timgraylive

I am processing in writing, so this is exploration, not so much argument.

I just watched an interview with Adam Hamilton discussing why he is staying in the United Methodist Church as they are about to affirm LGBTQ+ marriage and ordain gay pastors. That is not the argument here today as I think everyone knows where I stand, and it was disappointing as Adam was a friendly resource as I was getting church planting/church growth/attractional/Gospel-centric all figured out back in the 90s. What stirred my mind was that he gave some stats from a survey that they did with their 24,000 members in 2023 as they were considering what to do with staying or going.

Here are the stats. 3% surveyed were progressives who could not stay in a church with folks who did not COMPLETELY agree with them on this issue. 3% were traditional conservatives who said they could not stay in a church with folks who did not COMPLETELY agree with them. 73% leaned to the left of center on the issue (were fine with affirming both issues) but WANTED to stay with those on the right and the remaining 21% leaned to the right of center (disagreed with affirming) but wanted to stay attending with those on the left. Here is what is interesting. Most social media experts believe that the wicked fights that happen online happen between 6% of users. Might be a bit of a logic leap, but maybe not much of one to see the correlation of the 3% plus the 3% equalling the 6% of culture warriors.

What does this mean? Well, I do not agree with the way Adam is leading his church, but there might be something all of us who are staying strong in Biblical authority here can learn here. I am in the 21% above that (I don’t ‘lean’ right on this issue; it is a strong stance) want to be in church environments with folks who disagree with me. Leadership and marriage are the difference makers though. It is not a matter of differing on interpretation as Adam says; it is a matter of a correct Biblical interpretation and the courage to lovingly stand on it. However, I want to have loving, Biblical discourse with the 76% who disagree with me (that percentage will have a lot of variance in a different context). If the 3% who disagree want to get vile, or the 3% who agree can’t be civil, I am out of the conversation. In addition, just to be clear, the 100% here are people who are claiming to be Christians. This conversation probably has some nuance to it for folks who do not claim Christ.

Here is the point. For church leaders, this begs a question. Is there space in our environments for folks who disagree or who have just not been discipled to have a place to wrestle with this? I think that there is no discipleship or mission without that space, but maybe we are functioning a bit more like the 3% than we know, and we THINK we are welcoming that space when actually we are closing it off.

As I travel to Nicaragua or India or Eastern Europe or Thailand to assist in planting churches and raising disciples, the ways of culture feel very strange to me. I was not from there, and, those ways are not my ways. The language differences are awkward. The food is very different. The differences are not wrong, but are obvious. As an analogy — For Spirit-filled Christians – the Remnant — here at home functioning as exiles from the Kingdom of God, the ways of culture should feel just as strange. Part of Godly repentance is asking the Holy Spirit to show us the differences that are outside the will of God and make them feel not only strange but vile. So, much so that we want nothing to do with them.

We are born into God’s ways being strange to us, but as we attain the mind of Christ, that changes.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8–9(ESV)

so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,

nor the heart of man imagined,

what God has prepared for those who love him”—these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 1 Corinthians 2:5–12(ESV)

We have to step back into our culture on mission, but our culture is ordinarily not for our good. We are exiles in an evil, foreign culture that we are required to love. That is weird, but God’s ways of revealing HIs glory are not our ways.

I once asked a 27 year-old that I was training what the two younger generations ACTUALLY felt about Boomers and Gen Xers. Here was his quote: “Well, to be completely honest, we are just waiting for all of you to die, so we can do things right.” As a 63 year old boomer that has watched my generation botch a lot of things, he is not completely wrong. But,….we are functioning in a world of over-generalizations.

Ageism might be reigning through our culture, but it does not have to reign in the church. I believe part of our repentance into the Gospel is to stop with the generalizations that automatically throw the people around us into a “dumb” camp just because they are older (OK Boomer) or younger (you don’t know s*** yet). The solution is to examine what brings the ability to be wise. I want to submit my trust to folks who are ACTUALLY wise regardless of age because their wisdom is coming from the Spirit of God.

