I was reminded about how our children are our disciples whether we know it or not.  They are mini portraits [...]]]> I listened again recently to a message I heard from Doug Phillips within the last couple of days about, “The History of the Sunday School Movement.”

I was reminded about how our children are our disciples whether we know it or not.  They are mini portraits of our lives.  You and I are always discipling.

This wasn’t expressly what the message was about, but it reminded me of how discipling involves how we live with our children, walk with them, talk with them, play with them, and work with them.  Discipling is the biblical form of education that involves daily living in close relationships with those whom you are discipling.

I then had to judge myself and ask whether I am discipling my children toward God, or toward myself.

I forget sometimes that what I’m working toward is the same thing that Jesus worked toward throughout His 3 years of ministry with His disciples.  In John 15:15, Jesus says to His disciples,

“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”

From Deuteronomy 6 to Acts 6, God’s method of education has not changed.  That’s our jobs as parents right?  To make known to our children what we have heard from God.

I look forward to the day when my kids are no longer my disciples, but are Christ’s disciples.  And I also look forward to the day when they will be my deepest friends, and not just my kids.

Even now, God is giving us glimpses of this in Arwen’s life.  We can sit and talk with her about some of life’s deepest issues, and I know that her heart belongs to me.  That’s the key to discipleship versus classroom based education.

She has my heart too.

(That’s my girl holding an axe after she helped me break up some old wood we needed to get rid of.)  She’s also sitting beside me proofreading this post right now.

This was triggered, by the recent death of a friend.  He died leaving four children behind, and many [...]]]> I’ve had something hit home with me very recently, and only now have found words to put it into. It’s not some huge discovery, and really it’s something that most Christians would hear and say, “Well, duh!”

This was triggered, by the recent death of a friend.  He died leaving four children behind, and many good years still yet to live.  But one thing was clearly evident at his funeral: This man had led a life that to many seemed strange, but his good works of service had blessed so many people, that the large baptist church we were in could barely hold them.

This man had made such a great impact for the cause of Christ on his own family, church family, employees, business competition, neighbors, and yes, even the trash man.  All of these showed up at his funeral to praise his good works.

What made him different was one very simple practice: He had the self-discipline of seeking.

Seeking is built into our very DNA as human beings.  We’re all seeking something.  And there’s many things that seek to have us seek after them.  Seeking is inevitable.

To seek means, “ to go after, and the primary sense is to advance, to press, to drive forward.” (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary)

Concerning the rich man, James 1:11b says, “So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.” All of us will pass away in the midst of pursuing something.  The rich man fades away in the middle of his pursuing.  Never finding.  Never satiating his desire.

Jesus promises that if we seek we will find, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)

Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

Our first failure as Christians is always our failure to seek.  A lack of seeking, is a lack of faith.  Christianity is not a passive religion.

With Christ, we cannot be spectators, but proactive seekers.  In the same way that we seek to grow our business or career we must seek to grow in our knowledge, understanding, and disciplines of our faith.

No one else can take that up for us.  We must be seekers.  Constantly searching out Christ.  It must be on our minds throughout the day to not forget.  To pursue at every spare moment.  To pray.  To think on Christ.  To reflect on His Word and will.

In addition to being natural seekers, we can also tell many times what someone is seeking after by the way they live their lives.

So naturally, being a true seeker of Christ will look funny to those around you. Your pursuit will look much different than the pursuits that those around you are taking.  When you begin putting the same passion into your pursuit of Christ as the rich put into their pursuit of riches, the world will laugh.

This naturally causes us to want to turn away from our pursuit.  So… we must expect the normal response of those around us to be negative.

But the self-discipline of seeking is a high-calling.  A difficult calling.  And it is the only way that we will ever draw near to Him.

I’m tired of being on the outer courts just getting spiritual scraps, simply because those around me are satisfied with this.

I want to live a life that glorifies God, and a life not lived pursuing Him will not bring Him much glory.

We got eveyone ready to go and headed out.  We went with a friend from work and his [...]]]> For several months now, I’ve been planning to go to Tuscaloosa for the Crimson Tide’s A-Day game.  I went last year, but had only taken Arwen with me.  This year, I decided to take the whole fam.

