prophets? today? hmmm. . .

i would like to comment on a topic that is widely debated among us fellow baptists. did you know that if you put 3 baptists in a room and asked them to discuss a topic, you would get 8 different views? crazy, huh? but i digress. somebody once told me that certain gifts of the apostles are no longer valid, or to put it bluntly, have gone away. one of these is the gift of prophecy. now, there are two different meanings to the word prophecy, both relating to the root definition of "telling". one is forth-telling, meaning that the prophet conveys a message from God. this one is generally accepted, but only in limited circumstances. the other is fore-telling. this is the definition we see evidence of in the Bible, specifically in the Old Testament and the gospels. this literally means to tell of things to come. this one is the one that is specifically debated the most as being strictly a gift for biblical times. i, like many theologians, am not quite sure how i sit on this issue, and am convinced that it's not a hill worth dying on. however, i believe i recently saw evidence of both definitions of the gift of prophecy in two of my close friends.

ever since my recent job loss, i have talked with a few of my close friends about the situation and have gotten some wonderful support from them, for which i am extremely grateful. i mentioned one in my last post, who told me that he was praying for me that morning that i lost my job. thanks again, taz. moreover, he also told me that day after i called him and informed him of my job loss that i needed to wait on God and not jump on the first thing that came my way just because of the perceived need for a job and money. then, i talked with another very close friend in south carolina. mike told me that i did not need to put God in a box. he told me that he didn't know why, but God was saying to him to tell me to be open. he said if someone asks for your resume, give it to them. if you hear about a job, talk to them. "you can always come back and say, 'no!'"

"okay, chris," you're saying, "what's so odd about that?" well, if any of you were with me about 2 years ago when i was looking for a job in this area, you will remember that there was not much to be found. so i was expecting much of the same this time around. however, here are just a few of the things that have come my way since monday. i was offered active duty with the navy as a recruiter during my reserve weekend. this is very much a possibility. i was told about a youth pastor position at the big church down the road from us that recently came open. i was informed about another youth pastor position that is open at another church here in town. then, this morning, i was called by the chief of chaplains at comnavresforcom (military alphabet soup meaning reserve headquarters) and i am being offered two months active duty in yokusuka, japan. while this is not permanent, it would be a significant amount of money that would help take care of us while i look.

so i said all that to say this, i haven't even finished updating my resume yet and already, my prophets', er friends', words are already coming true. this means that i really need prayer as to where God is wanting me to go. the navy is VERY tempting, especially looking at the financial side of it and my enjoyment while serving. the negative is that with the two month stent, that's two months away from my family. for those of you who know me, that is very difficult. my family is a top priority in my life, and being without them is like having to go without water. there are positives and negatives on each one. so your prayers for discernment are especially needed right now. i want the best, not just the good, as i said before. i will keep you posted on any new developments.

along came chris walking on the . . . glub. . . glub

ever tried walking on water? i did one time. i was fishing with my uncle in one of the many backwaters of the mississippi river in the delta and hooked a good sized bass. when i got it close to the boat, i leaned over the side to grab him and unbeknownst to me, my uncle also leaned with me to look. and then, as i went headfirst out of the boat and into the water, i happened to catch out of the corner of my eye, the sight of a six foot gator gliding into the water from the bank. not eagerly wanting to stick around and find out where that gator was going, i made for the bank, which was about 15 yards away. i made it to the bank, pole in one hand, fish in other, and was dry from the waist up! this wouldn't seem too amazing except that we were fishing in about 7-8 feet of water! that was my only experience in walking on water, except for this weekend.

i know in my last post, it sounded like i was mr super-Christian, completely trusting in God and not being phased by the circumstances at hand. well, to tell the truth, it has been far from that this weekend. while making my two and a half hour trek to drill in meridian, ms, i found my mind wandering quite a bit. it typically followed this path: lori brings home x-amount of money on her check, we have bills a, b, c, d, e which total y. y is greater than x. panic. worry. knot in my stomach and lump in my throat. then, God would remind me that He's in control. this scenario played itself out numerous times throughout the weekend. it also did not help that i was alone in the evenings most of the time so i would have plenty of time to just think. my water walking quickly turned to water treading.

