Big Is The New Small

QUESTION AND ANSWER

IS IT OKAY TO BE CREMATED?   …for dust you are and to dust you will return. Genesis 3:19 

IS IT OKAY FOR A CHRISTIAN TO GO DANCING?  There is a…time to mourn and a time to dance. Ecclesiastes 3:4 

AS A CHRISTIAN, SHOULD I READ MY HOROSCOPE?   …Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month…Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up…Each of them goes on in his error…Isaiah 47:13-15 

IS HOMOSEXUALITY SIN?   Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable. Leviticus 18:22 

QUESTIONS TO ANSWER 

What are the differences that you notice when you visit a Target, as compared to visiting a Wal-Mart?  The initial difference for me is that Target has somehow received a cute, French like nickname Target “Tar-jay”, while Wal-Mart has to settle for “Wally World.”  It’s obvious that Target is becoming the new Big Daddy of retail.  That’s right; Target is on their way to taking out the former Big Daddy of retail, Mr. Wal-Mart.  I am not sure if that will happen in 10, 15 or 20 years; however I am confident that it’s going to happen.  Right now you are probably saying, “Give me a break, no one can take out Wal-Mart.”  If you don’t believe me ask our old forgotten about friends Mr. TG&Y and Ms. K-Mart.  You might be saying “Who are they,” if you don’t know just ask your parents.  Wal-Mart has even changed their store look and has their employees wearing khaki pants and blue shirts to compete with their rival in the red shirts and khaki pants.   

Target is more than just a cleaner, sleeker, sexier, khaki pants, red shirt, and customer friendly version of Wal-Mart with red phones, to ring an associate to your service.  No No No my friends, research shows that Target’s prices are very competitive to Wal-Mart and are only a couple of cents off on average and many items are actually cheaper.  Target has made a believer out of me.  I’m reminded of Target’s goodness every time I go to particular Wal-Mart’s and have to stand in line for an hour, or perform a self-checkout.  I find myself saying that I will never shop at Wal-Mart again.  Don’t get me wrong, some Wal-Mart stores are better than others; however Target has hit the spot in my world.  It is refreshing to go into a store that is clean, in touch w/ relevant culture and has friendly clerks to check me out.  The sad thing is that those comments used to describe Wal-Mart and Mr. Sam Walton is rolling over in his grave as we speak.   

Does competition cause all industries, including ministries to elevate their game?  Do you prefer Wal-Mart or Target?  Share your Thoughts!

I am not an Oklahoma State University football fan; however I have always liked OSU Head Football Coach Mike Gundy and his candor with the media. During Gundy’s post-game press conference following a win over Texas Tech, Gundy went off about an article written by Jenni Carlson about former OSU starting quarterback Bobby Reid. You can check out the article here.  I thought that it was interesting that the article talks about puking and so did Gundy.

Watch this video rant in it’s entirety and  share your thoughts!  Consider these questions: Do we need this same passion, as it relates to Satan’s attacks, Christian Selfishness and the state of the American Church?  When was the last time you, or someone that you know went on a rant and stood up for something that you/they believed in?  Is it necessary to “Go Off” sometimes; in order to get your point across?

NAME CALLING

Name Calling is one of those social weapons that we all pull out of our arsenal from time to time.  We can trace name calling all the way back to pre grade school.  Prior to grade school the name calling weaponry includes the subtle names, such as: chubby, goofy, skinny, slow…..  Once we are in grade school the names become more reflective of perceived social status: cool, athlete, smart, LD, fast, slow, geek, nerd, looser, teachers pet….  When High School hits the name calling turns into some more serious WMD’s that carry throughout adulthood.    Just think about your own life and the name calling that you are engaged in on a daily basis.  I am guilty of minor and sometimes even more serious name calling on a regular basis.  For instance, I am watching the news this week and they were talking about the arrest of our favorite court room friend, Mr. O.J. Simpson.  Here were some of my choice words for O.J.: stupid, arrogant, idiot……..  Below are some situations, along with a few choice weapons in name calling:

• Work- lazy, micromanager, jerk
• Politics- liberal freak, right-wing nut, Nazi
• Homosexuality- fag, queer, punk
• Racial- I won’t list any, you know what they are 

The reason that I did not list the names in the Racial category, is to illustrate the fact that some name calling is more appropriate than others.  Before you name call consider these transitions: “micromanager” their management style is to micromanage, “stupid” behavior is stupid, “crack-head” addicted to crack.  The bottom line is that we really do not have the right to call people names.   I read Proverbs 18:21 in the message version and it simply states; Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.  

