You probably also know about the bounty for Osama Bin Laden, currently “up to $25 million for information leading directly to” his apprehension or conviction, but you probably don’t know there is an even higher bounty for a much more outrageous middle-eastern cleric.

This one is not offered by the federal government of the United States, it is offered by radical Islamists, and it is for the death of a Christian.

The target is Father Zakaria Botros, an Egyptian who has been exiled for preaching Jesus over the air waves. It is estimated that he is watched by 50 million Muslims each time he is on the air via satellite, and he is on the air almost every day.

Some believe that he is at the top of the Jihadist’s most wanted list, and the price on his head is reported to be $60 million. He says he is not afraid to die, because he knows Jesus Christ, and he cannot and will not stop preaching, because the Muslims need to hear the gospel message. Being a disciple of Jesus well may cost this brother his life, but it doesn’t matter—he’s already given his life to Jesus.

When we count the cost of discipleship, is our math as simple as that?

Then it struck me, if I could be as dependent on God, as Arthur was on his master, how would that change my life?

What if I suddenly realized that every meal was only going to come from one place (God, not the refrigerator)?

What if I suddenly realized that any meaningful loving I craved was only going to come from one place (God, not worldly desires)?

What if I suddenly realized that any joy/peace in my life was only going to come from one place (God, not a temporary escape)?

Arthur put all of his attention, his focus, toward his master.  I suggested that it was as if he was worshipping his master, but that doesn’t quite work, as Arthur really has no concept of a “god”.  But another way to put it is devotion.

Jesus said that to really understand the Kingdom of Heaven, we have to be like / think like little children, be more pure and simple.  I think He might have considered dogs for His analogy, but dogs were such low-life in His day, that probably would have offended His listeners even more!

But today we love our dogs, and they love us.  In fact, I am beginning to realize that we should very much strive to be more like dogs (in the good sense), learning from how they depend and rely on, are devoted to and love their masters.

From here on out, I’m going to try to be more devoted to my Master, like Arthur is to his.  Everything I need comes from my Master.  I only need to turn to my Master for the loving that I crave.  Joy and peace, these too, come from my Master.  God, my Master.

And the best part is, I can worship Him too, because he is my God.  And He is my Father, which makes me His child, and that’s way better than being His dog.  Now, isn’t that cool?

How do you react when confusion sets in?  For me, as time pressures rise, my stress rises much more quickly with the amount of confusion, usually making things only worse.

How do you resolve your confusion?  Do you look for a “Good Samaritan” (please help me!)?  Just start pressing as many buttons as possible (just try something — anything)?  Take it out on the offending thing and strike it?!

Jesus’ disciples were confused a lot; in fact, one could consider them confused nearly the whole time they were with Jesus (except for rare divine moments), up until when the Holy Spirit was given to them at a special celebration called Pentecost.  After that, it seemed they were thankfully no longer confused.  (They had their disagreements, but individuals didn’t seem confused as to what they should do next!)

Was Jesus ever confused?  It’s hard to imagine our God incarnate (who made us all!), ever not understanding something.  Yet the thing that confounded Him most was our own thick-headedness.  He would cry out — “Oh you of little faith!”, and  “How can you be so dull?”  Creation didn’t puzzle Him, but people confounded Him frequently!  People confound me, too, so I shouldn’t feel too bad about that.

How did Jesus deal with his confusion?  Is there a lesson here? Patience. And a lot of it.  As Jesus was infinite in everything, He was certainly infinite in patience.  He took time to explain things (again!), and sometimes, when all the explaining in the world wouldn’t work, He just moved on, knowing they would “get it” eventually.

Should the gift of the Holy Spirit clarify everything for us, as it did the disciples?  How I wish it would, and how I wish it did.  Maybe the Holy Spirit doesn’t clarify everything to me because I don’t welcome Him in sufficiently well.  The disciples reacted to that Gift by becoming one purpose, spreading God’s Word.  I reacted to that gift too, but retain many purposes — work, family, home, and oh yes, spreading God’s Word.  Maybe I’d be a lot less confused if I focused more clearly only on God’s will. Maybe then, the Holy Spirit would make clear all the confusion in my life.

When’s the last time you lifted up your confusion to the One who can clarify all?

