The Talented Skunk

There was one unexpected person present when the Grand Animal Council was summoned by the Great Lion. The sparrows with their beautiful voices were as usual amongst the first to arrive. The owls in all their wisdom were all present and accounted for. The creative monkeys also took their respective places of honor in the assembly, as well as the powerful tigers.

Yet everyone present was surprised to see that Mr. Skunk had also been chosen to be present. No one would dare tell him to leave, as his attendance implied that the Great Lion had some reason for his being there, and no one would ever doubt the Great Lion. Yet at the same time there was uneasiness in being in the company of the skunk, as most feared that one wrong word or action could upset the skunk and cause him to spray his stench all over the prestigious invitees. He did not possess the talent of the others who were present, but again, the desire of the Great Lion caused the assembly to accept him.

It must also be said that his presence at the meeting was also a mystery to Mr. Skunk. He was a humble skunk and wondered how such a person as he should be amongst such a prestigious Assemblée of animals. Nevertheless, he was honored by the invitation to come and eagerly awaited the Great Lion with the others.

They did not have to wait long until the Great Lion stepped forward to address the council. He was a majestic beast with a long golden mane and massive paws. His voice commanded a respect that was only outdone by the penetrating stare of his large brown eyes. He had complete control over the entire wilderness. He was known to be both wise and powerful, and there was not one animal in the assembly who would have dared say a word against his reign. The whole assembly hushed as he surveyed the crowd and his powerful, deep voice proclaimed:

“There is a great tragedy that has occurred in my wilderness. My sheep have come to be lost. As you all know, sheep are not wise like the owls, so I will need the help of everyone present to find and account for all of the lost sheep. Everyone make this your priority in the coming days, and the council will meet again in one week in the hope of having all of the sheep accounted for. I do not want my sheep to be devoured by the wolves in the wilderness. I have given you all talents, so I want you to use your talents to help you find the sheep.”

While Mr. Skunk was very happy to be included in the prestigious Grand Animal Council, he was greatly distressed upon hearing this charge from the Great Lion. Sure, the other animals must be well able to accomplish this task, as they all have such amazing talents. The elegant sparrows would be able to use their beautiful voices to attract many sheep, as their glorious melodies are able to charm even the most barbaric crocodiles. The owls would be able to use their great learning to reason out the exact location of the sheep and present clear logic to them so that they would all seek out the Great Lion. The monkeys would be able to use their artistic abilities to show the beauty of the Great Lion and attract the sheep to him. Even the potent tigers in all their power would be able to use their strength to cross the rivers and climb the mountains to rescue the sheep from the-hard to-reach places and defend them from even the fiercest of wolves. Being in the company of such impressive creatures, Mr. Skunk wondered what he brought to the table. Those that inhabited the wilderness generally tried to avoid him because of the potential stench that he could cause them.

Upon reflecting on his discouraging predicament, Mr. Skunk decided to first seek out the help of the more talented animals to see if there was some way he could assist them in what was sure to be a more effective method than what he could do. He first went to the sparrows to see if they wanted to solicit his help.

“Excuse me, my sparrow friends. You are known throughout the entire wilderness to have the most beautiful voices amongst all the living things. As I am not nearly as talented as you are, perhaps I can help you find the sheep.”

“Ah yes, finding the sheep,” said the first sparrow. “That is a very noble task that the Great Lion has given to us. Of course you can help us.”

“Yes, you are most welcome to help us,” said a second sparrow. “However, before we begin searching for them we are going to write a song for the Great Lion.”

Mr. Skunk was a little bit surprised by this response, as the charge that the Great Lion gave appeared to be a most urgent one. “I would like to help you, but I don’t think we should wait long, as there are many sheep that are lost in the wilderness.”

“You cannot put a time limit on our artistic task, Mr. Skunk,” the first sparrow retorted. “The Great Lion gave us the talent of singing, so we plan on singing. We prefer to do what we like to do to please the Great Lion.”

“Exactly,” added a third sparrow. “Once we have finished our song to the Great Lion, which he will no doubt appreciate, we will get started on this other task.”

Mr. Skunk was uncomfortable with this approach to finding the sheep, so he thanked the sparrows for inviting him to help but told him he was going to try to find another way to find sheep.

Being someone frustrated with the sparrows, Mr. Skunk contemplated that if anyone would think accurately about this task, it would be the owls. The owls were the sages of the wilderness and they would surely know not only how to proceed but also how best to direct the efforts of Mr. Skunk. Approaching the owls, he said:

“Good day, my owl friends. I was reflecting upon how to start finding the Great Lion’s sheep, so I thought that since you all are the wisest and most cunning creatures of the wilderness, perhaps I could work with you in this mission.”

