Husband, dad, pastor, artist, and musician. Time Magazine's Person of the Year in 2006 (no joke!). Loves coffee (big time), good movies, and sarcastic humor. Holds a Doctorate in Ministry. Most importantly, a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. All glory belongs to Him! Matthew 5:16
This morning I had the opportunity to meet with several other pastors from our area for a time of prayer. We met at White Oak Baptist Church where Dr. Tony Wilson is pastor.
Let me just say, it’s a great thing when pastors can get together and pray for each other, without having to worry about being jealous. Too many pastors are jealous of the ministries of their peers, but it shouldn’t be that way. We should be praying for each other and for the greater good of the Kingdom.
Picture
While we were there in the kitchen area of the church where we met to pray, I noticed several tables covered with stuffed animals and a few toys. Evidently, all of these were about to be taken to Jamaica on a mission trip.
Something about those piles of stuffed toys made me pause. I don’t know why – maybe it was all the color catching my eye – but I had to take a picture.
Once I finished editing this picture (with BeFunky), I looked at it and then realized that this was probably the saddest picture I’ve ever seen in my life! I just couldn’t figure out why.
UPDATE: I figured out why this picture makes me feel sad. The little teddy bear all alone, just tossed on a pile of other unloved toys. It’s just lying there, staring upwards with unblinking eyes, wondering where everybody has gone, unable even to right itself. Abandoned.
Good grief. I’ve got issues.
What are your thoughts? (about the picture, that is)
“Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.” – Proverbs 19:18
Mouths of Babes
Around 9 or 10 years ago, when I was vice president of a local Kiwanis Club, I would go read to young children at a Head Start day care program. These children were around 4 or 5 years of age.
One day I took my two young daughters with me. They observed the unruliness of several children in the class and later commented. Haley, who was only around 5 or 6 herself, asked, “Daddy, why won’t that teacher just spank those kids?”
“Because that’s against the law, Haley. Teachers can’t do that,” I replied.
“Well,” Haley huffed, “those children need a whipp’n, so somebody needs to change the rules!” Out of the mouths of babes, people. Out of the mouths of babes.
Chastening
I know that many of you reading this will disagree – some vehemently – but there is really only one way this verse can be interpreted – and it has nothing to do with “time outs” or being grounded. For example, consider these other verses…
“Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” – Proverbs 22:15
“The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.” – Proverbs 29:15
“If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?” – Hebrews 12:7
Spanking is something that is frowned on, if not illegal in today’s society. Child psychologists, with all their worldly wisdom (and that’s key), urge parents to never physically discipline their children. Government agencies even control parents with the threat of prosecution. But what is biblical? What is wise?
While There Is Hope
As one who works with children of all ages, I can testify that a lack of discipline is at the root of most unruly behavior. Our school systems are completely helpless in the face of youth who have no fear of punishment.
Solomon says, however, that chastening a child is one way to ensure a better future, even if the child, at the moment, cries out in protest. The great Matthew Henry said, “It is better that he should cry under thy rod than under the sword of the magistrate, or, which is more fearful, that of divine vengeance.”*
How many teens are in jail today because parents were too timid to use the “rod of correction?” How many instead have fallen under the “sword of the magistrate?”
While there is hope, learn to say “NO!” While there is still hope, take away the phone and video games. While there is still hope, take away the keys. While there is still hope, don’t buy those designer clothes. While there is still hope, don’t be afraid to chasten.
As we watch the news these days, the NIV translation of Proverbs 19:18 really hits home: “Discipline your children, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to their death.”
Be the parent and chasten when necessary – while there is still hope.
*Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), Pr 19:18.
Many there be which say of my soul, “There is no help for him in God.” Selah. – Psalm 3:2
Selah. It’s a word that instructs us to pause and consider what was just read or sung (the Psalms were actually songs). But what good is there in pausing to think about people who want to discourage us?
“There is no help for him in God.” How depressing those words are! Do they make you want to give up? Do you believe them?
Fortunately, King David, the author of most of the Psalms, did not believe what the “many” said of his soul. And neither should we, that is, if our hope Christ.