it reminds me of peter. peter is personally one of my heroes of the faith. perhaps because i relate to him the most. when we read the story of peter walking on the water, we tend to piously think, "come on, peter. how could you lose faith? you were on the water walking!" however, being a sailor, i have learned a few things about the sea. one, you get out to sea, and you can't see land, no matter how high you are. that can be unnerving in and of itself. two, the waves out at sea can get pretty large. our carriers' flight decks sit anywhere from 11-17 stories off of the water, depending on the size of the carrier. there are waves at sea that are higher than the flight deck when you sail into high seas. these weren't little choppy waves that peter was walking on. these were waves like you see in the movie "the perfect storm". monstrous walls of water that would capsize a small boat in no time. so before you start thinking that you would be dancing on the waves like gene kelly in "singing in the rain", ponder peter's predicament. he's not walking on a glass surfaced sea, he's climbing waves. it's no wonder he looked around and panicked. that's what i found myself doing this past weekend. i looked around at the seemingly insurmountable waves cresting over me, threatening to pound me to davy jones's locker, i got scared.

that leads me to my favorite part of the story. peter called out to Jesus to save him, and the Bible says that Jesus reached out and grabbed peter. it didn't say that Jesus "ran over, jumping waves, to get to peter just before he went under for the last time. it said that Jesus was already right there. he knew that peter would sink. i personally do not believe peter even got his neck wet, much less went under. it says he began to sink. Jesus caught him before he even was in imminent danger. and every time i started to go under this weekend, God would speak to me in that still small voice, saying "I gotcha." He would sometimes use a fellow brother or sister in Christ that would call me or text me during a low time to encourage me. what a wonderful God we serve! so thanks to all of you for your prayers, your encouragement, and your calls! God has used you in ways that you never realized! i thought back to friday morning, when my friend taz called and left a voice mail on my phone telling me that he was praying for me, because God had placed me heavy on his heart that day. even before i knew what was awaiting me at 1500 that day, God was already activating His prayer warriors to lift me up! thank you!

finally, to my amazing, beautiful, loving wife. you are my best friend. your support during these last few days has meant more and done more than you could ever know! i used to hear stories at behavioural health from men whose wives had left them because they had lost a job. you have shown amazing strength and have been an inspiration to me! i am truly blessed to have a wife as wonderful as you! thank you!

so to everyone out there who is venturing out over the side of the boat, remember to keep your eyes on Christ. do not rely on your own strength, for it will leave you sinking. speaking of which, does anyone have a life-jacket i can borrow for the next little while?

Going, going, gone . . .

time to put my money where my mouth, er fingers, are. in a previous post, i talked about trusting God. well, turns out life has a sense of irony, or God has a sense of humor, or maybe a little of both. either way, i am now without a job. i have done my grieving this afternoon, and the numbness has worn off, and now i am staring down reality barrelling down the tracks at me and wondering how God is going to derail that train before it hits me full force. regardless, God is in control and is sovereign, and He is going to provide for me. as i said before, my supply is God, not north mississippi medical center (all our best, right?) and He knows my situation even before it happened today and already has a plan in place. just wish i could get in on the joke.

the cherokee indians had a very interesting ritual of a boy becoming a man that comes to mind right now. when the time came for a boy to make the transition into a man, his father would take him out deep into the woods and would sit him on a stump blindfolded. the boy's instructions were simple: do not take the blindfold off, do not call out, and do not get off of the stump until morning, at which time his father would return. he then was left by his father to spend the night on that stump blindfolded. while there, he would hear all kind of sounds that were terrifying to the young boy away from the safety of his village. his mind would be filled with the images of wild animals surrounding him, savoring the easy meal to come. every ounce of his being wanted to take the blindfold off, get off of the stump, and run. but run where? it was dark and he had no idea where he was or how to get back. so he sat. by the time morning came, his skin was so sensitive to the atmosphere around him, that the warmth of the sun's rays could be felt, alerting him that morning had arrived. when he took the blindfold off, he would find that his father was sitting just behind him, having spent the entire night there. even though he felt as if he had been abandoned to the beasts of the forest, reality proved to be that he was being protected from them by a warrior far more skilled than he, one that loved him and would give his life to protect him. God is the same way.

