some time. I will be back and posting soon.
Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

A Few Good Men

So - - - I could not sleep and thought it would be best to spend some time in prayer and then catch up on some blog reading that I have been a bit negligent of recently. As I was reading through Al Mohler's blog, I came across a most intriguing entry, one that I post here for your consideration. What most especially challenged me was the end of this post, a call to the church to train up young men in the discipline and fear of the Lord.

- - - - - - -

"The Army We Have" -- Young Men, Responsibility, and Leadership for the Twenty-First Century
Posted: Thursday, May 10, 2007 at 3:14 am ET

by Al Mohler

Inevitably, the armed services are a mirror held up to the nation. When we look at our soldiers, we see the profile of a generation. This was true of the rag-tag army that coalesced under the leadership of General George Washington, of the massive American forces that fought in two cataclysmic world wars, and of the Vietnam generation. Now, it is true of the current generation as well.

Writing in the June 2007 issue of The Atlantic, Brian Mockenhaupt -- himself a recent soldier -- provides the nation with a compelling analysis of today's Army and its recruits. The article, "The Army We Have," should be required reading for all who work with young men, and all who care about the future of the nation.

Today's Army is all-volunteer, of course. The end of the draft meant the rise of the volunteer army and massive changes in the way the Army operates. But, as Mockenhaupt makes clear, the current generation of young men presents the Army with some new challenges.

As Mockenhaupt reports:
Since the end of the draft, more than 30 years ago, this is the first time the all-volunteer military has faced sustained combat, and the demands on its human and material resources have been heavy and relentless. At the same time, a relatively prosperous economy and certain larger societal changes have made it harder for the Army to meet its recruiting goals. As Lieutenant General Michael Rochelle, the Army's deputy chief of staff, testified to Congress in February, the confluence of challenges in recruiting, training, and retaining soldiers is "unparalleled in the history of the volunteer force."

The challenge:
[T]he Army doesn't have the luxury of selectivity in filling its expanded rolls. It needs 80,000 new soldiers this year and must find them in a populace that is in many ways less willing and less able to serve than earlier generations were. Young people are fatter and weaker. They eat more junk food, watch more television, play more video games, and exercise less. They are more individualistic and less inclined to join the military. And with the unemployment rate hovering near historic lows, they have other choices.

Today's soldier must be an information-processing machine, a diplomat, and a lethal instrument of national power. As Mockenhaupt explains, these soldiers face a complex combat environment where, as in Iraq, the soldier must be able to know "when to shake a hand and when to shoot someone dead."

But the Army has to recruit from the generation of young Americans it faces, not the recruiting pool it might dream to have. In order to meet recruiting goals (80,000 new recruits each year for the Army alone), standards have been lowered, expectations have been altered, and basic training has been transformed.

Consider that in age group 17-24, 7 of 10 young men are ineligible for military service -- that's 70 percent. As Mockenhaupt explains, "More than half the members of this youth cohort are disqualified for moral, mental, or medical reasons." These range from run-ins with the law, psychiatric diagnosis, drug problems, and medical issues to gang-related or extremist tattoos.

Mockenhaupt then introduces his readers to Colonel Kevin Shwedo, the director of operations for the Army's Accessions Command within the Training and Doctrine Command, or TRADOC. This sets up the most fascinating single paragraph in the article:
At the same time, Shwedo sees today's recruits as the product of a society that can't quite figure out how to raise its children. "Most kids coming into the Army today have never worn leather shoes in their life unless it said Nike, Adidas, or Timberland. They've never run two miles consecutively in their life, and for the most part they hadn't had an adult tell them 'no' and mean it. That's bizarre," he says. "Our society says you can't count in a soccer match, because you might hurt somebody's feelings. Every kid is going to get a trophy, whether or not you ever went to practice or ever won a game." But these societal shortcomings can be leveraged in the training environment, Shwedo says. "If you go up and do something as simple as slap a soldier on the back and tell them they are doing a good job, you are giving them the recognition that society hasn't given them besides those cheap trophies."