We got eveyone ready to go and headed out.  We went with a friend from work and his family.  By the time we got to Tuscaloosa, Evie had pooped through her clothes in her carseat.  So first thing after we arrived, we had to go find her some new clothes.

We climbed up to the upper deck to try to escape the sun.  It was extremely hot, and all of us were consuming lots of liquids.  Between food and beverages, we probably spent over $60 on stadium food.

The team looked good, and the atmosphere there was exciting. The expectations for the upcoming season couldn’t be bigger.

After we left, we were on our way back to where we had parked when we came up on some train tracks we had walked over to get to the stadium.  A train was blocking us, and there were huge crowds waiting to get by to get to their cars too.

Cops were there to make sure no one tried to go under the train.  This poor girl got handcuffed by an overzealous cop who actually made her come back under the train so he could handcuff her!  Of course he wouldn’t go under there to get her himself.

Here’s a shot from the other side:

We had to walk a long way around the train to get to the other side.

I’m not immune from this either.  I have many times felt [...]]]> Church membership is a given these days.  Every church does it.  Politicians list it in their bios.  People see themselves as associated with one particular “brand” or “church.”  It’s sort of like saying that “I shop here…” or “I use this brand of ___.”

I’m not immune from this either.  I have many times felt that great sense of pride when telling someone that I belong to this or that church.  I can’t say that there’s anything wrong with any of this.  Except maybe the pride part of course.  By making these statements we’re defining to others part of our beliefs, either positively or negatively.

I do use the word sacrament in my title for a reason though… that for most churches:

1. those desiring to be members are required to “do” something before they can become members (i.e. catechism classes, making some “special” confession or covenant before the church, etc.)
2. and certain “benefits” are not given unless one becomes a member (i.e. shepherding from an elder, discipline, attending certain church functions, etc.)

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “sacrament” means:

1 a : a Christian rite (as baptism or the Eucharist) that is believed to have been ordained by Christ and that is held to be a means of divine grace or to be a sign or symbol of a spiritual reality b : a religious rite or observance comparable to a Christian sacrament

The word “sacrament” comes from the Latin sacramentum meaning “oath of allegiance, obligation.”

According to these definitions a sacrament is something:

1. believed to have been instituted by Christ
2. a means of divine grace
3. a sign or symbol of a spiritual reality
4. a religious rite or observance
5. the making of an oath, and fulfilling of an obligation

I’d like to show what I believe to be a biblical disagreement with the way church membership is practiced by most of the church today.

I believe that church membership is practiced on a level equal to that of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, but lacks the authority that these other sacraments or ordinances have.  I believe the first point of the definition above is where this practice most runs into problems.

Why is this important?

As I mentioned above, most people who attend church today identify themselves strongly with where they are members, thus identifying themselves with an allegiance/oath other than those instituted by Christ Himself.  Again, I don’t think that church membership in certain forms is necessarily wrong, but the Bible speaks of baptism and the Lord’s Supper as those institutions that define the church and its duties.

This is important because no local church has the authority to ever put an obstacle before a Christian to come to Christ or to be identified with His church.  I believe that church membership in most forms today is exactly that: a man-made sacrament.

Church Membership is seen as a means of Divine Grace

If you were to ask most church elders today what the difference is between a member and non-member, they would describe certain “benefits” or “standing” with the church which the member has over the non-member.

Since identification with the body, shepherding, and other aspects of the church are seen as means of grace, then it can only be said that by taking the oath of church membership is anyone ever entitled to benefits that that local body has to offer.

Church Membership seen as a Sign and Seal of a Spiritual Reality

Some churches would say that membership in their church represents some greater affiliation with the body of Christ that the non-member did not have before.  There’s not too many, if anyone, who would say that church membership is a sign and seal, but yet without it, the church does not ACT in a way that recognizes the spiritual reality in a believing non-member.

In some cases, the non-member may not be able to participate in the Lord’s Supper and may eventually be asked to leave a church simply for not jumping through the man-made hoops established by that local church.