right now i am being marched into the forest, blindfolded. i can already hear the strange sounds of unfamiliar territory. i know the one secret that the young cherokee lad did not, however: that my Father is there with me, protecting me, and has already given His life for me. i can only imagine what kind of warrior God is preparing me to be at the end of this test. what a wonderful God we serve!

Happy Daddy's Day!

i was awakened from my migraine this morning by my two young sons, Gavin and Nathan, who came in saying "Happy Daddy's Day!", beaming and grinning from ear to ear with a present in their hands. as much as everything in me wanted to pull the covers back up over my head and black out the light and sound, i wouldn't have missed this wonderful God-given opportunity to love on my boys. they got me a cool "life is good" shirt with a guitar player on the front! while my migraine prevented me from exiting my bed and going to worship with my sons, it is still a day of worshipping the God who has so graciously blessed me with two of the best sons a dad can have! now, most dad's say that, i know. but the reason that every dad can say that is because their sons are the best, specifically tailored for them by our heavenly Father, whom the Bible says knows how to give us good gifts! He has given me the best daddy's day gifts in my two bestest buddies! now, if you will excuse me, i'm going to take some more migraine medicine and find a dark place in hopes that i can knock this thing out so i can hopefully take my oldest fishin' this afternoon! happy daddy's day!

Father knows best . . .

as i spend a lazy saturday trying not to fall asleep on my couch, i ponder on the topic of fatherhood. one of my favorite channels on tv to watch is tvland. this is mainly because it is one of the few channels that i can watch and not be overly concerned about the content my young boys are being exposed to. i bring this up for the purpose of contrasting the view of fatherhood from days past to the view of fatherhood prevalent today. our entertainment is a direct reflection of the values held by the society that creates it, as has been the case throughout history. therefore, if we were to look at some of the shows that are on television today, what would we learn about fathers? the simpsons portray the father, aka homer simpson, as nothing more than a blithering idiot who has no control over, not to mention little respect from his children. compare this to the fathers on tvland from past shows such as leave it to beaver, and like shows, and you'll see my point. the same dismal view of fathers is present on the radio as well. there is currently a commercial for a cell phone company that portrays fathers as clueless, loveable guys that should be appreciated as such. while some may find this trend amusing, i for one find it disturbing. what does it say about us as fathers? it says that we have abandoned our calling as a whole. working at the hospital, i see a flood of babies being born to mothers without a father around. to add to that number, i have youth from past and present groups whose fathers have left them. it's no surprise that fathers have become the laughing-stock and much lamented group of human beings among today's generations. this has astounding implications not only for today's family, but for today's churches and theology as well.

how does this impact us today, you ask? in quite a few profound ways. one, is in the survival of the nuclear family. many young adults have become so disillusioned with the family that they grew up in that they have abandoned the traditional marriage commitment and have instead opted for living together. this inevitably results in a chain reaction effect on fathers abandoning their children because there is no longer a strong commitment to an institution greater than the two entities to hold a couple together. so it's very easy for men to go around to different places fathering children by different women in different areas, as if they were setting up franchises. they have become nothing more than glorified sperm donors. also, if fathers are shirking their role, then the cycle continues as our young men have no one to mentor them as to what it means to be a father. they are merely acting upon the ideologies that their experiences have taught them.