In that single paragraph, Mockenhaupt gives us a portrait of a generation in trouble -- a generation of young men who were largely unparented. Consider this one telling sentence: "They've never run two miles consecutively in their life, and for the most part they hadn't had an adult tell them 'no' and mean it." They haven't had an adult tell them 'no' and mean it. That goes a long way toward explaining the culture around us.

The Army's goal:
For all the evolution in military tactics, weaponry, and organizational structure, the basic aim of military training--producing strong, disciplined soldiers, skilled with their weapons--remains constant, and the core methods are simple. You must look like everyone else. You must act like everyone else. You must perform like everyone else. If you don't, you will be punished. Or worse, the group will suffer for your mistakes. To instill this obedience, the Army taps into young people's basic desire for acceptance, and their abhorrence at being singled out for punishment or critique.

Finally:
The Army's problem, however, is really just the nation's problem writ small. The number of Americans serving in the military has steadily shrunk from more than 1 in 10 during World War II to fewer than 1 in 100 today. The all-volunteer military has allowed most Americans to distance themselves from national service, forcing the Army in particular to work harder and spend more to get the people it needs. As former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in another context, "You go to war with the Army you have. They're not the Army you might want or wish to have at a later time."

Until more Americans are more willing, more able, or perhaps more compelled to serve, the Army must maintain an effective all-volunteer force with the people it has and the limited number of additional people it can recruit. And that larger conundrum is beyond the power of any generals, captains, or drill sergeants to solve.

The focus of Mockenhaupt's article is young men and what they represent as a new challenge to the Army. The article is an incredible piece of cultural insight and analysis, and it should spark thousands of worthy conversations among parents, pastors, youth ministers, and others concerned with today's boys and young men.

The emergence of a generation of boys and young men who have never been told 'no' by an adult who meant it, who include a large percentage who had no father in the home, who were put on Ritalin instead of taught and disciplined, tells us a great deal about ourselves as a society.

The Army's challenge is to transform several thousand young men from this generation each year, turning them into soldiers. The future of the nation, to a significant degree, rides on those young men. The Army faces new and daunting challenges in the recruitment and training of these young men. As Mockenhaupt makes clear, thousands of these young recruits and soldiers go on to make their nation proud. Clearly, the Army is doing something right.

How about the church? How is the Church faring in its own challenge to reach this generation of young men -- the same generation described by Colonel Shwedo above? Are we reaching the boys and young men in our own churches? Are we seeing them transformed from boys into men, from followers into leaders, from undisciplined young males into faithful disciples of Jesus?

If anything, our challenge is greater than that faced by the Army. Beyond that, the stakes are even higher for the church than for the military. The church needs more than a few good men. What are we waiting for?

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We need godly fathers to train up their sons in the discipline of the Lord. We need such fathers and sons to faithfully participate in ministries that reach out to other young men, encouraging, exhorting, challenging such young men to be faithful disciples of Jesus. How are we doing?

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Hearing the Word of God!

The first evening of our time with Michael Ginn was of great encouragement and challenge. Michael (From the Word Ministries) began the evening with a question – “How often do you focus on the kingdom of God outside of Church or personal devotion times?” This was a reminder of how easy it is to get sidetracked by the things of this world.

Then Michael proceeded to lay out his direction for our time in the Word, explaining that he was going to begin with the first public message of Christ, the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and follow that with the last public message of Christ before the cross, the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24-25). What a blessing to hear and listen to these messages of Christ in their entirety much as those first readers heard such things. I am reminded that “faith comes by hearing” (Romans 10:17) – that there is something special and unique to simply hearing the Word of God. Consider as well that throughout most of the history of the Church, large numbers of people were illiterate and yet how did they come to faith – by hearing the Word of God read.

After hearing Michael quote the texts, he challenged the congregation with several thought, the first of which was a question of passion. We all have a passion, be it for work, or for sports, or for people or for God and our passion is generally revealed in what we participate. If we have a passion for God, then we will participate in those things in which we draw near to God, through prayer, the Word, and fellowship with the saints. If we have a passion for other things, these things will occupy a place of prominence in our lives. So again, “How often do you focus on the kingdom of God outside of things like Church or personal devotion times?” Are you passionate for God or have other things slow and systematically crept in to have first place in your life.