“We would love your help,” one of the owls said with a long owl grin. “Yet I feel as if we have a greater responsibility towards this task since we are the wisest in the entire wilderness.”

“Yes I concur,” added a second owl. “Since the Great Lion has blessed us with wisdom, perhaps our role should be in telling all of the other creatures how to find the sheep.”

“I think that is a great idea!” exclaimed Mr. Skunk. “We can go out and look together, and as we go I will learn everything I can from you while finding the Great Lion’s sheep.”

“I fear you have misunderstood us,” the first owl replied. “We feel that going out and actually looking for the sheep would be a detriment to the cause because it would take up so much of our time. After all, the Great Lion gave us the talent of wisdom, so finding sheep is much better suited for people with other talents. Rather, we are in the process of writing a book that can teach all the different animals about how to find sheep. We like writing very much, and we prefer to do what we like to do to please the Great Lion.”

“The book is going very well,” another owl said excitedly. “We will be sure to save you a copy.”

Mr. Skunk was sure that they would write a very good book. He was somewhat confused at the owls’ reasoning, as by writing the book they wouldn’t actually be doing what the Great Lion said to do. Nevertheless, he knew the owls were much wiser than he was, so he decided to let them write their book and look for another way to find the sheep. He then turned to the monkeys and their creative genius’ for help.

“Hello, my monkey friends,” Mr. Skunk said as he approached the monkeys. “I know that you are highly regarded by everyone in the wilderness because of your creativity, and I was thinking that you would have all sorts of ideas about how to find the Great Lion’s lost sheep. Since I am not as talented as you are, I thought that you all might come up with a creative way that I could help you in this task.

“It is very kind of you to give us such compliments,” said the first monkey. “But we have presently started a task of our own that we think the Great Lion will appreciate very much, much more even than the finding of sheep. We are preparing an artistic dance to honor him at the next Grand Animal Council meeting.”

“Oh! We are so excited,” said a second monkey. “This is the best choreography that we have ever had. This spectacle will have a unique blend of pulsing percussion, ground rhythm and tree acrobatics. There is no doubt that the Great Lion will be very impressed!”

“He will be very impressed, indeed!” exclaimed another monkey with a joyful smile on his face. “And that is why we are all here in this wilderness, after all. We are here to be pleasing to the Great Lion. We just prefer to do what we like to do to be pleasing to the Great Lion.”

“Would you like to see what we have so far?” the first monkey asked.

Mr. Skunk opened his mouth to respond, but before he had the chance the monkeys had already started their show. A group of gorillas began to beat on massive drums and some chimps began swinging from tree to tree in rhythm with the drums. There were a group of orangutans dancing with torches on the ground, and all of it combined proved to be a very impressive showcase of creativity.

After the monkeys finished Mr. Skunk gave them applause and confessed truthfully that it was the best spectacle he had ever seen. He lamented, however, that this was not going to help him find the Great Lion’s sheep. He wondered why the monkeys were not looking for sheep, but he concluded that the Great Lion would surely appreciate their spectacle. Mr. Skunk, however, was determined to find the Great Lion’s lost sheep, so he left the company of the monkeys trying to suppress his envy of the monkey’s creative abilities.

After the monkeys Mr. Skunk decided he would see if he could help the tigers. The tigers were amongst the most powerful in the forest and were adept and able to reach the tough places. They had the speed to travel far away and the strength to climb the tallest mountains. Mr. Skunk concluded that the tigers with all their strength would be much more effective at finding sheep than he would, so he decided to offer them his services.

“Greetings my tiger friends!” he said. “You are known throughout the entire wilderness to be the most powerful animals that dwell here. There is no doubt that you will be able to find many sheep, and since you are much more talented than I am, I thought that perhaps I could be most effective in the Great Lion’s mission by helping you.”

“That is very kind of you, Mr. Skunk,” the first tiger declared. “We are most thankful to the Great Lion for making us so powerful.”

“Unfortunately,” a second tiger joined, “on account of the fact that the Great Lion made us so powerful we have many more responsibilities. I am not sure how much time we will have to go find sheep.”

“There are indeed many other tasks for us,” a third tiger added. “We must provide food for our families to make sure they eat very well so that our cubs can grow to be as strong as we are. We must also continue our strict strength regiment so that we can continue to be strong. We will continue to work out hard, and when the Great Lion sees all that we are capable of he will be happy with how we have used our talents to become even more talented. Besides, we have to protect the weaker animals that are not lost from the wolves as well. We like these responsibilities, and we prefer to do what we like to do to honor the Great Lion.”