The Many
Let’s start with thinking about the “many.” Who are they? In the case of David, they were the ones who were intent on usurping his throne and replacing him with his son, Absalom. Like modern propagandists they tried to weaken King David’s resolve by removing all hope in his Rescuer and Deliverer. They struck at the very core of who he was by attacking his faith in the very God who promised “thy throne shall be established for ever” (2 Samuel 7:16).
Who are the “many” in our lives? Jesus spoke of them as men who love darkness rather than light (John 3:19) and the “praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:43). Paul describes them in Romans chapter 1 as those who suppress the truth by their wickedness (18), refusing even to retain the knowledge of God in their minds (28).
So, the ones who say that God will not help are the very same ones who refuse to know nothing about God. Think about that one for a moment! What do they know??
The Help
David was not about to lose hope in his God. In a later Psalm we read : “My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2). Who were they, those who refused to know God, to tell David the One who made heaven and earth…the One who promised to establish his throne forever…the one who delivered him from the lion, the bear, and the Giant…was unfaithful?
David had seen the mighty Hand of God in action. He has been witness to His deliverance and protection too many times before. That is why in the very next verse he could proclaim with confidence in the face of those who would discourage him:
But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. – Psalm 3:3
Just Wait
There may be people who say the very same things to you that they said to David as he hid for his life in the caves. They mock your faith and hope as you huddle in the dark, waiting for deliverance. But just hold on, believer! His promises are true! You’ve seen the way He works, and He’s not done, yet!
The “many” have no clue what they’re talking about; they can’t see your soul and they don’t know your God. So, just wait on Him, and you’ll never be ashamed (Psalm 25:3a)!
Yes, happy Birthday to my middle daughter, Katie Marie! She has been two decades in this world.
20 years ago I witnessed firsthand the miracle of birth. I did not get sick, or faint, or anything like that. Actually, I held it all together, along with a 35mm camera and an 8mm handheld Sony video recorder (at least I think that’s what I used). I would describe some other things I had to do, but that’s another story entirely.
My wife was wonderful through the whole process of Katie’s birth, never once insinuating anything negative regarding the marital status of my parents at the time of my birth. All she did was scream, sweat, and puuuuuuuush. I know, because I told her to. And then out came the perpetual smiler.
It was Katie’s day of birth, and I remember it well…at least the parts my mind has not blocked.
Katie with nephewdog Henry
Happy Reminder Day!
Katie’s 20th birthday is also a day to be reminded how old I am getting (just me; my wife doesn’t age). Twenty years ago I was in my late 20’s and had just gotten my first non-bag cell phone (an Erickson flip phone). I could touch my toes with ease, wear smaller sizes of pants, and brush my hair. Now the only hair I brush is on my face and coming out my ears.
The fact that my little baby girl is now 20 is also a horrible reminder of how fast time passes by. It seems just yesterday she was crawling around in a diaper, carrying her bottle around in her mouth as her tiny teeth were latched on to the nipple, looking like a deformed white baby elephant. Her favorite word was “ball,” and as she learned to sing, the word “milk” got inserted at random into every song: “Jesus loves me…milk…this I know, for the Bible…milk…”
College girl selfie.
Now Katie is a beautiful young woman who drinks from a straw and rarely crawls around on the floor. These days she looks nothing like a baby elephant, but more like sunshine that blinks. She sings all the time now, too – without mentioning milk. And, fortunately, she changes her own… she dresses herself.
How we see ourselves is critical to endurance, isn’t it?
Myself, well, I battle with self-esteem ALL the time. Does that come as a shock to you? It shouldn’t. I’m only human. You see, it’s difficult to view myself as successful, much less a “godly” pastor when standing in the light of men whose congregations run in the hundreds, if not thousands, whose ministries see scores of people regularly coming to Christ, and whose lives are more like Billy Graham while mine often crumbles like a graham cracker.
Like Moses as he stood before the burning bush in Exodus 3:11, I often ask, “Who am I, God?” Compared to those men with huge ministries, those phenomenal leaders who grace our Christian bookstore shelves, or even the pastor down the road with cooler clothes, I seem small, ineffective, impotent, and of little worth.
