People Of The Year

On October 2, 2006, Charles Roberts IV did the unthinkable. He left his job as a milk truck driver and drove to an Amish school house. He shot 10 little girls before turning the gun on himself. Five of those girls died. Naomi Rose Ebersol age 7; Narian Stoltzfus Fisher age 13; Anna Mae Stoltzfus age 12; Lena Zock Miller age 7; and Mary Liz Miller age 8; all killed by a troubled man.

This event made absolutely no sense. I guess these things never do. Mr. Roberts had a wife and three children. He had a steady job. He left 4 suicide notes. No one expected him to do what he did. He mentioned in one note that he molested two of his cousins when he was a child himself. However, neither cousin said it happened. This was truly a troubled individual who needed a great deal of help. However, he didn't receive any. His life ended in a great deal of tragedy. He took the lives of 5 beautiful girls. The day it happened I hugged my two girls a little longer than usual.

I will be honest with you, I do not appreciate the Amish lifestyle, and I disagree with their doctrines. However, I am going to name the community of Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania as my people of the year.

The press spent a lot of time writing about the shooting, but they spent very little time reporting on the response. After this great tragedy, the Amish community responded with pure forgiveness. The elders of the community made it clear that they will not speak evil of Mr. Roberts. They offered forgiveness without waiting for an apology. They beautifully expressed the love of Jesus to all who watched.

According to reports, there were 75 people at Charles Roberts IV funeral. Over half of them came from the Amish community. The Amish mourned with Mrs. Roberts and showed her support that she was truly needing. I am sure there was never a person any lonelier than Mrs. Roberts was that day. She needed to see love. She received more than she thought possible.

We all could learn a lesson from the Nickel Mines Amish community. All of us have had bad things happen to us. If we refuse to forgive then we are held hostage to our anger. We basically allow the event to happen to us again every time we think about it. If we learn to forgive, we will be free of our hurt. If we fail to forgive we will fall victim to our grudges. Forgiveness is a basic Christian teaching. It is a difficult thing to do. Nevertheless, it is what we must do if we desire to be obedient to the Master.

What is the Government willing to stop!

In 1964, Luther Terry was the U.S. Surgeon General. He told the nation, that year, that smoking was bad for your health. In 1965, a warning label was placed on every pack of cigarettes that was made in America. 40 years later, smoking is now taboo in most places. Here in Ohio, we just voted to outlaw all smoking in public indoor places. (I am not sure how they will enforce this).

The same thing is now taking place with food. Americans are fat, and we all know that food helped create this problem. Americans are now demanding better food that is better for us. McDonald's quit super-sizing every thing. I guess large is large enough. There is now a salad on every menu. We have now declared war on trans-fat. I don't even know what a trans-fat is. However, I do know it is yummy. Nevertheless, we also know it is bad for us. The government has now decided to step in and keep us from eating transfat. This is what the government does. Recently, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson, made it clear that it was the responsibility of the restaurants to have a healthy menu. I expect the government to be stricter and stricter in years to come.

The Government has absolutely no problems interfering in the things we love to do if the government think it is bad for us. I have never once heard a smoker say that he or she smokes because they hate it. As a frequent user of transfats, I want you to know that I love them. I will certainly miss them when they are gone. Yet, the government has spoken, and there is little I can do about it.

There is one thing that I am waiting for the government to tackle. There is a behavior that is so dangerous and so destructive that it often leads to death. It is the major cause of AIDS. It is the reason behind cervical cancer. It causes acountless amounts of STDs. Maybe worst of all, it is often a creator of poor- unwanted children. When will the government come out and take on the topic of Sex outside of Marriage.


So why won't they do it? Simple, our society now defines itself by sex. Sex is everywhere and there is nothing off limits. When I was growing up, Victoria's Secrets had back rooms where their sexist stuff could be viewed. Today, Victoria no longer has any secrets. Sex is now more important to us than marriage and children.

I wish I could say that the church is doing a good job with this problem, but I can't. There is no longer any shame when it comes to pre-marital sex. I have often wanted to preach a sermon titled "It Is Still Wrong TO Have Sex Outside of Marriage."

So what can we do? The best we can. We can't expect the government to stop it. The Church must stand against it, but the church has no power to control behavior. Thus, those of us who care must fix the problem in the home. My girls will be expected to stay pure until they are married. If they do, they will have a great wedding. If they don't, they can pay for it themselves. We must stop rewarding bad behavior. We must stop overlooking and justifying the problem.