“Yes, there is no doubt when the Great Lion sees our speed when we run and our strength when we hunt that he will be very happy with our strict regimen. After all, we must not be lazy.”

“Yes,” added another. “He will also appreciate the wolves that we kick out of the wilderness. We will rid this wilderness of all conflict.”

Mr. Skunk knew that the tigers would do this task very well. The dirty wolves were surely no match for the tigers and he felt much safer knowing the tigers were on his side. However, he still wondered why the tigers didn’t see the need to find the Great Lion’s sheep, but he knew that the tiger’s great power made them much more talented than he was, so he let it go.

Discouraged, Mr. Skunk realized that he was not going to find help in this task from the other animals. It was hard for Mr. Skunk to not be envious of the other animals. He wished that he had the voice of the sparrows, the wisdom of the owls, the creativity of the monkeys and the strength of the tigers. He did not have these things, however, and he realized that he must use the talents he had been given to find the sheep.

While pondering what he would do he came upon a pasture where he found five sheep. The sheep were dumb and they could not understand the language he was speaking, so he had to come up with another method to lead them to the Great Lion. The Great Lion had instructed him to use his talents, so he thought about the things that made him unique. He realized that he had a remarkable talent for making things stink. In fact, there was no creature in the world more talented at making things stink than Mr. Skunk, so he decided to use this talent to his advantage.

The sheep were travelling down a path that was leading them away from the Great Lion. Mr. Skunk scurried on ahead of them and sprayed their way with such a stench that would make even the most stopped up nose rebel against the direction of the disgusting odor. All five of the sheep squealed and turned around to abandon the direction that Mr. Skunk had sprayed. Mr. Skunk soon learned that it was fairly easy to direct them as long as he showed them that the only way that didn’t stink was the way that led to the Great Lion. After some travail Mr. Skunk succeeded in leading these five sheep near the spot where the Grand Animal Assembly met.

All week long the skunk labored like this. Mr. Skunk showed his resilience by scurrying up towering mountains and swimming across raging rivers to search out every sheep within a distance that he could travel. He was relentless in his service and by the end of the week Mr. Skunk had succeeded in leading ninety-nine lost sheep to the Great Lion. Mr. Skunk knew that he was not very talented and thought there was no way he could have found as many as some of the other animals, but he hoped that the Great Lion would be pleased. He was excited when all of the animals reconvened at the end of the week for their council meeting.

The Great Lion stepped forward at the council with all the animals assembled around him. “First,” he said, “we will hear from the sparrows. How many sheep have you found?”

The spokesman for the sparrows stepped forward. “Before we speak of this matter, Your Highness, we would first like to honor you with a song we wrote for this occasion.”

The sparrows then began their concert. They launched their chant in four part harmony with such precision that it seemed as if there were only four sparrows singing despite the fact that they numbered over forty. Those who heard their song were moved to tears and they met with a great applause from nearly all of the animals present. The one present who did not applaud, however, was the Great Lion.

“That was indeed a very pleasing song, but don’t forget that it is I who have given you the ability to sing this way. Yet our present task is to find the lost sheep so that they won’t be devoured by the wolves. How many sheep have you found?”

“I’m afraid we spent all of our time preparing this song, Great Lion. We thought it better to use the talents you gave us like we wanted to.”

The Great Lion’s patient face glared at the sparrows with a look of strong disappointment. “The question is not what you like to do, my young sparrows, but what needs to be done. You have disobeyed my commands and your singing has dishonored me.”

A great silence grew over the whole assembly as the dishonor done to the Great Lion had brought an intense shame to the sparrows. After a moment of deep dissatisfaction, the Great Lion lifted his head and turned to the owls.

“Owls, let us discuss your efforts. I have made you the wisest of all the animals. Surely you have brought many sheep to me.”

The speaker for the owls approached and said, “We reflected greatly on how we might best serve you. Since you blessed us with such an intellectual disposition, we decided that we could best serve you by writing a book for the other animals so that they might know how to find the sheep. After all, we like to write books and we thought that we could best use our talents by doing what we like to do. We are very pleased to present you with our Magnum Opus, entitled How to find the Great Lion’s Sheep.”

The Great Lion took the book and thumbed through it. I have enabled you to write this book with the talents that I have given you. However, we are here to speak about my lost sheep. How many sheep have you brought to me?”

The speaker for the owls quietly said, “We spent all of our time writing the book. We did not find any sheep.”