If I had a critique of Gen M & Z, it would be that they often confuse tech capacities (watching parents stumble around with just streaming a show and assume that they are dumb) and internet generated philosophical thought with Spirit-driven critical thinking and wisdom. Critical thinking (the ability to form quality judgments and problem solving by synthesizing thoughts that are actually true) is at a very low point, and it takes practice, so ChatGTP scares me that it will further eliminate that practice. These two generations have a tendency to undervalue the abilities in these areas of the two older groups.

I believe wisdom has two sources: Christ and time. Even for a not-yet-believer, God is the source of all good wisdom from His common grace. Moreover, learning to synthesize God’s good gifts takes some time. However, being older does not assure critical thinking skills or wisdom. There has to be repentance toward God’s gracious offer of wisdom that includes the elimination of the clouding of the mind with JUNK. The Bible says that the beginning of wisdom is “fear of the Lord,” and I believe that our ability to attune with Him gives us the ability to weed out the garbage that steers away from wise thinking and actions. Since this is the key, sometimes older generations need to submit to a younger person who is walking closely with God. Quick emotional judgments usually contain conclusions that the premises are faulty because there was a rush to judgment.

If I had a critique of Boomers and Xers, it would be a rush to judgment of the young folks who were late out of their mom’s basement or just do things radically different than previously done. First of all, if there is a true weakness there, we created it with a lot of helicopter and lawnmower parenting. These generations have tremendous potential. Our culture needs tremendous repentance, and these 140 million appear ready to change. There is actually a lot of quality and potential behind that first blush of apathy and emotion. I have had the joy of having a hand in developing five or six superb pastors who are millennials. Infusing mostly the Gospel (source of wisdom) with life on life living, then and handing high vision and practice off early with the philosophy of “fail forward” has been highly successful. I would follow these men to the ends of the earth.

David Brooks writes this week in the New York Times: “But just as older Americans can have an obligation to let go of professions and power, young Americans can have obligations to hold on to their elders, to treasure them rather than shove them aside. Ancient wisdom can speak to modern conflicts, and ever since the onset of the generational conflicts during the pandemic, I’ve pondered a key part of the Westminster Larger Catechism, an almost 400-year-old statement of Protestant theology. It takes an expansive view of the Fifth Commandment, ‘Honor thy father and thy mother.” The catechism asserts that father and mother don’t merely refer to your biological parents, but to “all superiors in age and gifts.'” Both the humble giving away of power and the wisdom to learn from elders who are themselves submitted worshipers and servant leaders must happen if we are going to form world changing discipleship makers.

To summarize, both subsets of generations are having a tendency to form over-generalizations that are limiting their forming relationships that could land in high functioning teams of missionaries or businesses. To the boomers and Xers: Stop running from your mentorship responsibilities. Engage the Spirit of the Living God at a high level and get your life in order so that what you have to offer has some meat to it. Practice Godly critical thinking and share those conclusions in love and not biting critique. Be willing to submit yourself to a millennial that is a submitted worshiper, a learner, and a servant. Acknowledge the general failures of the leaders of your generations and be a better one than them. Give the power away earlier than you think you should. To the Mills and Zs: Find those folks and listen. Slow down and learn how to recognize truth because the premises of your critical thinking come from God. Be educated on how to tell truth from propaganda or downright lies. Don’t confuse Google and ChatGTP knowledge with wisdom. Be willing to team with the older generations and honor those older folks who still have a lot to offer.

The glory of our Savior, Christ the Lord, is worth this effort.

I am in a chasm…..

Tom Brady’s dad did not believe that Tom would ever completely retire because “what could ever match the thrill of what he has done?” And, my life in a secular “big world” sense has not been as thrilling as Tom Brady’s obviously, but it has been pretty spectacular. And, I have had something he probably has not had as for the past 30 years, my spiritual thrill ride is like nothing that Tom has experienced. In things that matter, my quandary is much larger than his. What do I do with my life when I still have a lot to give but unsure where to give it?

