Presby-Musings

I was six years old when I said the “Sinner’s Prayer” and became what some people might call a Christian. I remember that it was on a Sunday night after we’d returned home from church. I’d just heard for what was probably the hundredth time that unless I asked Jesus “to come into my heart” that I was destined to burn for all eternity in a lake of fire. I always tried to imagine what a lake of fire looked like exactly. It was difficult, because the only experience I’d ever had with lakes was to swim in them. I couldn’t figure out how in the world I would ever be able to swim in a lake of fire without getting burned to a crisp. Someone had told me that it wasn’t actually me that would be burning, but my immortal soul---forever and ever. This is just an aside, but isn’t that a wonderful thing to share with a kid? I wasn’t allowed to watch “Creature Feature,” a program that aired old 1930’s and 40’s horror movies like “The Wolfman,” and “Abbot and Costello Meet Dracula.” I guess ...

The picture you see to your right was taken by me whilst sitting on the balcony of the 1st Baptist Church of Orlando.  I was sitting with a group from my church who had journeyed together to see FBCO's spectacular "Singing Christmas Tree" concert.  If you look closely you can see the words "Imagine" projected on to the massive curtains on the stage.  That was the theme for the show..."Imagine."  Before I go any further, I have to say that I enjoyed parts of the show. But here's the thing...  the fact that I could leave FBCO and say, "Man, I enjoyed the show," was a bit disconcerting.  I mean...it's a church, right?  Ah well, maybe I am just being a theological elitist.  What's a few dance numbers among believers, right?   I have to tell you, the show was professional.  It had dancers, singers, elaborate sets, props, and costumes---not to mention purloined Broadway tunes (they used a song from the original Willy Wonka movie).  M...

T his is a picture of James and I that was taken by my wife. She insisted on taking it. We are standing in the library of my 125 year-old church--a library that also doubles as a huge reception/fellowship space. When this picture was taken, my church had just held its annual Christmas concert, which is only the biggest event of our entire year. We had over 530 gaily dressed folk at the concert, which was a record, apparently. There was a huge reception after the concert with four long tables filled with food, cookies, pastries, goodies, punch, eggnog and other assorted holiday fare.   James had been standing outside the library door, afraid to come inside and wanting to talk to me. Quite a few folks ignored him or walked around him until someone came inside and told me he wanted to see me. Here's the thing, James is a homeless man, who lives on the screened-in porch next to my office. The reason he is living on my office porch is complicated and almost entirely Mark's fault....

The day after the winter meeting of the Central Florida Presbytery, the aspect of the Presbyterian Church (USA) of which I happen to be a member, I find myself a bit more sober than usual, and a bit conflicted. Honestly, I am not surprised that my presbytery voted to uphold the current language in our constitution, the Book of Order, which ostensibly prohibits homosexuals (and a few other folk, as well) from ordination as a deacon, elder or minister of the Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA).  My presbytery has overwhelmingly voted down similar attempts to change the ordination standards over the past few years, and the margin has not changed a great deal.   While I did not expect the outcome of the vote to be any different than in the past, I did expect some dialogue and a bit more debate.  Apparently, the presbytery staff anticipated that there would be as well.  There were three microphones set up in the meeting space.  The "blue" microphone was for thos...

This Sunday is the first Sunday in the season of Advent. Advent means “expectation.” For many this marks the beginning of the Church calendar, the beginning of our shared story as Christians. I was reading an article by Conrad Hoover on Advent, and he wrote that for the Church, “the new year is not marked by drunken and numbing merrymaking on December 31, but rather by joyful anticipation and urgent exhortation to stay awake and be watchful on the 1st Sunday of Advent.” But if those of us who call ourselves Christians should be waiting in expectation during the season of Advent, what are we expecting? If we are called to be awake and watchful on the 1st Sunday of Advent, what is it that we hope to see or experience? My guess is that for most Christians we would offer up some sort of Sunday school, saccharine-sweet response like, “We’re expecting the birth of Jesus, the coming of the Prince of Peace, the arrival of the Messiah.” Most of us who call ourselves Christians will say t...

So yesterday I turned 40, and I don't feel much different than I did the day before when I was 39. I shouldn't be surprised by this, but I remember thinking when I was 20 that 40 seemed pretty old. It doesn't seem that old now. Some older friends have informed that they can't even remember what it felt like to be 40. I suppose these kinds of comments are designed to make me feel better about reaching middle-age, or something, but I really don't need any bucking up. Right this second, I am sitting on the back porch of my in-laws house in North Carolina. The sun is shining in my face and it 's perfect. I spent the day yesterday with my family, laughing, eating barbeque, sharing stories, playing golf with my four year old son, resting, reading, drinking coffee, walking the dog, breathing in the crisp mountain air...it was a good day. Today is Thanksgiving. The big house where my inlaws live in North Carolina is coming to life. The Macy's Thanksgiving Parade...

When I was growing up, the conservative, evangelical churches that we attended all had this thing about “tithing.” Apparently, as near as I could gather, Tithing was inexplicably connected to Salvation in the churches of my childhood. If you were among the saved, you tithed. If you were bound for an eternity doing laps in the Lake of Fire, you didn’t tithe. And tithing meant giving 10 per cent of your income, more or less. The ten per cent thing was a doctrine that appeared to be connected to the Old Testament and to stoning. I grew up believing that if I didn’t give God ten cents on every dollar from my allowance, I ran the risk of being taken out behind the church to be stoned, and then I would go to Hell.   After awhile, I figured out that no one in church ever really got stoned for not tithing. I also realized that there were other signs that indicated someone was a Christian---like showing love, acting with mercy, sharing grace, and not telling people they weren’t saved ...