There was a piercing silence that came over the crowd. The entire Grand Animal Council held their breath in fear of being the one who broke the muteness that had befallen the wilderness. In the midst of this charged stillness the stare of the Great Lion’s strong brown eyes were cutting through the soul of the owl’s spokesman. The owl could not return the glance as he stared at the ground. The look of discouragement was now starting to boil. The Great Lion’s voice this time had a hint of anger as he said:

“I have not asked you to write a book. I have asked you to find sheep. I like books, but you have deliberately disobeyed my mission in order to make this one. This book will forever be the shame of your people. The question is not what you like to do, but what needs to be done. This book has dishonored my name.”

Great shame was on the face of the owls, and it was now present amongst the other creatures who had also not found sheep. The Great Lion then turned to the monkeys.

“Monkeys,” his powerful voice echoed, “How many sheep have you found?”

The speaker of the monkey’s stepped forward and said, “Before we discuss the matter of the sheep, allow us to present to you our new spectacle.”

Upon saying this, the gorillas began beating on their drums. They had not been playing them long, however, when the Lion roared so loudly that the entire wilderness shook. The gorillas stopped the drums and everyone turned to look at the Great Lion.

“How many sheep have you found?” exclaimed the Lion in a growing fury.

The monkey in great fear was staring at his feet when he said, “We did not find any sheep, your majesty.”

The Great Lion roared in such a way that the speaker of the monkey fled behind the Gorillas and their drums. “Tigers, how many sheep have you found?”

The spokesman for the tigers, in all of his proud strength, remained hidden from the Great Lion because of his understood disobedience. He did not even have the courage to admit his neglect of the Great Lion’s commands.

The Great Lion understood and roared. The assembly wanted to flee from his wrath, but knew they couldn’t run far. The Great Lion arose to all fours and began to speak:

“I have asked you to find the lost sheep. How many sheep have been devoured by wolves because of your arrogance? I gave you your talents to serve me with, yet you have used them to do the things that you like to do rather than the things that need to be done. Do you not know that I desire mercy and not sacrifice? Where did you get the idea that what you wanted to do was more important than what I commanded you to do? The question will never be ‘What do I want to do?’ The question will always be, ‘What has the Lion commanded?’ You have ignored my commands and have used your talents to dishonor my name. The songs of the sparrows, the books of the owls, the spectacles of the monkeys and the feats of the tigers have brought disgrace to me. Is there no one here who has found any sheep?”

Fearing the Great Lion and humbled by the problems he knew were in his own heart, Mr. Skunk meekly raised his hand. The Great Lion saw him and looked him in the eyes. Mr. Skunk was the first animal to return the glance, using his weak eyes to look into the depths of the giant brown eyes of the Great Lion.

“Mr. Skunk, have you something to report?”

“Yes, your highness,” Mr. Skunk responded timidly. “I found ninety-nine sheep and have led them here.” Upon saying this, Mr. Skunk scurried away behind where he was keeping the sheep, sprayed behind them and led them into the presence of the assembly.

A tear fell from the eye of the Great Lion as he saw all of the sheep who had been lost but were now found. The sheep ran to the Great Lion and cuddled up against his mane, and the terrible anger that was on his face changed into jubilant laugher as he played with the sheep that had been found. The disturbing tension of the preceding moments had been transformed into a scene of holy gentleness that moved all of the animals present. After a few minutes of playing with the sheep in the presence of the assembly, the Great Lion turned his visage to Mr. Skunk.

“Well done my good and faithful servant!” he exclaimed with a giant smile across his giant mouth. “You did not receive the voice of the sparrows, the wisdom of the owls, the creativity of the monkeys or the strength of the tigers, yet you remained faithful to me. Come and reap your reward.”

Mr. Skunk came forward bashfully and the Great Lion seated him beside his throne and placed a crown on his head. “You have found ninety-nine sheep,” the Great Lion said, “but there is still one who remains lost. The Good Lion must leave the ninety-nine to find the one, and I will lose no sheep that belongs to me. While I am gone, you must lead these unfaithful animals and teach them to use their talents to do what I command and not simply what they like to do. For to him who is faithful with a little, more will be given.”

Mr. Skunk no longer cared that he couldn’t sing like the sparrows or reason like the owls. The creativity of the monkeys and the strength of the tigers likewise no longer appealed to him. Rather, the smile of the Great Lion had been worth all the work that he had done, and he now knew that he had all the talent necessary to serve the Great Lion in the way he wanted to be served. The other animals looked to the example of Mr. Skunk and brought honor to the Great Lion as a result of what they learned from him. This was plenty to content some old smelly skunk.

dev184 - The Gypsy's Prayer

Evil plans are an abomination to the LORD,

    But pleasant words are pure.