this leads to another problem perpetuated by our dwindling fatherly responsibilities. our young men have become a generation of men raised by women. i know this will spark some controversy, but i will bear saying it anyway. i will then open my arms to make it easier for those in disagreement to crucify me. psychological studies have shown that men who fail to make a connection with their fathers or another strong male role model have a greater propensity for homosexuality and gender identity issues. with absentee and derelict fathers, it's no surprise that the homosexual lifestyle is increasingly growing in exponential rates. the women of today's generations are not immune to this growing cancer. girls who do not have the love and affection of a father are more likely to seek it in other places. to quote buckwheat, eddie murphy's character for snl, they are "wootin por nub in aw da wong paces." this has contributed to our teen pregnancy and std rates growing to record numbers. while i know that the fatherhood crisis is not the sole cause of these calamities, it is a major player.

however, the most important effect that our fatherhood crisis has on today's generations is in terms of our theology. there is a growing trend that doesn not like to refer to God as a Father. and why should they? their fathers have been so useless and detrimental in their own lives that the idea of an all powerful father is not comforting by any means. a good picture of today's attitude towards God is the following quote from the movie fight club:

our fathers were our models for God. if our fathers bailed, what does that tell you about God? you have to consider the possibility that God does not like you, He never wanted you, in all probability He hates you. it's not the worse thing that can happen [cause] we don't need Him. [forget] damnation, [forget] redemption. we are God's unwanted children? so be it!

it is this attitude that i believe has led to the rise of feminist theology, perpetuating the notion that God is a female. this is blasphemy and a direct contradiction of Scripture. but this is the bed we have made, and unless we strip it and remake it, we must continue to lie in it.

fathers, we have to reclaim our roles. we have to start living up to the blessed position that God has graced us with if we are to ever salvage future generations of fathers!

Gas, Groceries, and God

yet another day has gone by and i have once again been approached by numerous people complaining about the high prices of food and gas. while listening to one such person, it suddenly occurred to me that i had seen this very attitude within myself as of recently. i also realized that it is something that is discussed frequently from the pulpits of countless churches across our land. now, this entry is not to support the many theories out there about the possibility that we are in the end times as talked about in St. John's Revelation (as opposed to the much mispronounced "Revelations", a pet-peave of mine!), rather it is to discuss the unbibilical attitudes that are plaguing our churches. many have resorted to avoiding the news stations because they get depressed after a 15 minute session of news reports. the problem that hit me today is our reliance on everything but G-d.

Phillippians 4:19 says that G-d shall supply ALL your NEEDS. first, our supply comes from G-d. not from the government's tax rebate incentive bone that they threw us last month. yet the government acts as if we should all be lifting our hands and singing its praises for giving us back some of the money that we gave them. moreover, many Christians have been duped into doing just that. if we would take our eyes off of others for our provision, others who are limited even in what they can provide, we would be able to focus on G-d's provision and rest in Him.
second, the verse says that G-d will supply ALL. not some. ALL. that means G-d knows about (gasp) the price of gas. and He knows about the price of (gasp) food as well! He also knows what our income is. hold on to your hats here, folks. he knows how much your taxes and other deductions are and the difference between your net and gross income! i know, that's just too much, right? what's really going to bake your noodle is that He knows EXACTLY how much money you need to make it to the next pay day. so, if G-d knows all of this, do you not think that He can provide the money for the gas in your car? what about food? is He not the one who created the organisms that our food comes from? so is He not able to make sure that you have food? and even if He does not provide for you in the way you expect, is He not able to give you the grace needed to make it through hard times?

that brings us to the final thing that His Word says: all your NEEDS. that does not mean all your wants. sorry joel osteeen, but G-d is not obligated to give us a 6 bedroom mansion, nor is He obligated to give us prime rib from the choicest black angus cattle at every meal. no. He says He will meet our NEEDS. the problem is that we don't know what our needs are. we think we know. moreover, too many times the line between needs and wants becomes muddied. however, Almighty G-d, who created our bodies and our minds, knows exactly what our bodies need to function to carry out His will for our lives. He promises that He will take care of us. period.

so, the next time you watch the news, throw your head back and laugh at satan as he pitifully attempts to discourage us to take our eyes off of G-d for our provision. after all, even if we lose wealth, health, and body, if we are in Christ, then we are still better than we deserve! Aei Pistos.