Five years ago, as I turned 57, the realities of ageism (which has not been written about enough) struck us at City on a Hill, and due to the fact that if we were going to be viable in the 21st century, we had to become a church ‘designed and led by Mil/Gen Z for Mil/Gen Z where Boomers and Xers could thrive.’ This was brought by me, so our young leaders were not involved in ageism and kicking me out. But, growth had stunted, and this “under 40” crowd is superb.

The transition to all day to day leadership to the ‘under 40’s’ was completed in 2022. I am completely contented with that, and I still am consulted behind the scenes for wisdom and information, but the face is changing. The question remains if I will need to completely leave for the new leadership to be seen as the leaders. Looks like a one-year sabbatical from ANY staff involvement might be in order. That is all fine and the young crew is doing great, but I am not dead. I don’t think I am in some kind of Sixth Sense dream montage (my Gen Zers will have to google). However, the chasm is real.

The chasm is that I can’t see where to spend my time. Where does God want me? This is the quandary of the effects of ageism on the veterans who still have a lot of capacity and capability. Can I still preach? Yep. Can I still train? Yep. Can I still lead? I don’t know. To lead, there must be a humility from others to follow. Let me be clear here – the core young leadership at COAH was willing to be led for the most part because of their respect for me. The transition was not because of them – it was visualizing the next potential 50 young folks. The reality is that a 24-year-old needs to listen to a 62 year old who is not trying to control him/her, but is simply sharing lessons learned and Bible to be trusted. BUT, when respect for older authority is at rock bottom, the initial face of an organization probably needs to be a peer. The 24 year old also needs to be respected and valued, and I believe I have always done that and will continue. Bottom line: I believe there are going to be opportunities to do the things that God has blessed me with some abilities, but it is going to take some quality discernment from all of the young leaders in my life to get me to right place at the right time.

I am a little bored. My life story says that sin has a crevice to creep in when I am bored. Not in Super Bowls, but I have lived life at a really high level for a long time. Evenings with Yellowstone and America’s Got Talent probably ain’t going to get it.

I don’t require a big stage. Just need to know if God wants me on a stage at all. And, if so, where and saying what?

And, who else is in a discernment of mission crisis? You?

In his book, A Non-Anxious Presence, Mark Sayers proposes that we are living in a ‘gray area’ (no pun intended) right now, kinda between the oasis of what he calls the “American Century” and whatever the new era will be. His thesis is that during these periods of gray areas that human anxiety goes way up. People look back and can’t see the oasis that used to provide comfort and calm (for us the general prosperity of the world dominance of the USA) for the general public, and they can’t see a vision of what might be the next oasis, so they fret and stew and seek comfort wherever they can find it.

Christians should be different. We can’t visually see the oasis, but we know we are living on one regardless of the circumstances. How do we know? We can look backward to remember God’s persistent pursuit of broken people in need of an oasis, and we trust that he has found us and provided an oasis Kingdom in midst of crazy through the cross and resurrection. And, we look together to the future to know that there is another oasis even better than the Kingdom we dwell in now when Christ returns to restore all things. Therefore, Sayers’ thesis agrees with the Bible that we can be a counter-cultural non-anxious presence that should be really attractive to a freaked out world. This is going to require some change by a larger remnant as what is called the church as the current church did NOT respond well to recent challenges as a whole.

For that to happen, we must worship daily in the presence of the Lord so that the fruit of the Spirit shows up and we exist in a calm like someone thriving on an oasis, starting with just simply enjoying being with Jesus. Coming out the enlightenment, we got too heady – too intellectual in our pursuit of theology – and forgot that we become most like Jesus when we are simply WITH Him. And, our individualism makes us our our preacher in our heads instead of doing life and mission together, having to work through trials TOGETHER.

The gray areas are a time that make the culture ripe for renewal. What would happen if we prayed and fasted that God would bring such a renewal in such a time as this. Will not happen if we don’t trust and relax.

You were not created to remain paralyzed in anxiety.

You were not created to offer an anxious crowd quick-fix solutions and a panacea for their lostness.

You were not patterned after heaven to retreat into a comfort zone.