Proverbs 15:26

A few weeks ago during my trip to Rome I met a man with what I consider to be a very challenging job. His trade: being a witness of God’s love to a group of people who have a reputation for being the biggest crooks and thieves in the world – the Roma people. These roaming gypsies are known throughout Europe for their quick hands that are skilled at relieving you of your wallet and their clever scams that weasel you into giving them money. They raise their children to be as good as they are in these schemes, continuing a cycle of a people group whose entire goal is to be a leach on whatever country they live in while invading the fanny packs of as many tourists as possible.

This worker gave me some very fascinating insights about his experience working with these beggars and thieves. He told me that if I wanted to feel good about myself he could take me to preach to a large group of Roma that he could easily gather together. After I preach I could give an invitation in which 100% of those present would state that they want to give their lives to Christ. After this, I could come back to preach to them the next day, and again they would all give their lives to Christ. They would buy whatever I was selling.

Yet one of the most interesting things he told me was about a conversation he had with one particular Roma man. They were talking about prayer and about the need we have to express our dependence on God and ask Him for our daily essentials. In the course of that discourse the man said something that I found to be both ridiculous and disturbing. He said, “Oh yes, of course we should ask God for help. I ask God to help and protect me every day before I go out stealing.”

On the surface, this statement is laughable because of its absurdity. God is not in the business of helping people steal. Stealing is sinful and there is no excuse for someone living in and promoting this lifestyle. The Bible teaches that such a life is not compatible with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. One cannot plead ignorance to the wrongness of stealing, as everyone born under the sun knows in their hearts that stealing is wicked. Yet, for this man who has developed a lifestyle of sin, he has so blinded himself to his own injustices that he is asking the One who will see this stealing as rebellion to help him. He is asking the judge of the court to help him steal money from the state.

Do we ever get to the point in our disobedience that we ask God to help us be worse followers of Christ? Sadly, I think there are ways we can see this mindset running rampant in our society, though perhaps not as perceptibly as we see in this gypsy. Those who think that God exists to make them rich, heaping up for themselves treasures on this earth and ignoring the needs of the world all the while asking God to help them get more money, have they not become so delusional that they have become blinded to the fact that they are doing the same thing that this professional thief is doing? Those who pray that evil may be done to someone who needs the Lord or that God could help them keep their idols prominent are doing the same thing. It is scary to know that our sin can so deceive and indwell us that we could actually ask a righteous God to help us in such endeavors.

God is not going to help this gypsy in his plans. Evil plans are an abomination to the Lord and will receive his judgment. Let us watch carefully what we pray for, as often our prayers reveal what our greatest desires are. If our greatest desires are revealed to be the glory of the name of the Lord amongst the nations and in our churches and families, then let us continue earnestly in our supplications. If our prayers reveal our greatest desire to be burglary and idolatry, let us bow our self-deceived hearts in repentance. May our plans be committed to the Lord, and, if they are not, by all means in His mercy let them be thwarted.

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As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.

1 Timothy 1:3-4

On my recent trip to Rome I got the opportunity to visit the Sancta Scala, which is believed by the Roman Catholic Church to be the stairs which Jesus descended before Pilate in Jerusalem on his way to be crucified. I was excited to see these stairs on my trip, as I was not able to see them on my previous voyages to Rome. My desire to see them was not because I believed them in any way authentic or because I believed them to have some sort of redemptive power, but because they are an important landmark in the history of Protestantism and gave me a good reminder of the true nature of God. The story goes like this…

Martin Luther was searching for God. He had become a Catholic monk and was carrying the party line, teaching without reservations the sale of indulgences, which supposedly award people time away from the punishment of purgatory. Indulgences could be gained in all sorts of ways, from paying money to build churches to pilgrimages to relics and holy places. So, for Luther, he was very happy when he was sent to accompany another monk as a representative on a trip to Rome, the center of the Catholic world and a place where he could obtain many indulgences. He spent much time travelling around the ecclesiastical sites in the city, being discouraged by being rushed along by priests.

But alas he came to one of the most important sites, the Sancta Scala. At the time of Luther, the Church was telling the people that this staircase had been transported to Rome from Jerusalem by angels (they are proposing a different story today, of course). The pilgrim was instructed to climb each step on their knees, kiss the steps, and say an “Our Father” each time. After each step they did this they were to have earned themselves 9 years out of purgatory, with some steps earning double because they had crosses carved into them. If the pilgrim made it up every step, they were to be absolved from purgatory.

