I hear a lot of different things on the radio when I park people’s cars. One of the most prominent things, aside from country music, is the Mike Gallagher show. I think the man is a nut job, but most of the time I can at least tolerate him. Today, though, something happened on the show that really bothered me.
During a call-in segment about McCain’s renouncing of John Hagee as an endorsement, he flat out laughed at a caller who said he didn’t believe in God. If you don’t believe me, you can listen to the segment here (click the link entitled ‘McCain’s Pastor Problem”; the atheist caller is near the end). I sat there and listened as the caller was chided and then let go from the phone lines. I got out of the car before I could hear any commentary that may have followed. Read more »
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, “If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.” So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your ancestors! You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation. (Matthew 23:29-36 TNIV)
Deeply ingrained in our Christian psyche is this idea that our sin only effects us and those around us. The idea that punishment for the sins of our ancestors may rest upon us is totally foreign, and some might say unbiblical. Yet this is exactly what Jesus is getting at in this, His final indictment against legalism. Read more »
By Steve Case
Every time a new “teen sex” movie comes out there will always be parents who are up in arms over how this generation is going down the tubes. Sometimes it’s helpful to take a step back and see the bigger picture. A few years ago people saw American Pie as proof of a generation of degenerates. The next time you have a parent or adult who feels the need to decry sexual content in movies or television, remind them of the days of wholesome entertainment when Frankie Avalon starred in classics like How To Stuff A Wild Bikini and Beach Blanket Bingo. Sure, today’s youth may quote “This one time at band camp…” but their grandparents were throwing out lines like “I got ideas… and they’re all vile, baby!” This is also an opportunity to launch a discussion with your youth about whether or not teenagers change significantly over the years.
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. (Matthew 23:27-28 TNIV)
This indictment against the Scribes and Pharisees is almost identical as the one that came before it. On the surface, it even looks like He is saying the same thing. In a way, Jesus is, but He is taking it a step further. Read more »
The weekend was very relaxed. We left on Thursday afternoon and had Friday to recoup from the 6 hour drive. On Saturday morning, we were off to the church for a church-wide yard sale. This was basically a time for me to meet in person the people who were in the room when I had the conference call and also interact with other church members. We left there around 1:00.
On Sunday morning, I had an interview with 4 of the people on the committee. They asked some of the same questions that I was asked on the phone to get some further clarification on them along with, I believe, one or two other questions about missions and the integration of the small group and large group youth meetings and how I would go about that.
All in all, it seemed to go well. They have 3 people they are talking to, so I won’t hear anything for certain for 2 or 3 weeks. So…now it is back to just waiting and praying. Although, we both really hope this is where God wants us. We really like this church and this seems like a wonderful opportunity. Just keep us in prayer.
I have been asked a couple of times for some details about the congregation and church that I am being considered as youth pastor for, and I have avoided doing so for quite a few reasons. But, here are some things that may be of interest, although I am keeping it pretty vague until I have had a chance to make my visit. The church is Presbyterian, evangelical, mid-sized, and interested in the lives of its youth, hence why they have been moving fairly quickly in securing someone to lead them. That is all I will say for now.
On a completely different topic, Jenna Bush got married this week, which is cool and all. But does it really matter that it was closed to the media? Who really gives a rip as to what the ceremony looked like? No offense to anyone, but…Jenna Bush is no different than any other 26year old young lady. She wanted to get married, and did. Big deal. Could it be that she didn’t want to be a spectacle and that her father wanted to protect her from stalkers? Gosh…such horrible things.
On Wednesday evening, I received a call back from the church. I am headed there next weekend for a visit with them. They have a busy weekend with a church-wide rummage sale and some special services in general, and so they thought that would be a good time for me to come and meet and greet. There isn’t, at this point, a formal interview, but I was told the people would probably have a lot of questions for me.
Keep me in your prayers as it looks like this just might mean I am hired.
I just got off the phone with the church that I would really like to serve with. The conference call went smoothly. They asked a lot of tough questions, and I prayed to myself a lot (a lot of those little breath prayers) and answered as best I could. At the end of the interview, they asked me to think about when I could come down for a weekend and when I could start. The elder in charge of this stuff said he’d call me in a couple of days, at which time I find out if I move on to the next step, which is a visit weekend and then setting a start date. But it is possible that I will be going there for a weekend visit either this weekend or next weekend.
PLEASE pray! Pray hard with me!
One of the most obvious consequences of legalism is hypocrisy. In the case of the passage quoted above, Jesus is dealing with a spiritual hypocrisy. These men look wonderful on the outside, but inside they are still full of sin. They don’t “do” anything bad, but everything they do is tainted by the fact that they are full of “greed” and “self-indulgence.”
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