You were made in the image of God to bring chaos into order, as you act as a channel of God’s will on earth. The Spirit manifests the pattern of heaven in the world, and we mediate that pattern as God’s workers in creation. A Non-Anxious Presence, Sayers

So, I have to confess that I eavesdrop as I lift weights at the gym. Sometimes I hear the dreams that people have and try to help them find a way to realize them, but that is another writing for another day. Other times I hear the tenants of our culture just come flowing out. One example of that is that I overheard a woman speaking with the personal trainer that she was paying a significant amount of money to for her to attain physical health (may or may not have been a lot of work to do). It was their first session.

Here is the way that conversation went:

Trainer: “Ok, I am going to give you a little tour of some of equipment that we have here and listen to some of the desires of what you would like to see happen with your body.”

Woman: “Yeah. Well. I have a list written out here for you of the things that I am willing to do and things that I am not.”

As I listened to the list, the acceptable list was basically was a list of stretching and light machine lifting that would not cause any of the following: 1. sweat, 2. elevated heart rate, or 3. a sore muscle. Hmmmm!

Doesn’t that sound like how we treat God?

“Well, Jesus! I do truly appreciate your love shown at the cross and my forgiveness, and I want to grow in my faith, so let’s get to work.”

“But, I have this list (written out out for you) of the things that I am willing to do and things that I am not.”

We just keep shooting prophets. Prophets show up and say some outlandish things straight from God. They say things like, “Many claim to appreciate the greatness of Jesus so much that we will give our life to him, but actually few reject culture enough to have margin – time or resources – to do much for His renown at all.”

What is our response? We shoot the prophet. Or, in today’s vernacular, we cancel him. I mean after all the church is like an optional choice of where I get my spiritual dinner, and it may not be needed at all since we believe we can be our own prophet. Prophet here is used as one who speaks with enough authority that we believe for a life that matters, we should listen to him and obey that which he says once we are convinced his words are from God. So, if he speaks things that would cause me to lose something really important to my kingdom, he must be cancelled.

Why? Because, in the name of individualism, we have rejected all authority. In actuality, that request from the prophet was simply a restated version of Jesus in Luke 9, a call to come and die,

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” Luke 9:23–24 (ESV)

God’s design for humanity’s flourishing is that we would be a people of humble submission to those whom God has gifted us with for own good. Here is a list of the authorities that we reject if we choose not to follow Jesus on a minute by minute basis in this passage. 1. God, the Father — Jesus was submitted to the Father completely when he said it. Refusing Jesus is refusing the Father. 2. Jesus, the crowned King of the Universe, the One who spoke and all creation leapt into being. We call him our King, our Lord, and function like he is a suggestion-maker on a TikTok post. 3. the Holy Spirit, who gave this to Doc Luke to write down for our benefit — to our benefit, not our enslavement — to our freedom. 4. our shepherd elder, whatever Spirit-filled human that gave the understanding of what Jesus is asking for here, who has been put in charge of your understanding and believing that this “giving all” to Christ is the path to Christ receiving just glory AND your benefit.

If, in this moment, there is a bristling at the thought of giving over our entire life in humble submission to that list, then my point is proven.

The church in our western culture is on life support. Not because the unbelieving world out there has rejected its hero, but because those claiming Christ have wanted all the benefits of Christ’s kingdom without the King. We have a church that does not understand what it means to have a king. Therefore, we are, in our rebellion, rejecting the Kingdom.

James 4:13–17 (ESV)

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. 

Our most precious commodity is not money; it is TIME!

We all have a certain amount of capacity, a certain metaphorical size plate, and sometimes there is room on it for something new.

Availability is rare for Americans.

So most often, before we put something new on, we have to scrap something else off.

Sadly, most Christians fill their plate with no prayer whatsoever. Whatever culture or our sin nature tells us to fill it with is what goes on there. Just because that is the norm does not make it right.

According to the Bible, our life should be receiving from the Lord what goes on our plate.  

He says “go be a part of this.” “Do this.”

And, if we have room on the plate, fine, we add it.  If we do not, the solution is to take something else off and do God’s will, OR we are in sin. James just called it downright evil.