However, if I would stop standing in the shadow of other men, and stand in the light of Jesus, things would be MUCH different!
Gracious Light
Sure, I am small and weak in the light of His glory, but in my weakness I am made strong, not patronized. When I stand in His light my frailties, my sin, my worries, my brokenness are made painfully evident…but so is HIS GRACE!
When I compare myself to other people, all I see failure. But, when I compare myself to Jesus Christ, I can recognize my utter inabilities and at the same time find in Him the strength and grace to be all HE wants me to be! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!
As we follow Jesus Christ we are promised to be conformed to His likeness, not men. Should we conform to the likeness of others we view as more successful than ourselves, then we will truly fail.
Endurance is available for those who run their own race, not the race of others.
There has been so much hate and violence directed toward our police these days. So much so that recently I felt compelled to do more than just talk about it – I joined up.
No, I am not a policeman, per se, but I have become a police chaplain. Sitting idly by while people condemned the men and women I know who are honorable, self-sacrificing, and brave was no longer an option. More had to be done besides posting memes on Facebook.
One of the things I am expected to do as a chaplain is write for the Roll Call, a newsletter published by our Sheriff’s Office. I was featured in this month’s edition in what is called the Chaplain’s Corner. The text of the article is below, but you can view the original newsletter by clicking HERE or on the picture.
On the Verge?
Have you come to the point where you want to give up? Seriously, where are you in your career, your marriage, your friendships, even your faith? Are you tired? Exhausted with all the blood, sweat and tears? Admit it, guys, if life doesn’t wear you down to the point of exhaustion, trying to help those who don’t want to be helped will. There are times when, after all you’ve done, you wonder, “Is it really worth it?”
Yes! Yes it is!
Over nearly 30 years of ministry, and in the last few years, especially, there have been numerous times when I’ve done all I could do to help someone, only to get burned and burnt out. And what’s worse, even when I did everything right, I was the one who got hurt. Believe me, I get where you’re coming from. But so did the Apostle Paul.
Speaking to folks in a place called Galatia (Galatians 6:1- 10), Paul encouraged helping those who’d gotten into trouble. He said they should “do good unto all men…bear one another’s burdens,” etc. But he also said, “Let us not grow weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Gal. 6:9).
Faint? Did he say faint? Officers of the law certainly do “good,” that’s for sure. They help others, bear burdens, and carry more than their own share of the load. But police officers never faint! Or do they?
The Greek word translated as faint in the Authorized Version of Galatians 6:9 is actually a word which has the idea of being totally spent and wasted away. It’s sort of like if all your strength and emotions were held inside of you, but then “loosed,” like out of jail. Gone…done…spent.
So, yes, there will come a time, when in the process of just doing our jobs, we will feel like quitting, like throwing in the towel just before the buzzer. We will find ourselves with little or no emotional reserve, ready to “faint.” But THAT is the time we should NOT give up! That is the time to lean on others and press on!
Remember, in “due season” we will reap what we sow, so keep plowing ahead; harvest will come.
– Chaplain Anthony Baker
Do Something
So, what can you do? If you are a pastor, why not consider becoming a police chaplain? There’s always a need.
But if all you can do is write, talk to others, or simply pray…do something! There are bad apples in every bunch, but those who “serve and protect” need to be served and protected, too.
Today is Super Tuesday, the day when people in 13 states go to the polls to cast their ballot for the person they think should serve as their party’s nominee for President.
Unfortunately, many are not going to cast their vote based on principle or for conscience sake. No, many are going to the primary polls with a resigned sense of pragmatic inevitability. They are going to vote for the one they think is going to have the best chance of winning.
But why? Why not use the primary election to vote your conscience? Why not take this time to vote based on principle? Why not go ahead and vote for the one you REALLY want to be President, not the one everyone says in “inevitable”? If he’s inevitable, voting on principle won’t change things, but at least you’ll have a clean conscience.
When the general election rolls around, that’s when you can be pragmatic, if necessary. You will have already voted with your heart, then you’ll be able to vote with your mind. With only two choices, one has to be better than the other in some way, so think what’s best for the country and vote accordingly.