Luther did this. After kissing his way up the stairs and having reached the top, he looked back down and said, “Who can know whether these things are so.” Far from finding his peace with God performing these rituals, he left Rome with seeds of doubt that eventually grew into the Protestant Reformation and a rediscovery of the Scriptural mandate that the just will live by faith.

On my trip to Rome I decided not to go up the stairs on my knees. Rather, I took the side steps and looked down the steps as I watched many deceived people kissing the stairs that they thought would keep them from burning. It saddened me, because there will be no peace with God found there. These steps are a good representative for me of the religion of man, namely, rituals invented by the minds of prominent men and accepted by the masses because they want to do something to please God and be right with him. This desire is good and natural. This arrogance is evil and reprehensible.

Why is this arrogance? It is arrogance because it is affectively a declaration to God that we want to invent our own ways to Him and reject the one that He made. Jesus is the way to God, and it was through the cross that this way was paved. Yet the religions of the world agree in their denials of the path God showed when He came to us. After all, is there really any difference in a pilgrimage to Mecca, the abstaining from eating cows, or the ascent of holy stairs? They are all simply superstitions that deceive people into to thinking they can get to God some other way of their choosing, making God a liar and telling Him that the cross wasn’t necessary.

Luther found only dead ends when he was chasing relics and following ritual. Yet when he read the scriptures he found directions to the way that Christ had paved. The just will not live by ritual. The just will live by faith.

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Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change

    And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;

Psalm 46:2

As I write, it is Monday, September 12, 2011. Yesterday marked the tenth year anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks of 9/11, and our President Barack Obama read the above verse at the memorial event in New York. It was ten years ago when I was walking to class and overheard the news from a conversation going on behind me; ten years since the image of the towers smoking; ten years since the long lines at the gas station; ten years since the range of emotions that assaulted the hearts of Americans on that day where so much changed.

Historically speaking, the 9/11 attacks are probably the most significant event of my lifetime. The feeling of invincibility felt before that by Americans was shattered on that day. No one had any idea what to expect, as suddenly our world that we had for so long been able to control had now been shaken, even if it was for a short time, into chaos. There was a few brief moments of uncertainty about our own borders, and this insecurity was a novelty. I think this chaos produced different things in different people, and I remember clearly what was happening in my heart.

The evening of September 11, 2001, after a day of watching the news and processing with my University, I took my guitar and walked to the opposite side of campus where I could be alone. I still couldn’t see past the vague clouds that had made the immediate direction of the world unclear, but I had a great peace in the fact that I knew the ultimate direction of history. I knew that the world would continue to produce its madness until the return of the Lord, and while I wanted to avoid any end times conspiracy theories, that day more than any other made me realize that we had all just become one day closer to the return of our Lord. So, for me, despite the menaces that seemed to be threatening life as I had known it, fear was not an emotion that I felt after the 9/11 attacks; it was hope that filled my heart. This hope made me want to sing.

September 11 was once a current event. It is now a piece of history. History is safer. If we don’t like history, we “interpret” it in a different way or simply ignore it to protect ourselves. Current events do not give us that luxury. The sacking of the temple in Jerusalem, fall of Rome, the Civil War, and Pearl Harbor are now but pages in our history books, extremely important in the formation of our culture and largely ignored except by students who complain about the pointlessness of having to study history. Yet, if we would’ve been one who lived through such tragedies, the horrors of reality could not have been snubbed. September 11 was the only time in my life where I felt as if I was living in such a time, even though I was sheltered in a more obscure part of America. Yet, it was then where I think I was able to relate to Jeremiah who proclaimed “Great is Thy faithfulness” as the Jewish people were being exiled from Jerusalem. Augustine’s argument for Christians to be confident in the city of God while Rome, the city of man, was burning had a new meaning for me. I began to understand that the people of God should not fear, though the world change and the mountains be thrown into the sea. History belongs to the Lord, and our present sufferings and the world’s current rebellions are merely the part of history that we are experiencing. While it feels uncontrolled and chaotic, the Christians who have gone through such times have understood that there is one who is Sovereign over the events that take place during our days.

It is in this spirit of hope, therefore, that I still sing.

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“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires”

2 Timothy 4:3

I have been recently reading the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Being an American, Franklin is a man who is of great interest to me. Undoubtedly a genius, Franklin made contributions in fields ranging from the American government to electricity. Yet, as I have read through his words, my respect level for this man has actually dropped, as I think he had a big problem with his philosophy on life.

