In the News

Every day I scan the national and regional headlines, largely for my own entertainment, but also to see if I can find instances of God's working in and through the Church. In the past few days it seems that there is a lot going on. Here are a few headlines and links to a few of the stories.

• Christian Singer Steven Curtis Chapman Copes with His Daughter's Death Through Music
• The Greek Orthodox Church Acts on Public Crucifix Ban
• Evangelist Tony Alamo Sentenced to 175 Years on Sex Charges

It seems that each day there is good and there is bad being reported about the Church or those who call themselves Christians.

Steven Curtis Chapman's story, if you're not aware, is heart-wrenching. He lost his 5-year-old adopted daughter 18 months ago to a tragic accident involving a car driven by his teenage son. He wrestled with the questions any sane person would wrestle with in times of grief. Is God good? Does He care? Why does He allow bad things to happen? The result of his searching was put into music, as SCC stripped away the polished pop production and just recorded his honest emotions in song as they crept into his heart. The Chapmans have been through a lot of grief in the past 18 months. Yet they still continue to believe in the God who loves them and sees to their every need. Even in times of their grief.

The Greek Orthodox Church is fighting a battle long lost here in America. The Church has been a major part in the development of modern Greece, and for centuries crosses have been on display in public buildings and school classrooms. Now a humanist organization is taking direct fire at such displays, claiming they infringe on the freedom of religion that Greek law guarantees. I can see their point, to be honest. Yet I also see the continued deterioration of the Church's influence and relevancy in Europe. It used to be that the Greek and Roman churches influenced law. Now it seems they influence little. With the evangelical and Protestant churches also suffering poor attendance and increased government intrusion, it's sad to say that the secularization of Europe is almost complete.

Finally, we have the ongoing saga of another creep in an evangelist's mask. Tony Alamo once stirred up followers with emotional vigor to prepare the world for the end times. I remember parking outside an Academy Sports store in Lewisville one day a few years back and being approached by an Alamo follower. He handed me a flier and asked me some questions I cannot now remember. It was my first introduction to Tony Alamo Christian Ministries. Little did that poor sap know, 75-year-old Tony was involved in horrifying child abuse, transporting underage girls across Arkansas state lines for sexual purposes and even indulging himself. Now he's going to jail for the rest of his life. He still claims innocence but circumstances say otherwise. Church leaders are to be "above reproach" and Tony's behavior was way below the reproach line. Sadly, the assistant U.S. Attorney pointed out in honesty that, "Not only did (the girls) entrust their lives to him, he did it in the name of God. And he betrayed their trust." How awful!

Keep praying for the Church around the world today. There are some positive stories mixed in the negativism that has become the norm. Pray that the Church of God may become salt and light in this world and influence culture in a way that lifts high the name of Jesus and proves the message of the gospel to be what we all have known it to be -- relevant.

Be God's!

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Grace... Explained the Skit Guys' Way

I absolutely love The Skit Guys, a comedy duo that writes and performs skits for student ministry and adult congregation audiences. In this video, Eddie James and Tommy Woodard act out several funny scenes to describe the amazing grace of God.

Be prepared to suspend belief and have some fun.

Be God's!

A Whirlwind of Thoughts

Been awhile since I last posted on Growing Young. I'd love to excuse this e-absence by citing my personal laziness but that's not the case. Life has just sped up for me. Mega fast. Mixed into a busy holiday season of preparing and managing promotional campaigns was the busyness of planning a flag football game for my singles group and the death of my grandfather in Louisiana. As I write this entry, I'm planning another trip to Acadiana (French Louisiana) for my grandfather's funeral. He went to be with the Lord today after a terrible battle with lung cancer. He was 84 and a significant blessing to my life.

Over the last two weeks I have had a variety of thoughts that I'd like to share with you.

DEATH

• Saying goodbye is never easy. As my grandfather lay in his hospital bed I placed my hand on his limp shoulder and said "I love you" over and over again. I could think of nothing more eloquent to say. I then drove for 45 minutes in stunned silence. I was doing okay emotionally until it was time to leave. Then I lost it.
  
• Suffering is not the best way to die, but it often cannot be avoided. My grandfather struggled for breath and fought various symptoms for days. He was on morphine and other drugs constantly towards the end. I don't know how much pain he was in but the suffering was obvious.
  
• Having a close family is a joy during times of trial.
  
• Hospice has to be one of the toughest jobs one can have. Caring for the dying is one of the ultimate acts of servitude. I couldn't do it.
• Dealing with death turns even the strongest of persons into a soul needing support. It was tough watching my grandmother care for her husband of 63 years. Very tough. Yet tender at the same time. Makes me cry even now.
  

It has been a tough few weeks for me and my family. Please keep us in your prayers.

Be God's!

Of Celibacy & the Church

I just read an interesting article by Marcy Hintz on Christianity Today's website calling for the respect of celibate singles in the Protestant church. Here it is:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/article_print.html?id=58801

There is nothing wrong with being single, no matter what age you are. Singleness is not a sin. In fact, it is a blessing. And "celibacy" means more than just being single -- it is an intentional decision to not pursue marriage in order to serve the Lord and serve His Church. Celibacy is intentional single-minded spirituality.

I wish more unmarried believers would choose the path of celibacy and intentionally dedicate their lives, for however long God calls them to this state, to pursuing the Lord and serving His Church. I'm not a big promoter of lifelong vows of celibacy but favor short-term, determined periods of celibacy.

I thought reading Marcy's article was a breath of fresh air. So I thought I'd share.