I am looking forward to tonight as we continue to hear the Word of God – may we really hear it with spiritual ears and be changed to a greater likeness of Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Home From Texas

It is good to be home. We arrived back in Rogers at about 5 pm, after a 300 plus mile, 6 ½ hours, accident dodging journey home. Just about 5 miles from home there was a terrible accident on 540 that left one person dead and three others severely injured. All we could do was pray.

We got home just in time to participate in the Home Bible Fellowship. We were somewhat exhausted (funny how traveling does that) but very glad we made the effort to get home, particularly because our brother, Michael Ginn (From the Word Ministries), who will be speaking at the church Friday, Saturday and Sunday, decided to come a day early to enjoy the fellowship! We had a blessed time of fellowship around our discussion of A.W. Tozer’s “The Knowledge of the Holy” – chapter 2 asking the question, “What is God Like?” To which Tozer initially responds, “He is not like anything” explaining that we have to understand the incomprehensible, invisible and infinite God in human terms. This is what makes God so glorious. Yet, while being infinite, God has disclosed Himself to us, allowing us to probe, be it ever so shallow, into the depths of His being. We had a lively discussion and brother Ginn brought an added dimension of insight.

With the Texas trip complete, I am now focusing my attention on the events of the weekend as well as looking to the future, both near and far. In July Hope will bring on a second intern (Jake Wyatt) and the men of the church will be participating in a Sunday evening teaching series entitled, “The One Anothers.” As our little church grows, we are faced with all kinds of new challenges from just how to do some things, to expanding areas of ministry.

The Elders of Hope will be meeting on Friday, May 25, devoting the day to seeking vision and direction from the Lord, discussing where we are as a church and where we should be according to God’s Word.

These are blessed days and let us never neglect or take our eyes off of Jesus, the head of the Church and Lord of our lives.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Texas - Day Three - Six Flags

All I can say is that I am sooo tired. It is about 11 pm and we have made memories for yet another other. Not only was Six Flags filled with all the excitement we had anticipated, riding every ride we wanted to and some even a couple of times, but we ended the day with a Wyatt dinner that included Rocky, Sue, Curtis, Annie (and their two babies), Jake and Candace (along with baby Caleb).




After dinner we reminisced about past times and experiences, played some pool with the guys while the ladies enjoyed an evening chat. When you don’t know how many opportunities you will ever have to again do such a thing, it makes the opportunity all the more precious. I am thankful for the Wyatt boys (or I should say - "young men") and their wives coming over.





Getting back to Six Flags, there is not too much to report except that we had a good time (see the pictures below). Just as we were disembarking the last ride we had intended to ride, we got a good ol’ fashioned, springtime Texas thunderstorm the shut everything down. But we were already wet and tired so it really didn’t matter. We headed up toward the front gate, did a little window-shopping and then headed back up to Southlake.

I am relaxing and enjoying this time with my family, but Hope is still on my mind and in my prayers. Please pray that I come back with more joy and more fervor to serve the Lord and the congregation. Good night!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Texas - Day Two

Day two of our little get away has come to an end. It is about 10:30 and we are getting cleaned up after a wonderfully busy day – but busy in ways uncommon to us. Everyone was up and visiting by about 8:15 am. We had breakfast and a nice time of visiting with the Wyatts in the morning. Then, about 10:30 am, we were prepared for our adventure – the Baseball game.

We loaded ourselves into the van, with the intention of hitting a grocery store to pick up some peanuts in the shell. What kind of ballgame would be complete without peanuts in the shell? But about five minutes on the freeway, I asked the question, “Do we have the tickets?” There was only a brief silence, but it was enough to know that we had left the tickets at the Wyatts. So, we turned around (so to speak with a freeway involved) and returned to base to retrieve the tickets.

Now we were ready – still with enough time to pick up the peanuts, which we did in record fashion and then headed south to Arlington and the ballpark. What a beautiful place is the ballpark at Arlington. We found our parking lot and enjoyed the walk to our gate. We bought some hotdogs ($18 for four supposedly “jumbo” dogs) and found our seats, which were nearly identical to the seats we sat in a couple years back when we came – right next to the Angels’ bullpen. We got to watch Jered Weaver, the starting pitcher, do his warm ups and then the game began.