On one occasion in his life, Franklin decided that he wanted to achieve moral perfection for the sake of being a good citizen. He made a list of all the vices that he could think of and determined to rid his soul of their influence. He would take the first vice he had listed and attempt to live a few days without falling into that error. Then, after achieving perfection with that sin, he would move on to the next. What he had not understood, however, was that to even attempt this was to open the door and commit an even graver vice.

His friends began to complain that his attempts were causing him to become proud. It is evident throughout his autobiography how his pride had eaten his soul. He did try to correct his pride after being rebuked, but he came to see that he could never conquer it. The reason it was insurmountable to him is extremely evident to me. Ben Franklin rejected Christ.

He recounts how, being raised Presbyterian but having problems with some of his doctrines, he visited a Presbyterian church after he moved to Philadelphia upon being befriended by the pastor. Although he went a few Sundays in a row, he stopped going because he didn’t like the preaching. The pastor preached the doctrines of Christ and not morality. He said, “His discourses were chiefly either polemic arguments, or explications of the peculiar doctrines of our sect, and were all to me very dry, uninteresting, and unedifying, since not a single moral principle was inculcated or enforc'd, their aim seeming to be rather to make us Presbyterians than good citizens.”

Now, having an understanding of Presbyterian doctrine and being much in agreement with much of the basics that they believe, it is easy for me to see what happened. The pastor taught that moral perfection was impossible. It was only in Christ that righteousness could be found because all people had a sinful nature. Sound doctrine required that Franklin give up his quest for moral perfection, admit not only that he couldn’t do it but that he had committed tremendous and eternal errors against His Creator, and bow before Him in humility. He had attempted to conquer his pride with more pride, while Jesus was his only answer.

Franklin’s life communicates the problem with a morality system that seeks legitimacy without God. Sure, one can become a good citizen and benefit others (who could argue that Franklin didn’t do that), but that worldview will cause even the good things that one does to rise up against his own soul. One cannot put their own deeds in perspective without the Lord.

While I do not know the content of this particular pastor’s sermons, I can affirm that Franklin’s ideas about what ought to be preached were not the answer. Teaching morality was not necessary, as God has already communicated right and wrong to the hearts of each person born into this world. The message people need is the sound doctrine that teaches us how to respond when we realize that our attempts for moral perfection are done in vain and that a righteous judge must judge sin. Some want to have their ears tickled and be told that what they are doing is good and that they don’t need to change. Those will surround themselves with teachers that won’t challenge them. But those who want Christ need to have their pride shattered on the sold rock of the gospel.

While having your ears tickled might be a lot more comfortable than the assault the word of God takes on our pride, in the end it will cause great damage to our souls. Blessed is the pastor who brings the heat.

dev180 - Version Française

“Grâces soient rendues à Dieu, qui nous fait toujours triompher en Christ, et qui répand par nous en tout
lieu l'odeur de sa connaissance !”

2 Corinthiens 2:14

J'ai eu le coeur brisé en entendant parler de la tragédie en Norvège. Pendant les trois années que j'ai passées en Europe, j’ai developpé un grand respect pour ce pays. Je n’ai pas été content, cependant, du traitement de cette histoire par les medias, car il me semble qu'ils se sont plu à mettre sur l’assassin une étiquette de “chrétien fondamentaliste.“ En mettant l’accent sur cette étiquette, ils ont laissé entendre que ce sont les croyances d’une vision chrétienne fondamentaliste du monde qui provoquent de telles atrocités. Etant moi-même un chrétien fondamentaliste (selon ma definition du mot “fondamentaliste“), je prends cela non seulement comme une offense mais également comme la preuve d'un journalisme irresponsable.

Peut-etre qu'il est facile de comprendre pourquoi je me suis offensé, mais pourquoi parlerais-je de journalisme irresponsable ? Parce que je crois que les chrétiens qui s’en tiennent à l'enseignement fondamental de Jésus devraient maintenant être mieux vus. Après tout, ce sont des chrétiens fondamentalistes qui ont été les premiers à arriver à la Nouvelle Orleans avec de l'aide après l’ouragan Katrina. Ce sont des chrétiens fondamentalistes qui ont sacrifié leurs temps et leur argent pour aller aider après le tsunami en Asie du sud, les tremblements de terre au Japon et en Haiti, et qui sont à la tête des actions contre la faim dans le monde. Chaque ministère parmi les SDF avec lesquels j’ai servi aux Etats-Unis a été commencé par des chrétiens fondamentalistes, et ce sont eux aussi qui sont en train de reconstruire ma ville Tuscaloosa, en Alabama après les tornades meurtrières d'avril dernier.

