Numbered Days

I lost a friend last week. While fighting leukemia, he contracted an infection.  The last time I spoke with him, his cancer was in remission. He talked  extensively about God's grace, saying that the kindness shown by the nurses, who at one point took turns spoon feeding him while he lay barely conscious, assured him that there was love in this world.   He told me that God had given him strength. He was sure he would beat the cancer.  About a month later he was dead.

This ending means nothing without a quick snapshot of who my friend was. He was mean. Really mean and judgmental at times. He had a temper that probably outmatched the California brush fires.  But, he could take what he dished out. He never forgot a kindness. And, he never was too proud to apologize. He was smart. Really smart, and funny too. Months before he was diagnosed with cancer, he went through an epiphany of sorts. So, he began to eat healthier, work out and generally take better care of himself. The weight started coming off him, a horrible foreshadowing of what cancer would do to him. His illness started from a flu that wouldn't go away.  After a series of tests the doctor diagnosed his mystery flu and his year long battle began. "I've found God," He said to me. "Through this mess, I've found God."

I don't know what to 'do' with his death. I don't know what to learn or unlearn. A whole bunch of scripture swirls through my head. 'Honor your maker in your youth...' Let the dead bury the dead.' 'I know that he will rise again...'  'Teach me to number my days.'  I'm not sure how to begin processing them. I'm not even sure that I should. But, I do know this. I should have called him more.

Who Do They Say I Am? (Part 1)

This question is the ultimate crossroads question.  It's a circular question that meets you over and over at various stages of your life. It's especially pertinent in our faith walk.  "Who do they say I am?"

It starts off as an insecure question which becomes so important that it envelops your life,  forcing you to  make choices based solely on what you want the answer to that question to be.  That is, in this stage, your main purpose is making sure that others approve of who you are—every public act becomes a campaign to control who 'they' say 'you' are.  You get trapped behind a never ending series of campaign nights in which you await the verdict of each life choice you have made.  People's pundit/voter like affirmation or rejection of you becomes your sense of self. 

This stage often leads to next stage in which you cast off the shackles of what 'they' think and boldly declare that You're living for Yourself (capital Y). "I don't care what anyone thinks about me!" you proclaim to anyone who will listen.  Lies! Lies, I tell you!  You can only sustain this stage for a little while.

But, there's another stage in which you return to this question: "Who do they say I am?"  At this point you realize who 'they' say you are is THE question.  And the answer to that question is THE answer.  And 'they' no longer simply represents that 3rd grade bully you tried to make like you, that date who stood you up or the cool kids who thought you were a nerd.  'They' becomes humanity at large and, ultimately, 'They' becomes God.  Not in a weird pantheistic, everything-is-god-and-god-is-everything sort of way.  But, in the understanding that in serving God we must serve man and that our quest to be pleasing to God demands that we please our neighbors. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:14  (see also1 John 4:20,  Mark 10:43-44, Matt 25:40).  Who they say we are and who we indeed are to them becomes our focus on the Pursuit of Christ.

Thoughts?

Sermoning From the Mount

As a frequent giver and, I guess, 'getter' of sermons I have witnessed (and committed) numerous atrocities.  Alright, not quite atrocities.  But, I've seen (and done) things that reduced the sermon's quality.  So, I figured I'd serve as a mentor of sorts for aspiring sermonists.  I've compiled a mini list, that I'm sure I'll keep updating, of some tips from a sermon getter's point of view.  Keep in mind that most of these tips only apply to traditional one preacher sermons--not religious workshops or seminars. 

Here goes:

1. If you don't follow any other tip, make sure you follow both part A and, especially, part B of this tip. A) Do not write out your sermon word for word and then read it to us. B) I shouldn't have to say this second part, but experience has taught me better. Do not hand out a copy of your sermon so thay we can read along as you read it to us.

2. Do not start with "This is going to be a short sermon."  There is something about that statement that always dooms the sermon that follows it to be hideously long.

3. Crowd participation can be a great lift, but really, there's a reason that YOU'RE the one at the pulpit. Accordingly, the majority of your sermon should be a solo. There should be no breaking us up into groups. 

If you throw out a question to the church, get one or two answers. DO NOT wait for every single member to give an answer to the question. 

4. A further point on that solo concept. Do not ask your wife, hubby, kids or anyone in the congregation, for that matter, to support points you make.  'Isn't that true, Honey?' really doesn't add the credibility you think it does.

5. Crosscheck all scripture references before you give your sermon. Really, the difference between Luke 1:5 and Luke 5:1 is anywhere from 3 to 30 mins of mass scrambling for the text.  For each minute we spend looking our hysteria rises as we wonder if you'll be willing to let it go if we don't find the scripture or if you'll force us to keep searching forever. And, ultimately we're scared that you will not subtract the time it takes to find the reference from your sermon time.

6. Do not make your sermon completely center around a metphor, image, or analogy from a secular movie or song. We do NOT want to have to admit in front of the holier church members that we've seen or heard it. And, really, do you?