-- Brother John

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What Makes You Happy?

My dad just read me parts of an article he gleaned from The Atlantic about a little-known 73-year-old survey of Harvard graduates called the Grant Survey. It had many purposes but what of its major tasks was to answer this question: What makes men happy? The survey followed a group of men from the late 1930s, through the war, and on to old age. The survey brought that question to the forefront of my mind: What makes you happy? What makes me happy? And...

Does what makes you HAPPY also make you HOLY?

Every human I know loves stuff. Some people love a lot of stuff, others a little, but we all cherish our possessions. I know that seeing my familiar possessions -- in my house, my car, my office, etc. sets my heart at ease. I like my stuff. I have way too much of it, maybe, but I like it. I tend to think I'd weep like a baby if I ever lost everything I had. All it takes is one little match, you know.

My stuff may make me comfortable but does it make me happy? In some ways, sure. Am I better off, spiritually, for having stuff or is my stuff neutral or negative to my spiritual life?

I know that I'm usually happy when I feel like I'm making a difference, either in someone's life or in the life of an organization. I'm most frustrated and unhappy when I feel useless to someone or something.

I'm happy when I'm not stressed for time. When I can take off on a Sunday drive and not care about getting back before dark or getting to bed early. When I can feel relaxed and not under deadline pressure. I'm most unhappy when I miss a sunset because I was frantically working indoors so I could go home.

I'm happy when I explore new places and meet new people. I love to travel. And I love to move. No, not the physical exertion of moving but the excitement of going someplace new and learning the streets and stores. I'm most unhappy when I feel stuck in one place for too long. How long is too long depends on the place and circumstance.

I'm happy when I can laugh freely and often. When I can learn something new. When I can play my guitar late at night by the fireside and enjoy creating new sounds (new to me) and remember old melodies. When I see an awesome movie. When I give gifts at Christmas.

Enough about me. What makes you happy?

I'm not asking, I'm just asking. :-)

Be God's!

They Are Second

I just saw this video and wanted to share it with you. It's from a great campaign called "I Am Second" that gives some celebrities and athletes an opportunity to explain how they have placed God first in their lives. This video features the quarterbacks of tomorrow's big UT-OU game. It really blessed my heart tonight.



Wasn't that great?!

Life After Death

I've been seeing and reading a lot of things lately about the afterlife -- from ghosts haunting a town to near-death experiences. Just this evening I sat down to check the world's news and ran across this CNN story about a Massachusetts woman who was "dead" for 57 minutes last April after suffering a heart attack and was resuscitated. She describes her experiences at the moment of death and what she saw and felt for the 57 minutes afterward. The hair of the back of my neck stood up when I read it. I suggest you read it, too, and we'll discuss after.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/10/16/cheating.near.death/index.html

Wasn't that interesting? (did you read it? really? all right. if you say so.)

There is certainly life after death. No doubt about it. The fact that our conscious selves don't cease to exist after death is clear from those who have been to death, experienced the afterlife just a little, and come back. They all tell similar stories about what happened. There are some variations, of course, as in any eyewitness account but the basics are the same.

1. The consciousness/soul separates from the body. It usually is described as a "floating" sensation and near-death people usually say they can look down upon their own bodies. "I floated right out of my body. My body was here, and I just floated away. I looked back at it once, and it was there," the victim, Laura Geraghty, said. There is no denying the existence of the soul. The body is perishable. The soul is eternal — it never dies. The Bible speaks of this clearly. "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands (2 Cor. 5:1)." In other words, we have two parts of us: earthly (body) and eternal (soul and spirit). The earthly will decay just as the earth decays. But the spiritual is given to us by God and will not decay.
   
2. There is a great sense of peace. People describe not pain or torment but peace. A calmness. As if striving is over and pain is no more. So it is with death. Here's how Laura described what she felt, "It was very peaceful and light and beautiful." I tend to think the peace they experienced comes from the knowledge that they don't have anything to fight anymore. Their life decisions have been made. Their future is not in their hands anymore. So there is a sense of peace.
3. There is a sense of majesty and energy though no one has reported seeing God (as if they could recognize Him). Laura said she was overwhelmed by "massive energy, powerful, very powerful energy." This really fascinates me because I wonder if she was starting to sense the presence of God Almighty. Or maybe it was the cardiac paddles the doctor was using to revive her. Don't know. But every character in the Bible who encountered the presence of God fell powerless to their knees. Remember Daniel? When he saw the angel of the LORD in Daniel 10 he was paralyzed and could not move. Same for John in Revelation 1.
   

I tried to watch a new show of Discovery Channel the other day called "Ghost Lab." The basic premise is this: a team of paranormal hunters go from haunted place to haunted place with scientific equipment and document the paranormal activity they find. The show spooked the stuffing out of me. I couldn't even finish the episode. You see, I DO believe that ghosts exist and, no, I don't think they are all demons at play. I have a theory that is just that -- a theory about ghosts. I can't prove it from Scripture or logic. If you're curious, ask me sometime.

There is life after death. And I'm placing my hope in God's word that when I die and my soul starts floating away, that massive energy will be God welcoming me to heaven, where I will see the saints and the angels. I'll see loved ones who have fallen asleep in Christ. I'll see different faces from different places and times. And I'll see God Himself in all three Persons. Whatever He looks like in whatever setting.

That is, unless someone shocks me back to earth.

I'm glad that Laura Geraghty has another chance in life and a new perspective. I hope she uses it to choose to follow God closer than ever before and cling to His promises for life after death.

Be God's!