I am just sick of red cups and this whole dumb controversy!
So why even bring it up again you ask?  (Some of you are so tired of reading blog article after blog article about this topic) Why even mention anything about “red cups” or “Starbucks” or “Christmas”?
Please bear with me for a few minutes as we ponder together on this topic one last time.  This isn’t the first time that “Christians” have spoken out on rather silly issues.  I think it stems much deeper than a simple red cup devoid of snowflakes.

Today, I want to share with you 3 things about these red cups that has me seeing red, and perhaps you should be seeing red too…

Here’s why –

1. It’s A Poor Witness – 
Fellow Christians, is this red cup issue really something we need to be investing our time and effort on?
Is it really a social justice issue?
Is it really worth our time?
Is it really serving to help bring to focus the birth of Christ to our world?
In actuality, I think this outcry only serves to detract from our witness.
People read about all of these outraged Christians and wonder – Is this what Christian’s want to be known for? Some of these protests by supposed “Christians” have been mean and they often have come across as downright unloving.

If I were a person on the outside looking in on this whole “controversy”, I would probably be scratching my head and wondering why these cups have stirred such an outrage in the Church.  I believe the outcry really represents a very poor witness to a world with much bigger problems than what types of cups we put our coffee in or what a non-Christian company does or does not put on their coffee cups (snow flakes…really?!).

2.  There Are Bigger Moral Issues To Tackle – 
Our world still struggles with extreme poverty, starvation, famine and disease, this “cup” issue should be a moot point in the Christians realm.  Seriously?  Why are we spending so much time on the topic when human trafficking still exists, and when children in the United States and Canada still go home hungry from school?  There a much bigger fish to fry than this utterly dumb topic.  I only write on this today because I’m sick of it and in some ways I’m embarrassed that  this is what some Christians spend time clambering about.

Where are these same voices when we read of Christians being martyred in regions around the world?  Where are these same voices when we hear of people in our own neighborhoods struggling to put food on the table for their families?   Why isn’t there more of an outcry from these same voices when children in our communities face gang violence and bullies in our schools?  How can we fight a war on red cups when in our own backyard there are lives from all backgrounds struggling with addictions, and with sins?

3.  Something About Glass Houses and Throwing Stones – 
I don’t wish to sound mean or condescending, but in a very real way. this criticism seems hypocritical and pointless.
In the vein of the 2 points, I think we have to be very careful as Christians which wars we decide to engage in within the context of our world.  We would be hypocrites to decry this cup issue and be absolutely silent on other pivotal, more pressing issues around us.  How can we condemn a cup devoid of snowflakes and yet not fight for the dignity of all human life?

It almost seems as if we’re looking down on this coffee company and judging them by our standards, when in all likelihood, our worldview doesn’t match.
It’s one thing to hold the standard high for other believers around us, which is called accountability, but a completely different thing to expect people (and companies) from a different ideology to fall in line with beliefs they may not hold.  At the root of this whole debate is the notion that everyone must walk, think, and act like we do…but its that the reality of our world?  No, I don’t think it is.

Secondly, internally, don’t we have more pressing spiritual worries to consider in our own lives?
Romans 14:4 says this; “Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”

Another few precious verses to consider – “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:29-32

We still have our own Salvation to work out.
We still have our own personal battles that we fight today.
Let’s first tackle those internal issues before we decry the issues around us.

Philippians 2:12 says, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,”

Dear Christians,
we have more pressing things to do in this life than worry about the color of a cup and its design.
Pick your battles wisely because they will define you, and I feel this isn’t one we should be focusing on.
I’m sick and tired of this debate, so please stop!
I feel it’s only hurting our witness, not improving it.
Our efforts should be used more efficiently elsewhere, so let’s united together to fight poverty, clean water for everyone in our world, the Salvation of the lost, and bringing hope and love to our neighborhoods through genuine care and compassion.

Something more to ponder today!

JOY

When asked if I would write on joy, I felt a bit ill-equipped to write on this topic.  I’ve never considered myself the optimistic, happy-go-lucky joyful type.  Throughout various times in my life, I have tried to make a commitment to be joyful, but then my negativity gets the best of me.