Everybody has a certain size plate.  I had a large platter my whole life, and now I have a large dinner plate.  In 5 years, probably a salad plate — hopefully. My life cannot look like it does right now as I handle those limitations, but we never retire from obedience to call.

So, two questions: 

What is your plate size?

And, do you have room for God’s call on your life?

If not, something has to change……….

As just an observation, I see 20 examples a day of people struggling in our current culture to trust anything. Christians and non-Christians are struggling to trust any authority, any people, any structure. Let me clear – I am not writing to throw anyone struggling to trust into guilt and shame. As a matter of fact, I would encourage a deep look at the why the struggle instead of just yelling, “YOU NEED TO TRUST AGAIN OR FOR THE FIRST TIME!” I would actually like to take a different route, and that is simply suggest that it is very stressful not to trust because trust allows us defray pressure. If the only entity that I trust is me, then I am RESPONSIBLE for everything. If I can let go of some responsibility to entities that I trust, stress comes down, and I believe, joy goes up.

As I listen to people’s stories, I understand their hesitancy to trust. I think some things that are called abuse don’t actually rise to the level of earning that term, but folks existing in environments where God has not created a sense of comfort for a long time have been abused to the level where it is difficult for them to trust. The question is – “Do we just give up the attempt to trust and cocoon away from risk of relationship and risk of community and risk of trusting and enter a joyless existence full of responsibility stress?”

You are welcome to disagree with these statements, but I don’t think that this swirl of depression and anxiety that we are in will change until folks begin to agree with these statements and risk trusting them.

1. The God of the Bible is still trustworthy.
2. God has developed some people that are trustworthy.
3. There are people that you meet that genuinely have your best interest at heart.

I believe these three are a progression. I will never trust enough to risk if I do not believe that there is a supernatural power that can instill a goodness into the relational risk. If the Bible is correct and there is NO good in people without the grace of God instilling His goodness into them, then a hesitancy to trust is actually a wise thing. However, God’s grace does flow with goodness. I believe He is perfectly good and we only begin to question that when we are confused about who causes evil and negative. So, if we can start with a trust of Him and progress to a belief that He puts into people enough of His character that when we trust to a lesser degree than we trust Him, we are actually still just trusting Him.

The definition of a cynic is someone who questions #3 automatically. However, God has flowed His grace all around us, so to avoid cynicism which is the death of risk and joy, we can have faith that there are people who have our best interest at heart. We can trust God in them.

Christian, you can release stress as you have the ability to trust God in all areas. The question is, “WILL YOU?”

OK. Let’s start with an overarching theological premise.

Jesus can make America better.

America cannot make Jesus better.

If you disagree with that, I hope you disagree without being disagreeable.

Second logical premise —

If things are NOT mutually exclusive, they can be true at the same time.

Conclusion — If we allow the Holy Spirit to steep the first premise into our souls, we can be humbly proud of America and feel blessed to live in America without letting our “love of country” become a part of the Gospel – the good news of Jesus Christ as sovereign King over all earthly nations. While many aspects of America are exceptional, American Exceptionalism reflects a sinful superiority that the Bible says cannot be the way of a Christ follower. Said another way – Anything good about this nation is a result of the Gospel, not a part of the Gospel.

Let’s talk about the two things being true at the same time. If we imagine that metaphorically our souls are trees that are fed by a root system, whatever is flowing through that root system is what we worship. Christ demands the He be the only thing flowing through those roots — THE ONLY THING — not Him PLUS anything else. If that is true, then what do we do if we have positive feelings about this place that we live? Well, good feelings about what HE has done here CAN come out as fruit in the health of the tree, but it will always be presented in this fruit: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GENTLENESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, and SELF-CONTROL. In addition, what about folks who feel they have not been given a fair shake In America and historically actually have not? For the oppressed and/or damaged soul, balm and healing to the wounds come through that same Christ-alone root system, not just looking away during the National Anthem. And, if we want to see change, the effort for Christians will show up in that same fruit, not a wicked keyboard.