There are a few things in life that make you feel strange. I am sure you can think of a few. But one of the strangest (only because I am not used to being in such a situation) is when you are fervently rooting for a team that happens to be the “visiting” team. The opening inning was thrilling as the three of the first four batter reached base and then Casey Kotchman, the Angel 1B man, hit a grand slam homerun putting our team up 4 to nothing from the get go. The only thing is, while my family and I are screaming and cheering, no one else was. It is not the same as when 40,000 fans are all screaming with you. Oh well, these runs would be more than enough to win the game and yet the Angels added three more to win 7-2.




Of course, the game was not without its quirks. About the third inning a cloud decided to dump its contents in the form of rain on the field for about 25 minutes delaying the game about 45 minutes. The rain certainly brought a refreshing reprieve from the 90-degree temp, but it was only temporary, for after we were soaked, then the sun came back out and baked us, but oh well.

After the game we returned to the Wyatts, had a bite of dinner and then headed to some other dear friends home, the Ryans. The Ryan children were headed to play “Ultimate Frisbee” with the church and so they and our kids left leaving Bryan, Carla, Laura and myself about 2 and ½ uninterrupted hours of visiting. Talking with the Ryans makes us miss them and appreciate their friendship. The kids returned hot and sweaty about 9:45 pm and so we headed back to the Wyatts for showers and preparations for tomorrow – Six Flags.

Anyway, that’s the update. Hope everyone’s Monday was as eventful as ours.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed

Off to Texas

Obviously by the pictures below we made it to Texas – at least to the visitor’s center! Our trip was smooth and relaxing. We actually listened to an audio book of Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea” – and then we talked about the old man’s persistence. O that I would be as devoted and persistent to Christ, who is my inheritance, as that old man was to catching a great fish that he would not be able to keep.




We made it to Countryside Bible about 20 minutes before evening service, which was wonderful as it gave us a bit of time to greet some friend we have not seen for some time. The service itself was a children’s choir program, which was well done – “Roamin’ through Romans” and was essentially a walk through the gospel presentation of the book of Romans. Admittedly however, we were a bit distracted as this was our first contact with a Wyatt baby. Laura had not seen baby Caleb (Jake’s and Candace’s new arrival) before she was holding him and did so through about half of the service before I finally got to do so. What a good baby – at least for us through the service – sleeping away, waking up only ever so slightly to give us a peek of his eyes only to see them roll back up and then close again. Such tiny little hands and feet. I can hardly believe that mine were once that small!






On top of this, I had a revelation, one that brought both joy and showed me my age. As I held baby Caleb, I was remembering many years back now when I once held baby Jake. Not any bigger than Caleb with nothing but a future ahead of him. And now, in a few months, that baby I held so many years ago will be partnering with me in ministry, as an intern, as a man of God, at Hope Community Bible Church along with his family. Where does the time go?

After service we made some arrangements with the Ryans (Bryan and Carla) to meet up with them after our Baseball game (Rangers vs. Angels) for dinner. After dinner Luke and Beth will go with the Ryan children (the oldest of which I once held in my arms and is now driving!) to play “Ultimate Frisbee” (also known more simply as Frisbee Football). I think that the “senior Wyatts” will come over for dessert.



Laura and Carla Ryan

Speaking of the senior Wyatts (it seems hard to say that, particularly due to the fact that when I first saw Sue last night at the church, she was standing amid a sea of children who made up the choir for the service and she appeared to fit right in – don’t know that I could say the same of Rocky!) – anyway, Rocky and Sue are doing well and set us up nicely in their wonderful new home. We ordered pizza and visited with them as well as with Jake, Candace and Caleb. At about 11 pm we called it quits and settled in for a good night’s rest.





I can’t believe how blessed I am – the Lord’s granting me such wonderful friends, so warm and hospitable, such wonderful memories and along with such wonderful hope for the future. I am certainly unworthy of it all – and yet, in Christ, I am to enjoy it all to His glory.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Ed