On the other hand, if you try to pen in an angry bull with a man and a red cape, or if you set a large hoop aflame and jump a car through it, people don’t want to be close at all but stand at a distance with rapt attention from our tense excitement.

But in church, there isn’t a wall of glass separating us from something so exciting to be so close.  And there’s certainly nothing worthy of fearful respect that requires a safety distance.

Really?

Some may argue that there is a difference between entertainment and worship, and I totally agree.  Still, shouldn’t worshipping God generate excitement and fear greater than our man-made creations?

The God of the universe has sacrificed His one and only Son so that He can be near us.  What a little sacrifice is it for us to be “near” to Him?  On the other hand, the Creator is the only One who commands the heavens and earth — certainly power to be fearful, and in awe of.  Anyone in their right mind would give that kind of power a little space.

Maybe God’s too common.  Things that are common in this world (like sand) are worth little.

Maybe God’s too invisible.  What’s the point of being “near” something you can’t see?

Maybe God’s too loving.  With arms as wide open and as big as God’s, who could be afraid?

But isn’t that the point?  He loves us so much, He wants us to be near Him so deeply, and He’s fearfully and wonderfully powerful.  God is all these things, and So Much More.  How much more need we be convinced that God is All?  Better yet, God IS.

When’s the last time you really sacrificed yourself to be near Him?

I thought about flying down to San Antonio to see if I could turn in my 9th edition The Macintosh Bible, but I suspect only the Mac faithful would think of it as a holy text.

Turns out this started back in 2005, and that year it made a big media splash, with Tucker Carlson of MSNBC both reporting on the story and debating a bit with the then president of Atheist Agenda, Thomas Jackson.

This year it seems that several folks took umbrage at this little annual parlor trick, from feminist groups to Muslims to Christians, and protests  and protesters made their presence known in the area. That made the news, and there wasn’t much else happening today, so this tempest in a teapot story made it all the way from Texas to my radio in California.

The best suggestion I’ve heard about how to respond came from Keith Mitchell, one of the elders at PACC, who said we ought to trade Bibles for porn. No doubt someone somewhere in the country, perhaps even in Texas, is already doing that.

But what I found most curious is that people would willingly give up light to receive darkness. Most people, it seems to me, are trying to find their way out of the dark, not descend more deeply into it. Of course my perspective may be skewed by the fact that I’m a preacher, but don’t you find it the same?

In the 2005 interview with Mr. Carlson, Mr. Jackson said they thought of it as “…trading something that’s very, very bad [a Bible] for something that’s only moderately bad [pornographic material].” Apparently even his goal was to move people toward more light, but if so this really is a case of the blind leading the blind, about which Jesus said, “And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

When that happens, we’ll be here with a rope, ready to pull them both out into the daylight.

There’s a reason people aspire to be rock stars.  Who else gets the adoration they do?

But all that rock star worship is but a pale reflection of what heaven will be like.  God of course, being Who He is, is worthy of some serious worship.

So why aren’t our church services as worshipful as rock concerts?  I think not being face to face has something to do with it.

“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known (1 Cor 13:12).”

Imagine being in the same space, “face to face with my Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who loves me so.”

What do you think about being face to face with Jesus?

Power of One

Why do 97% of the customers reviewing To Save a Life on movietickets.com give the film a four to five out of five-star rating? While not a perfect film, its rich content makes it easy to forgive minor flaws. I found it so compelling that even after a second viewing, my entire body ached from the white-knuckle dramatic tension.

For starters, this low-budget indie film isn’t an embarrassment of sentimental dreck, as many “Christian” films are. In the words of one reviewer, “The production values are the best and least cheesy since The Passion and the music is great.” Moreover, instead of the usual one-dimensional, perfect Christians, we see characters in a range of commitment levels, including agnostic, seeker, holier-than-thou, and in-name-only, although a few but growing number are genuinely transformed by Jesus. Such sophistication was summarized by a reviewer, who said, “Everyone needed to be rescued from something, not just the loners.”

For me at least, and I suspect for many of us, the core issue of the film resonates: when I mistreat (snub, ignore, put down) another person, the consequences can be dire for both of us. I can become callous and/or guilt-ridden, and the other person can suffer pain to the point of taking their own life, possibly along with others’. The power of one is clear: “If every school could have their own Jake Taylor…this generation could be amazing,” says another reviewer.