However, whenever I think of being joyful, my mind always goes to Psalm 30:7, “Weeping may spend the night, but there is joy in the morning.”  There’s something about that verse that gives me a bit of hope.

In 2009, Christian artist, Steven Curtis Chapman, released an album entitled, “Beauty Will Rise” with a song by the same title.  The song was inspired by the tragic event of his 5 year old daughter’s death the year before.  The song starts out by recalling the day, “It was the day the world went wrong/I screamed til my voice was gone/And watched through the tears/as everything came crashing down/Slowly panic turns to pain/As we awake to what remains/And shifts through the ashes/That are left behind”

Although, not all of us have lost a child, we have all had that moment where everything went wrong.  Our world, for a time period stops spinning, and we are left standing still, stunned…  while the rest of the world moves past us without a thought.  Perhaps it was a death of a loved one.  Perhaps it was a loss of a job.  Perhaps it’s coming to terms with the past.  Whatever it is, we’ll call it ashes.  Ashes to shift through that no one wants even look at.  It’s dirty, mucky work, that can leave us feeling burdened.

The song proclaims that out of the ashes beauty will rise.  Something wonderful, beautiful and glorious will come out of whatever our ashes are, but in the midst of shifting through the ashes, can we even glimpse to the future to find hope or joy?  It may seem difficult, but I do think it’s possible.

The end of the song brings these lyrics, “I can see it in the distance/and it’s not so far away/It’s the music and the laughter of a wedding and a feast/I can almost feel the hand of the God reaching for my face/To wipe the tears away/You say, “It’s time to make everything new”/This is our hope/This is a promise/And it will take our breath away to see the beauty that’s been made out of these ashes.”

Although, I’ve struggle to find joy at all times in my life, I do have to say, the thought of Christ’s return has always brought me joy.  There’s this bubbling energy inside of me that screams to escape out my mouth.  It makes me want to scream it from the top of the mountains, or dance like David (only, I promise to keep my clothes on J ). It reminds me, that this world that’s full of pain, sorrow, and hurt is not a world that has had the last word.  It is a world that still has hope which breeds joy.  For me, hope and joy go together.  I cannot have one without the other.  There is a day, where the old will be gone, and the new will come.  I’m joyful and excited about that!  Can it just happen, now?  Already?

So, on the days of struggling to get my class assignments done, my e-mails answered, phone calls returned, trying to find the right words for questions that may have no answer, counseling those who come in my office with tears, and as I fight through my own personal battles, I am reminded, this is not my home.  There is a day, when it will all be new!

And that brings me hope.  That’s what brings me joy!

There are real dangers to long-term membership status in the Church.
I don’t wish to confront the faithful, this is just a reminder and a warning to us all.
If I am pointing fingers I must realize I have fingers pointing right back at me as well.

The body of Christ can be an extremely powerful thing!
We are His bride, His hands and feet here on earth.
When we put of our hearts and efforts into reaching our neighborhoods, great things will happen through the power of the Holy Spirit!  But what happens when the church stops functioning as it should?  What do we do when there is little to no motivation to get out of the doors of that church; when those doors and walls, and everything else in the church are just safety blankets to a frightened bride of Christ?

Today, I would like to explore four very real disconnects that every church faces from time to time.
-It can effect us too if we are not careful.
-It can effect our vision and vitality of our corps.
-It can effect our leaders, our soldiers, our adherents.
These disconnects are dangerous if not treated and our hearts are not reconnected to our power source – The Holy Spirit.

4 Disconnects 2 Avoid: 

1. Worn – 
   We’ve all seen it before.
   It manifests itself through the Sunday school teacher who has been teaching for 40 years…
   It manifests itself through the local officer who is just tired of performing the same role.
   It manifests itself through the corps officer who is also tired of being “pastor”, friend, counselor…There are many other examples in which the disconnect of being worn can present itself.
   It’s very common.
   Burn out is real.
   Officers, Soldiers, Local Officers and even Adherents experience this.
   How do we avoid it?
   Sometimes you can’t…I just need to say that first.
   We have this “Army” mentality and with it comes this notion that we can just plow through any obstacle that comes our way.  In order to avoid this disconnect we have to realize that even soldiers need to find rest to recharge.  Every one of us needs to seek out Sabbath days, find mountain top moments in which to pray, relax, get away from it all and just unwind.