Two things can also be true sometimes because we live in the NOW and NOT YET. Somehow Jesus has completely defeated sin for those who believe and yet we still sin (two things that are simultaneously true). In me, this quandary shows up in desperately praying for the above fruit to show up in me, “Be my only living water through the root system, Jesus.” “Fill me with your Spirit, Jesus.” And then, in the same day be overcome by stress, sin, and past wounds, and not treat people with ANY of that fruit. How can that be? Does that mean that I am false? Nah, it just means that Jesus work on the cross has forgiven me from the penalty of sin, and given me a superior “water through the root system” to the power of sin, but I am still in the presence of sin. And, if I am not worshiping and seeking things from above (you know, Colossians 3 things that we are to set our minds on), that inferior, but powerful, presence will rework the source and I will function for a time out of the old system. Example: How can Jonathan Edwards be one of the great theologians and preachers of the Gospel EVER, and not get the issue of slavery completely correct? Well, because two things can be true at the same time. He can be functioning with a flow of the Spirit to correctly divide the Word of God, and yet the presence of cultural idolatry sin kept him trapped in being a slave owner. We don’t need to praise Edwards or cancel him as Jesus is quite capable of figuring that out. Being released from being judge and jury allows us to guard against over-praising his good work or cancelling him from his sin. Why? Because we need to put the mirror in front of us because we all have cultural idols – just different ones – that Jesus will work through on our Day – capital D.

Along those lines, I watched the movie Selma the other night and took note of how many of those fruit characteristics that come from the Spirit of Jesus showed up in Dr. King. Yet, some would want to cancel him for the alleged sin side of his sexual ethic and not pay attention to his correct approach to how to “face down the negative” side of our history. You know that side that contains the building of large sections of our economy on the backs of oppressed slaves, leading into Jim Crow, and systemic racism that still exists today.

What does all that have to do with Independence Day and the Gospel?

Well, we have to get the right water source through the root system, or we will risk idol worship.

Please allow me to walk you through some of my journey. First, I have American blood running deep. Also, I am about to describe a lot of crying, but because of some abuse from peers early in my life, this is pretty much of the extent that I cried over a period of about 25 years. So, when I say I cried, something touched the depths of my soul, and most of them had something to do with that deep American blood.

I have been to Gettysburg three times: The first was in the 5th grade. As I stood by a cannon on a foggy morning and pictured Pickett’s charge up that wide open slope, I got real quiet, and suddenly I was overwhelmed by emotion and I snot-cried. I think God was teaching me about the devastation of the curse and the brutality of the souls of sinful men, but also I just got a sense of what it has cost to keep this Union going of which we reap so many blessings. Went back in my early 20s and had the same experience – quiet, BIG tears. Went back with my son 20 years later, Same…

I went to Bunker Hill and the green lawn of Lexington and the North Bridge at Concord. Pause – Quiet – Teared up.

But, nothing like Gettysburg until these experiences:

— Pearl Harbor and the Arizona memorial will still your soul; it stirred mine. I did not speak for over 2 hours; hard for me to do. Even folks who are not American find it eerily sobering — looking down through the oil-stained water at at an underwater tomb. Swear I heard screams of brave men who believed in something. Contemplating those moments – quiet – cried.

— My father received medals for his work in the back of a B-17 in WW2. I got to tour a B-17 at an air show in Chesterfield, MO, and when I saw that little cramped space back there where he put his life on the line for multiple missions into Nazi Germany to stop evil gone wild, I froze. The space forced him to spend hours on his knees because there was nowhere else to go — very little between him and bullets and flak. Quiet, contemplative, & to the person behind me, “don’t rush me; this is a moment” – cried.

— I had the honor to represent our country in international competition for USA Basketball. Flag went up behind and the “Star-spangled Banner” was blaring. Hand over heart — Didn’t care that folks would eventually want to cancel Francis Scott Key — contemplative – quiet – eyes closed – tears FLOWED.

— In a non-American moment, I saw the chains that supposedly held Simon Peter as he was put on a cross upside down in a cathedral in Rome. Was a moment, but I did not cry until a later time when I physically saw and touched some similar chains that held millions of slaves in this country – the same country that has been the conduit for God to provide me so MUCH. Still wrestling with this -Two things true at the same time.

