Monday morning
scatter shooting while wondering whose cruel idea it was to
put but an S in the word LISP.
I was working on a lesson about John the
Baptist last week when I noticed a practical lesson. In Matthew 11, John sends his disciple to
Jesus because he having his doubt if Jesus is really the Christ. Jesus answers John’s doubt by citing his
miracles and ministry and encourages him to not to stumble. Then right after that he does something we
might not expect. He tells the crowds
about how great John is. He praises him
about as highly as you can praise someone.
I thought about how I might have reacted. Someone comes to me and questions my work, I’d
defend myself but I don’t know if I would be so quick to build that person up
to others. Jesus knows better. People that are having questions of faith are
the ones that need to be built up. A
word of praise can be a great encouragement to one than is wondering if their
faith is worth it. Notice however, he doesn't speak to those that are going to John but to the crowds but I bet they
overheard it. Ever notice how people
will believe what they overhear more than what is said to them directly. If somebody overhears you talking about them, wouldn't it be better if you are praising them than passing on their weakness.
Last week there was a program on the
television you might have heard about called the Super Bowl. Apparently it is pretty popular. Every year I can’t believe all the hype and
circus that surrounds it. I am football
fan so I still get sucked into it, but I wondering how much longer I going to
be able to watch it. It not the game as
much as it is everything else associated with it. The half time shows that’s should be called
the half-dressed shows. The commercials
that seem to push the limits of decency further each year. The foul language of the players and coaches
that gets picked up by the on field mikes and extreme close-ups. The Super Bowl is moving into the dark and I
am not talking about the start time. I
wondering, like the song writer says, “if it’s getting dark, too dark to see”
I love technology, (Now I love you more
than technology, but I still love technology)* but I am wondering how big of an
effect it is having on worship. In a
world that is very image driven and has a rapidly shrinking attention span, I
think we should use every tool we can to help people to get the gospel. That being said, I wonder if it is making us
a little too audience oriented. Are we
so self-absorbed, we can’t focus on God and his word if all our senses are not
being bombarded? If light shows, raised stages and comfortable stadium seating and
all entertainment, all the time is the solution, don’t we have a much bigger
problem on our hands? Heaven help us if
we aren’t entertained. [Let me plankspeck
here! I can’t go thru any time slump anymore without pulling out my smart
phone. The meal order is taking a few minutes to long, better whip out the
phone and play Angry Birds; lull in the group conversation, might as well check
Facebook. I hate myself!] I am starting
to think our technology isn’t as great as we once thought it might be. I read a book called The
Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and
Jeopardizes Our Future that talks about this. Worth a look if this subject
interests you.
Finally, a young preacher was waiting at
the back after his sermon to greet the brethren. As people filled by they said hello and a few
offered him so generic words of praise for his lesson. Just then a little old widow lady came up to
him and patted him on the hands and told him, “That was a warm lesson”. He
smiled and thanked her for her compliment saying “that is certainly a nice and
interesting thing to say.” The rest of the week he thought about that comment
and it would bring pep to his day. That was until later in the week he pulled
out his dictionary to look up a word and happened on the definition of warm. It
read, WARM (wôrm) adj. NOT SO HOT.
*{anyone
that gets that reference, I salute you}.
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