Fathers, you are the protector of your little girls innocence until they are married. You are to be as protective of their bodies as you are of your spouses. As for your sons, demand righteousness. If you expect less, that is what you will get.

Let us protect our little ones from all of the problems that sex outside of marriage brings. I don't think we will ever regret doing our best.

Trendy Christianity

Several years ago, I was sitting at a table eating a dessert when someone brought up the topic of fasting. I was at a Church planting conference, and most of the people there had some theological training, so I was willing to listen to their thoughts. The man who brought up the topic began to describe a 40 day fast that he did. He read a book by Ronnie Floyd that taught him the benefits of a 40 day fast. The truth is that what he went on was a 40 day liquid diet. However, those of you who know me know that I would not let this silliness slide.

I began discussing something I found spiritually wonderful. I talked with them about "partial fasting". The entire table listened with spiritual ears as I described partial fasting. I told them that I would only eat half of what I wanted to and pray during the time I would have eaten the rest. As I had the table convinced of this new partial hunger strike, I noticed my Associational Missionary doing all that he could not to fall out of his chair. Sometimes I say things that only I think is funny. It is good when others get it as well.

There is way too much trendy Christianity going on right now. The Prayer of Jabez, 40 day fasts, Purpose Driven Churches, and a load of other 6 week studies that will change the life of your church. Let me first say, that not all of this stuff is bad. There can be some good found in it. I just have to wonder if Pastors have lost the ability to think and plan for themselves.

I still believe that true Biblical preaching is the key to church growth, discipleship, and proper worship. I guess I am not hip enough to be trendy. All I know, is that when I look at my favorite big churches, none of them are based on what is trendy. I guess it comes down to who you respect the most. I have a lot of respect for Pastors like; John McArthur, John Piper, and the late Adrian Rogers. These men did not and do not do trendy things. They preach the Gospel and teach the Bible.

However, maybe you want to pepper your ministries with six week studies, Fire Engine Baptisms, and seeker friendly worship service. I won't stand in your way, but I believe you are missing out on the heart of Christian teaching.

Trends come and go, but the teaching of the word of God stands forever. It is lasting and it is successful. I believe I will stick to it. I will leave the trends behind.

Creating gods

Don't you love the baby Jesus? This has been a long standing joke around my house for several years now. I know that those of you who saw Talladega Nights may think that I stole this joke from the movie. But the truth is, I have been using this as an example for a long time. People love the baby Jesus. However, they don't care to much for the adult version, but the baby one is a o.k.

The nation of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BC. God told them through the prophets that they were going to be conquered. He told them that the reason they were going to be conquered was due to the fact that they worshipped false gods.

Today, our culture does not accept the notion of multiple gods. We are all basically monotheists. However, what most people do is create a god in their head that really isn't God at all. Many of them call this created god Jesus. They celebrate his birthday on December 25th. They have pictures of him in their houses. They even go to a church once in a while to pay homage. However, the Jesus that they believe is not the Biblical Jesus. It is a made up Jesus that they are comfortable with.

You see, The Biblical Jesus has high expectations. He demands obedience. He demands surrender. He expects his disciples to pick up the cross daily and follow him. The created Jesus doesn't care what you do in your spare time. He doesn't mind you skipping out on church. He doesn't care if you read his word. He loves you unconditionally and allows you to live your life any way that you please. The problem is that the real Jesus isn't that Jesus.

Most Americans are idolaters and do not know it. They believe in Jesus, but not the real one. Not the one in the Bible. They love the Jesus in their mind. They love the Jesus that lets them do anything they want without retribution. They love the Jesus that expects nothing, but gives everything. They love the baby Jesus. They just hate the adult one.

Many years ago, I remember driving through Ashland University, and the Democratic Student Organization was recruiting. They had a sign that said "Our God Accepts everyone" out in front of their table. Now the Bible tells us that God hated Esau. The Bible says that the lost are his enemies. The Bible tells us very clearly that God is going to pour his wrath out on those who disobey Him. Simply put, the Ashland University Student Democrats created a God that is not real.

Folks, this just one of many examples I could come up with. Let us remember this holiday season that the baby in the manger grew up to be a man. He went on to teach that he was the way, the truth and the life; and that no one comes to the Father but by Him. He said that the road to Hell was wide; and narrow was the path to Heaven. He told his disciples to follow him. He taught that we are pursue righteousness at all costs. We are to hate sin, and repent of it. He told us that following him was our only hope. For this is the true Jesus. Let us make certain that we are not creating gods in our mind.