— In another non-American moment, I openly wept when I toured the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. Oh my – never have I seen such evil more on display. However, I also cried when, on a tour of the Smithsonian, I studied the treatment of Native Americans for the purpose of accessing the lands that this country called so free. It has hit my soul that those events were really not that different. Quiet – cried.

— I cried when I toured the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis that ends on the spot where Dr. King was assassinated. Appreciative of brave men and women who believe in something. Quiet – contemplated – cried. Just stayed there for a moment praying that things would get better.

Those six or so caused what Jesus did when he discovered Lazarus’ death — WEEPING.

There were also some that are maybe a little less momentous, but stirred me to some moist eyes:

— When Neil Armstrong took “one giant leap for mankind,” and we beat the Soviets to the moon.

— When my brother walked in the door from the Vietnam War. Partially because I was glad to see him, but also because I was pro-USA.

— When USA basketball got cheated out of the gold medal at the ’72 Olympics. That one also caused an American pride temper tantrum. I tore up a room in protest!!

— When Justin, my son, experienced his first Independence Day fireworks display while in my arms.

For a non-crier, this place called America that we celebrate our Independence Day on Sunday sure does stir a lot of emotion in me. The real question is, what, as a follower of Jesus, do I do with all these emotions and strong feelings about this place called America? The key is to have the root system that is feeding my soul which determines what I believe in being fed by the correct source. Jesus called himself living water and when I am receiving THAT water, I can work these things out in a healthy way.

When healthy, and the root system is fed by Christ alone and faith alone,…

…we can celebrate and praise God for the blessings of things like freedom to worship without making those freedoms the object of the worship. Did you hear me in the back? Our blessings cannot become the object of worship. If we keep the flow of living water through a healthy root system correct root system, we will land in being involved in America as an ambassador from another Kingdom, so we are involved in our culture while walking as salt and light and in the positives that come along with fruit (peace, joy, patience, etc). Both things can be true at the same time. I can praise God for the blessings, AND realize that the blessings are not to be worshiped.

However, If the blessings of America or some of that aspects of a democracy like a particular political party or candidate become the water source or if we mix the two together,…

…sinful anarchy. either just inside us or with sinful activity, will become the result. On a small scale, we will lose our joy and peace if our party or candidate are not successful, and on a large scale when the misguided object of our worship loses, evil could come out and some church member storms the capitol building with a Jesus banner in his hand and a pipe bomb in his pocket. Remember —

Jesus can make America better.

And, therefore if we allow Him to be the total root system for our lives, it is okay to be hugely appreciative of the blessings that we receive to live, work, worship, and play here. We can humbly flourish. But —

America cannot make Jesus better.

It is a short trip into our appreciation of American or degradation of America for it to become our root system or even a part of our root system and water supply and therefore attempt to depend on it for only what Christ can bring, or allow our frustrations with it to drive us to despair.

We can enjoy all the blessings of living in America, but at no point can Christians dilute the water in the root system with patriotism. It must be Christ alone. Honestly, the two have been mixed together by many pulpits for so long that a well-meaning American Christian might be a little more like Jonathan Edwards than they know. I am sure that I am there more than I know.

May we get the source right, and then enjoy our holidays with Christ at the center and American human flourishing for all people as the fruit up in the tree plops down all over the place. I would think that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control when dealing with the frustrations of our living in a blessed (and cursed) place would be preferable to the alternative of a faulty root system and water source leading us into some form of anarchy.

— Spurgeon on the Sermon on the Mount and a man (or woman) who seeks righteousness — “He hungers and thirsts after righteousness. He does not hunger and thirst that his own political party may get into power, but he does hunger and thirst that righteousness may be done in the land. He does not hunger and thirst that his own opinions may come to the front, and that his own sect or denomination may increase in numbers and influence, but he does desire that righteousness may come to the fore.”

Remember, we can look on America and see some things that reflect the beauty of Christ; however, we can never look on it and see anything that enhances the beauty of Christ.

May we get this right. It is time for renewal!