Je m'arrêterai là, mais je pourrais continuer longtemps sur la justice sociale faite par les chrétiens fondamentalistes depuis des siècles et encore aujourd'hui. Malgré tout le mérite que notre peuple devrait posséder, il suffit d'un homme mauvais qui se définit comme chrétien sur son profil facebook pour profaner notre nom et faire puer celui de Jésus. Bien que cela me contrarie, je ne devrais pas m'en étonner, et je vais donc passer d’une plainte contre nos juges hypocrites à une leçon très précieuse que nous, les chrétiens fondamentalistes, devrions tirer de tout cela.

Le monde cherchera toujours à mettre en évidence les péchés de l’Eglise et à ignorer le bien qu'elle fait. Pourquoi? Parce que tout mérite qu’ils accordent à l’Eglise est un mérite accordé à Dieu, et c’est Lui qu’ils rejettent. Le monde ne veut pas accepter Dieu, parce qu’il est sous une autre puissance. Bien des athées citent les guerres commencées par la religion comme raison pour ne pas croire en Dieu, mais en réalité c’est une raison qu’ils ont trouvée car ils n'ont pas envie de croire en Dieu. Les bonnes oeuvres de l’Eglise seront toujours ignorées par ceux qui sont destinés à la destruction.

Cependant, nous sommes appelés à être la bonne odeur de Christ. Beaucoup de gens partout dans le monde disent qu'ils se sont intéressés à l'évangile au début parce qu'ils ont remarqué la façon de vivre d'un chrétien fondamentaliste. Ils ont trouvé que cette personne était droite. Elle était digne de confiance. Elle était heureuse. Elle se souciait du bien-être des autres. Elle avait un arôme doux qu’ils n’ont pas trouvé dans le monde. Suivre Jésus d'une manière fondamentale consiste à propager le parfum de Dieu parmi les nations, et il n’y a pas de parfum plus doux.

Alors que que le monde prétendra toujours que l’odeur de Christ pue, la vie de ceux qui suivent réellement Jésus d'une manière fondamentale prouvera toujours le contraire. Ne soyons pas surpris quand le monde calomnie le nom de Jésus et essaye de le faire puer; laissons plutôt notre arôme répandre sa connaissance en tout lieu.

The Waters

The waters that lay still before me

Are threatening all that I once knew.

The appearance of tranquility

Invites me to enter in the pool,

Yet I know the storm that will rage when

I submit my corpse to plunge its depths.

A corpse, indeed, a corpse I will be

For these waters call me to a death.

But could there be a resurrection?

For me the waters are but a pool,

But for Him t’was a flowing river,

Whose currents lead to a sea called Death.

This Man whose joy it was to perish

Willing to live for a higher cause

Became obedient to this death

Even the death of these mighty waters.

He said his death would bring life to men,

But could He have a resurrection?

The waters appear to have a song

And its music sooths my broken soul.

Their surface seems to break out in dance

In harmony with eternity.

They stand for all that is beautiful

Against all that would threaten true life.

Who could resist their strong attraction?

Who would despise their invitation?

Surely they preach a resurrection.

Yet I know the sacrifice it takes

To be drenched in its peaceful fury.

For I know my foot should not enter

Unless I submerge my head as well.

And if my nose should there go under,

No doubt its last breath will have been drawn

Forever after my breath will come

From a Wind that can not be measured.

Yet this Wind brings a resurrection.

I can see the need I have for death,

For life in bondage is not real life.

My wayward nature can’t be mended,

My broken spirit can not be fixed.

Yes death, and death alone, is my cure

The grave is my road to liberty.

I can be buried in these waters

My soul drowned in its unyielding waves

With a hope for a resurrection.

There are things, to be sure, I will miss

From my life of death that I will flee.

The waters will take my sovereignty

They will take away all of my rights.

Yet in my new chains is true freedom

And those regrets will be but shadows

For no one who swims and then looks back,

Is worthy of the death of the pool,

Is worthy of the resurrection.

With decision made, I enter in,

This fountain full of wrathful pardon.

The elements burn my broken skin

And instructs me that the pain is real.

For sin is not easily repaired,

And death necessitates agony.

Yet I clench my fists against my pride

And prepare my corpse for sacrifice.

While longing for my resurrection.

Death, then burial, then three days passed

In a brief moment of submersion

My lungs received a new kind of air

From the Wind that blows where it wishes

And my voice which knew only to curse

Found the song for which it had been made.

For these waters bound me to the man

Whose joy it was to suffer and die,

And I share in His resurrection.