Share some of the name calling that you have used this week.  Are your words giving life?  Share your thoughts!

NAME DROPPING

We live in a culture that loves to “drop names.”  I am primarily referring to those social settings in which we meet someone and will generally ask them “do you know so and so?  Or, we let them know that we know so and so.”   The whole purpose of name dropping is to acknowledge that there is some sort of familiarity with experiences and people.  I know that I definitely do this all the time, for instance; if someone tells me that they go to “Peoples Church” I would say, “I know your pastor Herbert Cooper, he’s a great guy…..”  That person and I now have a different level common experience and relational connection.  Often times we think of “name dropping” as some sort of “brown-nosing” negative type of behavior; however I would argue the contrary.   

I think a great reflection for the history of name dropping can be traced back to Jesus and the Disciples.  Jesus would send the Disciples out on “Kingdom Business” in his name, so the Disciples would show up to handle some business and drop Jesus’ name.  Now that’s some serious name dropping, you meet someone and after talking for a while you “Name Drop” the name that is above all others, the powerful name of Jesus.  That creates a distinctive relational connection of familiarity and experience. 

When was the last time you “Name Dropped” Jesus’ name?  Should we drop His name more often? Share your thoughts!

I had the opportunity to do be a political consultant for a number of years prior to being in full time ministry.  My involvement was both locally and nationally, which allowed the opportunity to experience a lot, both positive and negative.  Now that I am removed from the political scene,J that old saying “You Don’t Mix Religion and Politics” has become more of a question for me.  Why don’t you mix religion and politics?  Lyndon B. Johnson pushed a law through in 1954 that prohibited Tax-Exempt organizations, including churches from participating or intervening in elections on behalf of any candidates.  I am not referring to churches or pastors pushing candidates, I am referring to a more personal thought process.  Throughout scripture there are passages that discuss the following: government, laws, leaders, rulers…. and the responsibility they have, as well as discussing our role as followers.  Has our society become so politically correct, that it has become “Taboo” to “Mix Religion and Politics?”  I am going to throw some questions out and I would love to get your feedback. 

• Does your faith affect your decisions at the poll? 
• Do you agree or disagree with the premise of not mixing religion and politics? 
• Is this one of those “Pink Elephant” in the room subjects that we just want to avoid?

This was the promo video for a series that we did last year at LifeChurch.tv entitled My Secret. We had launched a website that would allow individuals to share their secrets online. I decided to check see if the site was still active and not only is it active but secrets are being shared on a daily basis. This is a great tool for that first step towards honesty, openness and transparency. Check it out at www.mysecret.tv!

 In a world that has began to break down barriers as it relates to race, ethnicity and color, there is still a serious question that we need to ask “Do we see color?”  The feel good answer is “No, we don’t see color.”  I beg to disagree; I believe that we do see color.  We see color everyday and we even see color on the weekends at church.  I am excited and very comfortable to say that we see color in a different way than we used too many years ago.  Seeing color in today’s society is like seeing the beautiful browns, blacks, creams, whites and tans that make up Davinic’s Mona Lisa.  If you didn’t have all of the colors the Mona Lisa would not be as beautiful and we “Yes”, we absolutely do recognize that her skin is light and her hair is dark.  By the way, do you think Mona has a smirk on her face, because she knew that we were going to be having a conversation about race and color as it relates to her beautiful image?

It is extremely annoying to hear someone’s cell phone ring during a church experience, the movies, a formal speaking engagement, weddings …….. Come on; just turn the thing to vibrate or silent. More importantly just turn it on vibrate all of the time, because no one really cares about those goofy ring tones except for you. Your phone is generally in your pocket, your purse or on your hip, so vibrate really makes sense. The really annoying ring, is that ring that gets louder and louder and louder and louder. Here is the funny thing about “The Annoying Cell Phone Person,” they prompt those of us who have some decency to check our phones even though we always have ours on silent or vibrate. Next time someone’s phone rings in church or the movies watch everyone else check theirs. In the spirit of love please check yourself, your spouse, friends and co-workers and encourage them not to be “The Annoying Cell Phone Person.”