   I have seen Officers who are definitely worn – I’ve been one of them from time to time.
   You can come back from being worn, but its harder to come back from being broken because you let the worn disconnect go too long.  Recognize the warning signs, and intentionally get away from it all for a bit.

2. Apathy –  
   I have to admit that I am the least tolerant to this disconnect.
   I cannot stand the perceived “I don’t care” mentality that can sometimes penetrate the church.
   Sometimes it happens without thinking – “If it doesn’t effect me, then I’m not going to worry and/or do anything“.It becomes “Us” and “Them”.  The church versus those outsiders, those sinners, those people…those…who aren’t as good as we are…but it doesn’t stop there, it becomes this uncaring environment for the outsider and the unchurched.  “Well, they don’t come to our doors, it must be because they have chosen to reject God.”  -This thought process is sort of an escape clause to play church but never really being the church that Christ intended and actually GO OUT to meet people.  You might as well take down the cross and any other symbols you have of the “Christian” faith and adopt some sort of club status because that’s what you have become.

   Faithful followers of Christ do not have time to be apathetic to the plight of hurting and lost people in our communities.  It’s not a social club.  This isn’t an exclusive membership club either.  We can’t pretend to help but never actually do any helping…

3. Know It All
   This disconnect that annoys me to no end, it’s the “I know it all” mentality.
   It can happen to any of us if we aren’t careful.  We have spent years in church.  We know all the stories from the bible.  We know all the right ways to pray.  We know all the right words to say as we lead parts of the service on Sunday, or lead a bible study, or Sunday school…we know, we know, we know…and yet we know nothing.
   -We know nothing of complete surrender.
   -We know nothing of true self-denial.
   -We know nothing of true compassion.

   We’ve played church for so long that we have become unteachable.
   We could listen to a thousand sermons
   We could hear a thousand renditions of Amazing Grace and other church songs
   We could hear every bible study, every scripture reading, every heart felt prayer;
   and because, deep down, we are unteachable (we know it all) we are horribly disconnected.
   The Holy Spirit would have to take a jack-hammer to the heart of the “know it all” just to get through.
   Oh that we would just soften our hearts once more and open our ears!
   Soldiers, friends, be careful that you don’t become the “know it all” officer or soldier!

4. Selfishness & Power
   
   The last disconnect within this pondering today is the disconnect of selfishness and hunger for power.  Sometimes these are mutually exclusive and sometimes not.  It’s about what I can get out of my corps.  It’s about how I can get more.  It’s about me, me, me.  Look at me, look how good I am.  Self-preservation is okay up to a point.  We should take care of ourselves.  We should be clean, and eat and go to the doctor, but what happens when everything we do is about ourselves?
   NEWSFLASH: If we are Christians, if we are soldiers, then we are no longer living for ourselves, but we live for Christ and others.  “The old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).  If we are a new creation, where does this selfishness go?  Where does our lust for power go?The disconnect of power doesn’t necessarily speak about high ranking officers either, it speaks about anyone who would lord their status and position over someone else, whether that be at the corps level, the divisional level, the territorial level or even the international level.  This disconnect is a temptation to be somebody.  It’s about me…what I can do…who I am…what responsibilities I have and the power I can exploit to impose my will on others.  Don’t think for a minute that this doesn’t exist in our army, for it certainly does.  Where ever there are imperfect people in church, there will be this temptation…and guess what we’re imperfect people.

