7 minutes

"In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us." Titus 2:7-8

A friend from my church sent out a link to this video and asked people to react and start a discussion. I was so inspired that I decided to share it with the world (or at least the imaginary people who read my blog).

Before we go on, check out Keith Oberman's special comment from MSNBC concerning Proposition 8 (to rescind legal gay marriage) in the recent California election:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnHyy8gkNEE

The first almost 5 minutes are truly amazing- I wish that more Christians spoke with such love, logic, and compassion. The problem begins, however, when Keith starts representing God. Our understanding of love, logic, and compassion are feeble when compared to our holy Creator. God IS love and truth. God designed marriage, and it models Christ’s relationship with the Church. Redefining the parties of marriage is just another expression of “original sin”- mankind determined to be equal with God. By disregarding God’s design, we are attempting to usurp God’s role as designer and, ultimately, Lord.

This current debate is similar to feminism which attempted to reorder the heterosexual picture of marriage. There were legitimate abuses of biblical headship that the women were right to be freed from- but the mission became more: not simply a “revolution” (literally returning to the original right way), but a “new order” with women assuming headship, too. I believe that the liberal media has a similar mission by making statements such as this one made on MSNBC. I can’t imagine a network giving a Christian leader like Rob Bell or John Piper almost 7 minutes on television to lovingly, logically, and compassionately plea with America to hear about Christ's sacrifice and be saved from an eternal hell.

May we as Christ’s ambassadors not fuel the gay marriage activists hurt by legitimizing their arguments through self-righteous attacks or slanderous jokes. The Church has definitely been less-than-Christ-like in these debates. We should take opportunities to defend the truth with our secular votes, but not with personal attacks or prejudice. How would a homosexual feel around you? Would they see Christ or simply “Conservative Christian politics”? Will you invest 7 minutes in your network of friends this week to show them the love, logic, and compassion of your faith in Christ?

in Christ,

Brad

slide show

Captain, I have a reading...

Sorry for this quick interruption from the Alpha Quadrant, but this is so cool...

http://klv.mrklingon.org/

(In case you didn't follow that link: it takes you to the online version of the KLV, that is, the "Klingon Language Version" of the Bible. You know, from Star Trek? Read on, if you aren't offended... and if you are, then you've proved my point...)

My inspiration, in short: Be You. Rather, embrace who God made you to be. Follow the unique path that God has laid before you.

This KLV Bible may look like a total waste of time (or even blasphemous) to some, but who knows how many lost souls might hear the Gospel for the first time (in Klingon, yes) just because they are "trekkies"?

Many trekkies hold a humanistic and evolutionary worldview (the dream of Star Trek's creator is that mankind will intellectually evolve past what we would call the problem of evil and sin). How great is it that a "lost" trekkie may find this website out of curiosity or amusement and stumble onto the words of Christ!?!

And secondly, just how many hours did this guy spend translating the Bible into Klingon? A Christian with a judgmental spirit (I think that some people believe that this is a spiritual gift!) may think that this guy wasted his time and should have been doing something more "spiritual", like reading the Bible or folding bulletins. He did! He would have had to pour over the Scriptures and soak in the message to translate it properly. This is way more "devotional", IMHO, than reading the latest Max Lucado book.

In conclusion, may we never judge someone else's ministry just because it is "alien" to our preferences and upbringing. They say that flamingos can ONLY eat when their heads are turned upside down. God made them that way! God made some Christians who become Bible translating "trekkies". How did God make you special?

Live long and prosper (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13),

Brad

Adam & Eve: Checking for Chicken

“Which came first: the chicken or the egg?”

I remember, as a young child, sitting in my grandmother’s back yard one summer and really wrestling with that philosophical issue. (Seriously… I’m such a nerd.)

Years later, I got saved, started reading my Bible, and- voila- the answer was there in plain English (well, not PLAIN English. People were still reading KJV back then). THE CHICKEN CAME FIRST AT CREATION (Gen 1:24-25). Problem solved, philosophical dilemma conquered. I then moved on to “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll pop?”

It is amazing how often we DON’T look to the Bible for answers- even on “Bible issues”. (I put that in quotes because I believe that everything is a “Bible issue”- there are biblical principles that apply to every area of life, no matter how obscure or “unspiritual” they may seem. EVERYTHING is “spiritual”. There is no Hebrew word for “spiritual”… For most of history, God’s people never divided their lives into “sacred & secular”. T'shuva. But that is a blog for another time…)

We often even forget what the Bible says about the subject of “worship”, instead relying on experience and personal judgment. The central issue to life. Everything that we do is either WORSHIP or ANTI-WORSHIP. (Again, a subject for another time…)

I have a lot of conversations about worship. I find that very few people have put a lot of thought into defining “worship”. It took 13 years in music ministry before I actually heard a complaint that could be analyzed by Scripture. It seems that most people’s definitions of worship (that I've encountered) are centered on musical style, experiential preferences, and “what I grew up doing”.

So which came first- the chicken or the egg?... or, in our case: How do you define “worship”? I would love to hear your thoughts. Please send them to bbailey@lifecharlotte.com.

Next time, we’ll look at the rest of the Creation story (what happened after the chicken came along) to see if there IS something there that should influence our definition of “worship”.

I’m egg-cited to hear your perspective,

Brad

hello from Bradsville

Hello, blog readers everywhere! 

Just a quick note to initiate the blog page...

There are so many things to blog about. I'm sure that some news about the family, upcoming gigs, and theories about this season of "Lost" will show up now and again, but I will try to keep my comments centered on the topic of worship, and not just fluffy commercial devotional sooth saying... but I'll track some of my observations as I am studying worship in the Bible from cover to cover. The findings are interesting, to say the least.

This may take a while... But just a thought to hold you over:

Why isn't "worship" mentioned in the Creation story in the book of Genesis?

until next time,

Brad