7. On that note, do NOT play long excerpts of any video or song.  No matter how inspirational, funny,  meaningful, insightful, witty, or any descriptor, for that matter, you think the clip is. (Hint: if it's longer than 5 minutes, it's probably too long. Especially, if it's a song.) 

8. Don't campaign for anyone other than Jesus. 'Nuff said.

9. Raising your voice at key points can be an amazing addition to the impact of your sermon.  But, please do not say your entire sermon in CAPS LOCK. And, on the other hand, do not whisper your entire sermon.

10. Do not read one of those religious internet forwards as your sermon.  Not the one on the Devil's plan to distract Christians by taking their time. Not the one on how willing we are to send all types of forwards but the ones about Jesus. And, especially not the ones on babies being eaten in Korea. Okay, so, I haven't heard the Korean rumor used as a sermon.  But, here's the point.  If you've gotten the forward, chances are so have we. And, as members of your church, you're probably the one who forwarded the e-mail to us.

Thoughts?

Civic Duty: What exactly is Caeser's?

I was driving today when it occurred to me that I had no idea what the date was.  Instinctively I grabbed my phone thinking I'd quickly check the calendar.  As soon as I picked up the phone, I heard a sharp honk from the car next to me. I looked up and saw an older man in a minivan shake his head at me. I got the message. "Put down your phone while you're driving."  Embarrassed, I dropped the phone like it had just bitten me.  I had two thoughts 1) I was surprised that he would take the responsibility of warning me to stop doing something so dangerous and 2) running through moral theories, I concluded that he had a right to tell me to stop "texting" because he was also using the road and I was potentially endangering his life. 

I had an immense amount of time on my hand (it's a long drive to my parents house.)  So, after watching this minivan driver go above and beyond, my thoughts naturally drifted to the subject of Christian civic duty.  Where does it start and how far does it extend?  The easy answers are either Christians are called to obey every law  (throw in a "Give unto Caeser" reference here, see 1 Peter 2:13, and  then spend some time visiting Romans 13:1-7).  Or, the other extreme,  Christians are only beholden to God's law; all other laws are outside the realm of Christian duty (cling to Acts 5:27-29).   Surely, neither option is right.  Neither extreme can fully capture what the expectation set in the Scriptures. Can they?  

The first option seems to call for blind Christian obedience to every applicable earthly law.   Laws (and, trust me, I know something about this--I play a lawyer on tv.)  are written by a random assortment of lawyers, business men, activists, teachers, and you name thems.  As a result they're sometimes dumb, badly written, amoral or just wrong. 

Let's discuss the most entertaining: Is it God's expectation that we follow dumb laws?  An internet search assures me that in Eureka, IL at one point it was illegal for a man with a mustache to kiss his wife.  Was every mustached man who refused to shave before he kissed in violation of God's word, because he was breaking Eureka law?  And, was his kisee wife also culpable?  Arguably, the man could easily shave in order to be in compliance.  But, the question is: As a Christian, does he have to?  (And also, does Mrs. Mustache have a Christian duty to Heisman Mr. Mustache whenever he leans in?)

The second extreme says Christians are not required to follow earthly laws.  That is, Christians only have to adhere to rules explicitly listed in the Bible.  This option is more of a problem for the well written, meaningful laws.  It's ridiculous to think God doesn't expect Christians to stop at red lights, serve criminal sentences, or only vote once during elections. 

That said, there has to be a middle ground, right? ...thoughts?

The Gospel

You hear sermons on everything these days--from serving God diligently, to God's love to really inappropriate topics like which candidate to vote for.  But, very rarely do people preach "the Gospel"--the why behind the behaviors, choices and changes we expect to occur in Christians.  So, here goes...open your bibles to John 3:16.  Alright, done.

No, just kidding.  This is really a key part of Christian faith. So, I think each Christian has to be able to  explain it without simply delegating the responsibility to scripture.  Here's my attempt:

There's one God and that God created all humans and everything else in existence.  God loves us all and wants to commune with us daily.  Despite this love and connection, most humans don't reach for God.  We, instead become enslaved by our misplaced allegiance to things around us (sin). This enslavement leads to a deep shame, loneliness and isolation from God and others.   In order to bridge the gap between God and us, God became flesh in the form of Jesus Christ and walked among us, sharing in our pain and loneliness.  Jesus Christ was crucified, seemingly through the acts of a jealous group of people, but really through our communal sin.  But, despite this crucifixion, Christ was not defeated. Christ rose from the dead--in the ultimate defeat of the power of sin.  That is, by rising from a death He was sentenced to because of sin, Christ overcame sin.  This victory is transferred to everyone who believes in Christ.  By simply believing that Christ is God and that He rose from the dead to free us from the bondage of sin, people are saved from the power of sin.  This salvation means that they have direct access to God.

Yay! "The Gospel" in one paragraph.  Thoughts?

Calvary Greetings!

