Spring is here and one of my favorite things to do is go after weeds with my weed eater. I hate pulling weeds. I also hate killing weeds with weed killer because it makes much of my yard brown, not green. Most of my yard is not actually grass. I will just say right up front that I am more interested in a green front yard than I am with a grass-weed distinction. I don’t have time for making sure my front yard is pure grass; but I have time to make weeds resemble grass. I basically maintain the color green so that my neighbors might think I’m somewhat responsible.
Similar to the way many would not be convinced that I am really dealing with my weed problem by cutting stems, I am not convinced that the purpose of the gospel is to save me or get me to heaven. I’m not convinced that the purpose of the gospel is even directed at sin in and of itself. Sin is simply the flowering head of evil. Our moral and natural problem as image bearers is not one of sin, but evil. I think The gospel’s first purpose is to comprehensively, ruthlessly and effectively address the problem of evil.
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Before I get to my thoughts concerning the issue of fat people and the church I should begin by making it clear that the bible is overwhelmingly against the lust of food and those who practice such wickedness. The activity of gluttony is a sin. (Phil. 3:19, Prov. 23:20-21, Prov. 23:2, 1 Cor. 3:16-17, Prov. 6:16-19) One needs to understand that gluttony is actually the result of two very simple things denying and disobeying God. Fat people are actually a perfect picture of what happens when God “gives them over” (Rom. 1:26-32) to their sin and unbelief. God “gives them over” so that they might experience the hopelessness of a life apart from Him. After this experience of being given over hopefully they will see their error, repent and turn to Him before it’s too late (1 Cor. 6:9). So I want to make it clear that in no way do I condone the fat lifestyle.
The General Synod in the church of England today was just 6 votes short of allowing females to become Bishops. According to Wikipedia “the synod is 
I remember my first time going to one of those huge mega gyms. There where millions of work out options. It was literally three floors of options for the person who had entered into the community of physical fitness. One of the more impressive things that I remember on my first visit to this particular gym was the amount of treadmills they had to offer people. It seemed like there were hundreds of them. Everyone was moving. Some were running, some walking. Some were running inclined some were not. Some were running fast and some slow… everyone was moving.
In pastoral ministry I have had many experiences where people approach me with this sentence “Pastor we need to talk with you.” I can usually differentiate between a person going through crisis who needs help and a person who is angry with me over something I have done or said. At first I had no clue how to handle these critical meetings. I wanted to focus this article on some practical things that I have learned to remember before stepping into a meeting with a person or a group of people who seem angry about something you have done or said. I have made several mistakes in this area of pastoral ministry and it has only made me a better pastor. I hope this might be of help to you as a pastor when God’s sheep come at you with sharp teeth.
As a Christian who has grown in his understanding of The Gospel and the world we live in over the last 11 years I can honestly say that September 11th was more about the reality of the human condition than it was about terrorism or government conspiracies. It’s easy to say it’s us vs. them, it’s easy to blame and feel better about ourselves… it’s much more difficult to take ownership of brokenness that we all have in common as people and grieve for our enemies as well as our country. It’s easier for me to imagine a God who would give his life for the victims in the tower but much harder to imagine that he would do the same for the pilots of the plane. Honestly though I see this same war of good and evil going on my heart everyday and wonder why God would ever love me. He does though and today I think my hope is directed more toward the Middle East than ever. God loves them.
I recently received a letter from a pastor friend who warned me that I was being too critical of the Church lately on my blog. The person said “I guess my big concern is that much of your criticism is leveled at Christians and the church, and while this may be deserved at certain points it will inevitably breed mistrust of you and your ministry, and ultimately breed antagonism toward Christ’s dear bride.”
Eleven mental, emotional and spiritual challenges unique to the rural pastor:
When God called me into ministry (before I was born) he knew exactly what kind of home and what kind of people he wanted for my seedbed. The kind of garden I grew up in was not well groomed, weeded and tended to in a professional way. I was among the kind of flowers and weeds you might pass by on the highway everyday on your way to work and never notice. Our family fixed nets on shores of Galilee. We found comfort in things like filthy language, drinking too much, loud cars, loud music and hard partying (that usually ended in fights). We knew every line to The Credence Clearwater Revival 20 greatest hits album and sang them to the top of our lungs while we barbecued chicken and drank cheap beer. The simple folk form of faith that I was taught in my seedbed hinged on two major themes The Fear of God and the Grace of God. I loved my family.
I enjoy books that help me to fly by faith not show me how to arrive by faith. I hate arriving to soon at a conclusion only to back pedal later on because I have grown. My worst nightmare is that I would fix myself to an unmovable position on a moving issue. Many cultural truths shift and when they do some Christians can be locked in the spiritual rigamortis of traditionalism. If you’re flying the ground can change and you will be fine but if you have arrived than cultural earthquakes can cause you to feel more than a little helpless. Planes are made to do their work aloft not stay on the ground. I like books that help keep my landing gear up. Here are some tips for reading books that will get your plane off the ground. Unless you like the runway…
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