For parents and teachers, the very edginess of this not-dumbed-down effort makes the message credible, and breaks open the opportunity for conversation with kids and peers. It can be hard to watch some of the grittier scenes with kids; the PG-13 MPAA rating is well-earned. The drinking/drug scenes are happily raunchy, the dance/bedroom sequence undeniably sexy, the death montage intense, and so on, but there’s nothing gratuitous about it. As one reviewer said, “Don’t send your kids to this movie…take them!”

Other reviewers commented: insightful, worldview-changing, authentic/realistic, accurate yet exhausting, entertaining, worth owning/viewing multiple times. “Trusting God doesn’t automatically make everything turn out better.” Challenging, unsugar-coated message of inclusion and anti-hypocrisy clarifies life priorities with an unexpected depth that applies across age groups. Evokes a range of emotional responses, but not in a way that feels overly manipulated. Offers hope within hopelessness as personal flaws reveal God’s love and grace. An important message, but not a “feel good” movie.

See it, share it, live it. And comment on it!

The promise of eternal life is something many Christians long for and sing about. But in looking forward to a new tomorrow, they often overlook the power they possess to deal with a very ugly today.

The Twilight story roots characters in the present world while illustrating the difficulties of living forever. The Cullen vampires are incredibly healthy (immortal), wealthy (years playing the stock market), wise (endless school and travel), and gorgeous. They are billed as heroes because unlike most vampires, they have chosen to eschew human blood. They hunt less tasty animals instead. Clearly, it’s a noble struggle on behalf of humanity, but is restraint enough of a cause? When you can live forever, what do you live for?

Only one of the Cullen family answers to a higher calling. Carlisle is a doctor who derives great satisfaction from treating humans although it took a lot of passion to sustain a career that constantly appeals to his appetite. The rest of the Cullens, however, could rightly be called “bloodsuckers,” since they live in society but don’t give back to it.

With their talents, they could do so much good in the world, or even in their own school. Instead, we find them cloistered together around a small cafeteria table, talking only to each other, wasting their resources on the frivolous pursuits of fast cars and perfect clothes. Utterly bored to death, but unable to die.

Followers of Jesus are called to so much more than living for tomorrow. What do Christians live for today? What did Jesus live for?

Surely you’ve seen couples together at restaurants, busy with their own cell phones or laptops.  And at a musical in San Francisco, I saw friends sitting side-by-side in their theater seats, gaming on their own Nintendo DS’s.

Are we really present with anyone, anymore?

Even if we make personal choices to leave technology at home, it’s blasted at us from all sides.  I was most disappointed when the gas station I frequent chose to install TV screens at every pump.  Talk about a captive audience!

Technology’s inexorable encroachment on every part of our lives seems inevitable.  And yet…

One day I went to the gas station, and the TVs were gone.  No one seemed to miss them.

And in my heart there is still much rejoicing every time I go to fill up my car and see the absence of gas pump TV.

If people can find it in themselves to turn back the tide of technology, even in a small way, perhaps people will find it in themselves to repent of greater things.

As the song from Godspell says, “Turn back, O man, forswear thy foolish ways.”

What gives you hope?

(Somehow something got disconnected, so when I watched my tape, all I got was video. What a time to not be able to hear what was said!)

Over the next couple of days Serena released statements, eventually including an apology, but in my mind she was at least a day late and a dollar short. Her outburst had a lasting impression I would not expect from one of “the most prominent female Christian athletes of all.”

(Some would argue that Serena got treated unfairly since Roger Federer cursed at the chair umpire and wasn’t similarly penalized, but he was sitting in his chair, not menacing a linesperson with a tennis racket.)

Thinking on speech-related issues reminds me of the criticism House Speaker Nancy Pelosi received when she and House Majority leader Steny Hoyer wrote, “Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American.” Apparently some people think the 1st Amendment gives them the freedom to speak in such a way that deprives others of the freedom to speak. Go figure.

Our Summer Group discussed James and taming the tongue. Obviously this is a hard lesson, but James 1:19-20 has much wisdom for situations like these:

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

How would things be different if we were more eager to listen to others rather than ourselves?