   The Solution?
   Plug back into the source power.
   Get back to your first love which is Christ.
   He must become increase and I must decrease.
   Humility.
   Holiness.
   Self-denial.
   Rest, Meditation upon His Word.
   Prayer.
   “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” Romans 12:3

5. Questions to ponder:
   Are you disconnected right now?
   What sort of disconnect is it?
   Can you find your way back?
   Is there repentance that needs to take place?
   Are you over working yourself?
   What will it take to get reconnected to His power?
   Is the Holy Spirit using a jack-hammer on your heart right now?Something more for this Army world to ponder today!
   To God be the glory!

   Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in these ponderings on pastorspondrings.org are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Salvation Army.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23

Unless you are currently living in a cave (in which case it’s amazing that  you’re even reading this right now) , you will know that a group of hackers recently released the names of nearly 90,000 clients who used the online “affair” site – “Ashley Madison”.

There have been some claims, mostly unsubstantiated, that nearly 400 Pastors would have to resign because of their involvement on the website.   I don’t know about you, but this whole scandal just makes me sad.  If church members and pastors are indeed involved in this fallout then what kind of testimony to the “unsaved” does that have?  What would be the “Christian” fallout?  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t wish to convey an “us vs. them” mentality here, but certainly we have to concede that we DO have a responsibility as Christians to live as “Set-Apart”.  How can we set an example of godly living if we aren’t really living above reproach?  How could this translate to other faith-seekers out there?   Would they become disillusioned because of this display by “Christians”?  Or is this just par for the course?  Is this just a “Christian” issue or is it also a society issue?

Here are three lessons that Christians can learn from this whole Ashley Madison debacle: 
“Truth without love is brutality, and love without truth is hypocrisy.” -Warren Wiersbe

1.  The Truth Will Always Come Out: 
I don’t say this to be judgmental, I say this because it’s true.  Adam and Eve couldn’t hide the truth from God in the garden when they disobeyed Him, so what makes us believe that our outcomes will be any different?  I know that sometimes affairs happen for many different reasons.  Some because of neglect, abuse, distance, a moment of weakness and so on, but it’s still a tragedy all the same.  It was never how God intended love to look like or act when it came to humankind.  Sometimes I wonder if these sort of things happen because people think they won’t get caught.

I’m reminded of the scripture verse: “For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.” Luke 8:17  If Christians believe that hiding issues and sins will never be found out, think again.

2.  Christians Aren’t Impervious To Temptation:

If you think that as a Christian you will never struggle with temptation again, then you’re sorely mistaken.  Temptation is still alive among Christ-followers.  When Jesus was teaching His disciples how to pray, He even taught them to pray against temptation when He said “And deliver us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one”(Matthew 6:13).

If we know we struggle with a specific type of temptation, then be aware of it.  Be vigilant.  Be on your guard!   Christians, even though they are “Set Apart”, can still stumble and fall!  If some Christians have been caught in this whole Ashley Madison debacle, I pray that they find healing, forgiveness and grace on their road to recovery and reconciliation!  Temptation is very real, especially among those who claim to be Christ-followers.

3. If We Don’t Guard Our Heart, We Can Easily Fall!   
The last lesson is this (and I believe that it’s connected to the last lesson).
                         -Guard your hearts.
Put up barriers to sin and temptation.
If you have trouble with overeating then don’t drive by the doughnut shop…you get my point.  Take special precautions to avoid situations in which you might fall into temptation.  Be proactive in avoiding such a scenario in your life.  If you’re proactive, you stand a better chance of side-stepping that which trips us up.  When we guard our hearts, we guard our lives; we filter the kinds of things that we allow into our hearts and minds.  We are then able to withstand such a barrage on our lives.

I don’t wish to condemn anyone who is caught up in this scandal today.
I’m certainly not perfect, and I’m sure you aren’t either.
Here’s a newsflash – The Church isn’t perfect either.  In fact, our Church doors are open to all who are imperfect and require the kind of healing and grace only Christ can offer.   We might be tempted to sit back, purse our lips and judge people who have been caught by this whole Ashley Madison mess…but think again.  Hold your judgements and try to offer grace.  I’m not saying we allow sin to continue to be active in our churches, I’m just saying allow grace, forgiveness and love to enter into the equation before we ever consider casting the first stone.   I pray for grace and healing for those in need of it today!  May we all seek God’s favor in all that we are and ever hope to be as Christ-followers.