Time for the rant of the week!  What does that mean?!  WHAT DOES "CALVARY GREETINGS" MEAN????

Some context: This is a greeting/intro given by many West African Christians--usually to other Christians.  (Please correct me if you have heard a non-West African who has not had contact with a West African use this term.)  As a West African Christian, I have heard this greeting over and over having no clue what it means.  I am just as sure that those using the term also have no idea what it means. 

I have done the research and the word "Calvary" only appears once in the Bible.  Trust me, it provides little or no insight to this greeting: 

"And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left."

                                                                                          - Luke 23:33 (KJV)

I will assume that most Christians know that Calvary is where Jesus was crucified (either through prior knowledge, or because you just read the verse above).  I am now tempted to give a long explanation on the Calvary/Golgotha distinction.  But, I'll resist and say this: Calvary is a Latin "translation" of Golgotha.  So, Golgotha and Calvary are the same place.  Golgotha as explained in the Gospels means place of skulls.  In other words, burial ground.  So, are people saying "Burial Greetings"? "Greetings from the Crucifixion sight of Christ"?  Or are they really informing us that they've been to Jerusalem and people from Calvary send their greetings? 

I ask all this because at this point in my life it has become obvious that a lot of my future will be dedicated to ministry.  So,  because of my ability to focus on the important, I have been pondering the type of greeting I will use.  Before I commit to "Calvary Greetings," I would really like to know what it means.

Thoughts?

The Religion of Law

I get asked a lot of questions once people realize I am a lawyer.  Once I talk about my faith, the questions multiply.  How can you defend guilty people?  How do you deal with having to lie all the time?  What about all the victims your clients have hurt?  Really, how can you defend guilty people?

Here's an excerpt of an interview I did on the subject.  Some of my answers are pretty glib, but, I agree with the general message...


         Do you  believe that right answers can be found in law?
         The law is a human construct, a very useful
         one, but a human construct none the less.
         So, though the ideal is justice, for the
         most part what we get is a workable
         system. 

and the moment you waited for.....

         How do you defend guilty people?
         This question is so irrelevant when you're actually within the  
         criminal justice system.  That's not the point of a good defense.

         As a defense lawyer it is not my job to "get my client off".  My 

         job is to present the facts given in the light  most favorable to

         my client so that a discerning jury or judge can determine whether

         they feel, based on that evidence, my client is guilty or not.  

         I'm not the judge or jury, so my client's guilt means very little to me.

         (The only time it even comes up is when I'm telling a jury/judge 

         to find my client not guilty or when I'm advising the client of how 
         the evidence looks.)

         It's a  flawed system in which people have to some extent arbitrarily
         defined  things we'll count as crimes and what the punishment will be
         for such things.  The most you can do is work within the 

         system we have now and trust that your personal God takes care of

         the situations our limited system cannot address.  

So, wow...there seems to be a bit of responsibility shirking in my last answer.  But, here goes--a nutshell explanation of why I do what I do.   People do bad things, very bad things to each other.  That said, even bad people deserve a fair trial. I'm more than willing to be the person who helps provides that.

What I think God wants from lawyers...

In Luke 11:46-52 Jesus speaks directly to lawyers, administering criticism.  At that time the definition of a lawyer was likely different.  Because the Torah was the law, a lawyer was most likely someone who studied the Torah and, as a result, had a deep knowledge of the law.  So, within this Biblical context, a lawyer was seen as an expert on God's Word. Yet, Christ's comments to them are not at all congratulatory, "Woe unto you also, ye lawyers!" Christ says, "For ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers."  (Luke 11:46, KJV)

These passages apply to lawyers today, though lawyers have taken a different role in society.  The law today is still a form of access. Our society has various levels from and into which people are restricted or admitted based on their understanding of the language of law.   For example, property ownership is governed by the law.  The more law you know, the better your chances of acquiring better property in exchange for less resources.  And, ultimately, the more law you know, the better your chances are of retaining this property and passing the property on to assigns of your choosing.  Lawyers are key to this exclusive legal system-- over time lawyers have established and maintained a system which limits non lawyers' access to the law. As a result, we have a monopoly on the law.  This system is analogous to the old 'legal' system of which Jesus speaks. Jesus' statement "Woe unto you lawyers! For ye have taken away the key of knowledge," (Luke 11:52 a, KJV) rings especially true in light of this legal alienation lawyers have set up.

Thus, in this type of system, the responsibility of lawyers seeking to submit to God's will is to ensure that we're not burdening others with our superior knowledge of the law.  That means, we have to be using this knowledge, this access, to create access for others.  Lawyers have to use the immense power we have been given with restraint--with the understanding that we hold that power as stewards of the Most High.  As people depend on us to lead them through the legal system for necessities such as freedom from unfair incarceration, the means to raise and protect their families, and the ability to freely express themselves through their religion and other speech, we have to make sure we are not blocking the door.  From the moment we take on a client, we have taken on the responsibility to faithfully lead them, the charge God has given us, through the jungle of the legal system.

Thoughts?