No church may say that membership is a sign and seal, but practically, membership is treated like one.

Church Membership Almost Always involves some Rite or Observance

It will be different in different churches and denominations, but church membership almost always involves some form of rite or observance.  It could be classes, a particular confession made before the church, signing some agreement, whatever it may be, all of this counts as a tradition, rite, or observance.

Church Membership involves some Oath or Obligation

A lot of churches today put few obligations on their members, especially that of holiness.  With so many churches apostosizing from the faith by allowing homosexual marriage and other immorality to go on inside its walls, those churches hold few obligations to being a member.

But there are still many churches that require some man-made obligation where they may take a biblical command such as, “Do not forsake the assembling of the brethren…” and then define in their own wooden way what that means.

Some churches require additional oaths before the congregation in addition to a confession of faith.

Why Church Membership at all?

Explicitly, most churches would not claim membership as a sacrament in their church, but for all practical purposes it is.  The behavior and actions of the church surrounding it prove that the church believes church membership to be a sacrament.  Again, I use the word sacrament instead of ordinance, because the way church membership is practiced more closely resembles a sacrament.

The #1 thing needed for a rite or observance to be a sacrament, is that it must be ordained by Christ.  Where is this requirement to be admitted fully into a local congregation held out there by Christ or any of the apostles?

The only reasons for church membership are always pragmatic ones.  It’s an attempt to fix certain human concerns like:

• “If we don’t have church membership, then people will not commit to being a part of the church.”
• “If we don’t have church membership, then we won’t know who to shepherd.”
• “If we don’t have church membership, then we won’t be able to hold our members accountable.”
• “If we don’t have church membership, then we won’t be able to run all of our programs and reach our city for Christ.”

These concerns are certainly valid.

Church Membership: an Unbiblical Sacrament

The fact of the matter is, most forms of church membership are anti-biblical because they are man-made works-based attempts to define who the people of God are.  James 2:1-4 says,

¹My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. ²For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, ³and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” ⁴have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

This passage is speaking of treating the poor differently than the rich in the context of the church.  But could we not say that the same applied to the Jews who thought that by virtue of birth and lineage that they were entitled to a piece of God’s kingdom?  Could we not say the same about distinctions of race, sex, height, weight, etc.?  What about man-made member/non-member distinctions?

The church membership question certainly fits the same criterion established by this passage.  Church membership:

• creates distinctions
• these distinctions are man-made
• these distinctions do not involve a matter of holiness
• these distinctions involve showing partiality

In other words, most forms of church membership create unbiblical distinctions that divide the body of Christ in ways it is not meant to be divided.

In part two I’ll give an explanation of a form of “church membership” that is not works-based, while also addressing some practical concerns.

Here, I simply wanted to document how church membership resembles a sacrament, the unbiblical ways that the church treats it as a sacrament, and a short biblical refutation of church membership as it is practiced in most churches today.

The kids of course were excited.  Anything that’s out of the ordinary like that makes their day.

I started off the day [...]]]> Last Saturday, we had our yard sale for this year.  We had a grill, a broken Xbox 360, and a bunch of kid riding toys to sell, and then everything else…

The kids of course were excited.  Anything that’s out of the ordinary like that makes their day.

I started off the day getting McDonald’s for me and the kids.  Missi only wanted a coffee drink.  Apparently, we’ve trained our kids well.  As they ate, they got really disgusted with the food they were eating.  Most of that food went to waste.

We gave the kids a way to make money by selling baked cookies (Nestle) and Milo’s sweet tea: one 5 oz. cup of tea for 25 cents or a plastic baggy with 2 cookies for 25 cents.

Arwen is our persistent sales girl.  As soon as people could get out of their cars, she was asking them if they wanted cookies or sweet tea.  It was a good time to teach her how to get someone’s attention, ask them one time, and then wait for a response.

She didn’t get disappointed if people turned her down, but she did get upset once when a lady said she’d by something (just to shut her up I think), and then didn’t.