Something more to ponder today.
To God be the glory!

They say that the best sermon one can preach comes from personal experience…this topic is no different.
I find myself looking at my “smart” phone far too much.
I invest my time in technology and social media far more than I should.

I am not saying social media is bad, on the contrary it can be a vital tool to ministry, family and life.
But you know what they say about too much of a good thing…it might just become bad for you.
I cannot begrudge social media, after all, this audience on Pastorsponderings was grown out of social media.
You matter to this blog, these ponderings, and to me…but…we sometimes need to just unplug from it all.

We have to get away from our devices and look around us.
We have to put down our cell phones, computers and tablets and spend quality time with our families.

I don’t know about you but there is this constant need to see what other people are saying and writing about on places like twitter, facebook and tumblr.  We check our status’ hundreds of times throughout our day, but God forbid we ever enter a place where there are cellular dead-zones.

I’m tired of family get togethers that look like this:
We drive miles and miles to our families for holidays and after only a short time we are doing this while we sit around and soak up the electronic silences on the couches and chairs.  We are mere feet from our loved ones and yet we may as well be miles and miles away.  Again, I’m talking to myself in this, but it the shoe fits…

…I must confess that I am horribly guilty of this type of technological distraction.
I just don’t want any of us waking up some day when some of our family members are gone from this life and regret not spending more quality time with them instead of facebooking our closet 1,000 “friends”.

At Play:
The other day, my sister told me of her experience at the park with her boys.  They went there to play and enjoy the last remaining days of summer before school begins again.  As she is watching her children play, she looked around the park at all of the other parents and she noticed, with dismay, the distraction of many of the parents.  Their eyes were glued to their cell phone screens.  Is it no wonder our kids seem clingy and demanding of our time these days when we don’t even realize how disconnected we are from them because we’re too busy commenting on a photo or dialoging on another group or post?

Again, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with these “social” things, but if they start becoming a distraction to our everyday lives and to our families then something has got to give…something has to change!

At Church:
Isn’t “Church fellowship” supposed to be real live connecting with people?  Isn’t it supposed to be a time where we connect with God and worship Him?  Isn’t Church a place where we put down our distractions and begin to LISTEN to Him?  I don’t mean to say that we don’t do that else where in our daily lives, but Church ought to be a place where we unplug from the things of earth and plug into a God of the Universe.  Yet, we find ourselves once again digging into our pockets for that iPhone or Android device to see what is going on with our favorite team, friend, frienemy…you get the point.  Why is it so hard to unplug?  Why are we constantly looking at our phones?  And don’t tell me you’re just finding the scripture verse the pastor is preaching on either…maybe some of you are, but not all of you are.  Are we bored with God?  Are we bored with the message on Sunday?  Are we easily distracted by the world around us?  What is it?

I am not pointing the finger at you without first pointing the finger at me…I do this, I am equally as guilty.
I look at my screen far too many times in the day.  I check status’, I read emails, I constantly text…I do all of these things.  They aren’t bad things, just distracted things…especially when my son is on the soccer field playing a game…especially when my 7 year old twins want Dad time and I only give them a part of my “full attention”…especially when my 14 year old needs help with homework and I’m sitting there commenting on another post…especially when my beautiful bride is talking to me and I’m only partially listening and the other part of me is tweeting something sarcastic.  You see, I need to choose my times to unplug too.  I need to get away from the distractions of my devices too.  I need to spend time with my family, with my church, with my God.

For Us To Ponder: 
Do you need to unplug today?
Do you need a technology fast?
Do you find yourself constantly distracted by your cell phone or other devices?
Perhaps you need to “unplug” it for a while.
Perhaps you just need to put it down on the kitchen counter or nightstand and walk away for  a while.
Cell phones have this awesome new invention called “voicemail” and it allows you to actually call someone back later (Sarcastic comment, sorry).

Is it time to unplug for a while?  You decide.
Something more to ponder today…To God be the glory!