Charis managed to dig out an old Eeyore doll that had been buried in a yard sale box, and carry it around like it was her favorite to ever.  Of course, we then couldn’t sell it.

Overall, we did well.  Our main objective was to get rid of a lot of excess stuff we had, and second, make a little money while doing it.  For the day, we cashed in a whopping $100.  I’d say that’s a successful yard sale for this year.

My interest has mainly been toward those in Sudan.  We’ve given to a ministry [...]]]> I’m figuring this out as I go, but I decided a couple months ago, that I wanted our family to do something active to learn more about our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ, and find ways that we can help.

My interest has mainly been toward those in Sudan.  We’ve given to a ministry called Persecution Project Foundation over the course of the last couple years.  They do a lot of work trying to bring relief to those in need, as well as actively share the Gospel with those who need to hear it.

So, I’m coming up with a plan, as I go.  I’m going to focus on educating my family on Sudan, and the conflict there, and then we’re going to find ways to raise money and awareness for what’s going on there.  I started this week with a trip to the library where I found a book on Sudan.

It’s slow progress trying to teach kids who are 4 and 5, about things like “civil war,” “refugees,” and “genocide.”  Their little brains struggle with trying to wrap themselves around these concepts.  Our children know nothing of the suffering that these people go through.

I spent yesterday and today just trying to introduce them to some basic geography, terms, and ideas about what we’ll be learning about.

Our first project, was for them to draw a picture of the Sudanese flag.  They did well, and so far are paying attention throughout.  My goal is to figure out how God can best use us to help His Kingdom.

Well, I [...]]]> Traditionally, I haven’t been very good with special occasions for my wife.  She enjoys going all out for family and friends on special occasions, and me being a very thoughtful and romantic member of the male species ought to have picked up on that sooner than 7 years into our marriage, right?

Well, I finally got it right this year, but it took all of male mind to wrap myself around trying to throw a big birthday bash for my wife.

Since most of our closest friends and family are in Atlanta, I planned a trip to Atlanta (Jonesboro to be exact, her parents house) the weekend BEFORE her birthday.  It was no good trying to hide that I was planning SOMETHING, but with my track record, she probably knew she couldn’t expect much.

Me and mom-in-law, worked out plans for a Mexican fiesta themed birthday party!  We would order decorations, make Mexican food, and do Mexican things!

On Saturday, April 24th, I sent her away with mom-in-law for some shopping around 10 or 11am.  Then, I commenced with my plan.

(That yellow sombrero you see in the middle of the table, is an inflatable cooler for drinks!)

We put up cheap effigies of Mexican dancers and musicians, hung up signs saying “Fiesta,” got out our sombreros, our cheap “Fiesta” themed plates and napkins, and filled our pinata.  I got our kids involved  in helping out too.

I had everything planned out, and shortly after my parents arrived, Missi and mom-in-law were back.  Missi was greeted with her own sombrero, and special blinking jalapeno necklace.

Of course we sang “Happy Birthday” in Mexican too!

While everyone was visiting, Missi’s dad and I moved into the kitchen to make some “margaritas” (just fruit punch and ice for all you baptists out there - ).  They were very tasty.

After this, I had Missi play a lively game of Bobbing for Apples.

Then she had to destroy the pinata!

Then we settled down for a delicious chicken quesadilla lunch, after which, we settled for American cake and ice cream (this cake was from Whole Foods of course).

Then she opened presents.  My gift for her this year was the party, and a couple of cast iron pans.

Oh, and I did let her keep the sombrero and necklace…

Here’s Ezra in his underwear, eating his breakfast, and reading an Oriental Trading magazine.

Mamma, workin’ hard in the garden!

My beautiful wife and baby girl, Evelyn, cuddlin’ on the couch…

Arwen is reading to [...]]]> The girls and grandpa are working on planting their seeds.

Here’s Ezra in his underwear, eating his breakfast, and reading an Oriental Trading magazine.

Mamma, workin’ hard in the garden!

My beautiful wife and baby girl, Evelyn, cuddlin’ on the couch…

Arwen is reading to Ezra in the big chair in their room.

Charis holds up her favorite… cheese pizza!