But for today, vote for who you really want. Who knows? Others may feel the same way.
Smokers have long depended on those short breaks during which they light up and take a few puffs. Employers, if not smokers themselves, allow these little pauses in productivity for the purpose of worker morale, if nothing else.
“Smoke breaks” are the envy of the non-smoking, pink-lunged, over-worked world. Who else gets assigned special sections to indulge in expensive, unhealthy habits? Who else gets to arbitrarily select a time in which everything will come to a halt while one gets to relax and calm one’s nerves?
Well, I need a “writing break.” The only problem is that I’m not at home by my computer; I’m sitting on an empty school bus waiting for my next load of crumb crunchers to be released from their government mandated confinement. What to do?
I will write a post on my iPhone! I will write an iPost!
As a matter of fact, I think I’m going to start something new…I’m going to start posting short, non-graphically-enhanced, simply-fonted “iPosts.” When I can’t sit down to a computer, and when the thought is not so profound that it needs a lot of explanation or bullet points, I will simply “iPost.”
This is the first one.
Because I needed to write.
And too much about politics has been written already.
The following took place 5 years ago in February, 2011. A lot has happened since then, but I’m still a “recovering” legalist – I still mess up from time to time.
NOTE: I updated the link to the music video. If you couldn’t watch it before, try again. Oh, and seriously, you should be shouting at the end of it 🙂
The Story
For the last several weeks we have been going out to get some food after evening services. If you don’t know what I am talking about, let me explain:
Getting Food = going to a restaurant that sells stuff you could make at home for a lot less money, but tastes better and is more fun when you pay for it in the company of others.
Evening Services = gathering of believers at a local church that still takes place on Sunday nights, while most people stay home, in order to give the pastor something to do.
Image by inju via Flickr
Last night, after a great time of worship and hearing from God’s Word, my wife, our girls, our youth director, and I went to Cracker Barrel. When we pulled in, I noticed a really sweet Prevost tour bus sitting in the lot. I said to my wife, Valerie, “Now that has got to be a group, or a band, or something, because it takes somebody serious to keep one of those things on the road.”
We gently maneuver our tired, aged frames (we’re getting old in our 40’s) out of the car and walk toward the entrance. As we walk across the front of Cracker Barrel, where all the rocking chairs are, my wife and I notice some interesting young men dressed in black. One of them had a black hat and a hairstyle that would make more than a few grannies say, “What died on your head, sonny?”
Myself? Well I am in a suit and tie. My wife? She is wearing a dress. WE are the “Reverend and Mrs. Baker,” you know. WE know how to dress on Sunday, unlike these guys. So, my wife walks past them first and gives them a forced, but gentle smile. Next, I walk by, thinking to myself, “These are definitely musicians…yep…the hair gives it away…they’re the Prevost riders.” I nod and smile.
Once inside the Cracker Barrel, my conscience started to bother me. Something wasn’t right. I have been around long enough to recognize when the Holy Spirit says, “Hey, I bear witness that those weird-looking guys out there are part of the Family.” That is when I come up with a brilliant, self-covering plan – send Katie, our 15 year old, out to see who they are.
I only had an old iPhone. And it was dark.
“Katie,” I say, “go out there and ask those guys on the porch who they are or what band they’re with.” Fortunately, and I knew this, there were others outside beside the “men in black,” so don’t think I sent my little girl out to talk to strangers, alone. She talked to strangers with other strangers there to help.
A few minutes later, Katie comes back in with the biggest smile on her face, beaming with a glow that could blind a man in sunglasses, saying, “They are Building 429!!”
Now here’s the point of all this. Here I am, someone who preaches against unrighteously judging others, especially Christians who look different (what’s normal?). What do I do? I walk right by a group of guys and assume, wrongfully, that evidently, just because they were not in suits on a Sunday night, they were a group of heathen beatniks heading to/from Nashville. I messed up.
An Official Apology
Sorry, guys, for doing the very thing I hate seeing other people do. This is why I call myself a “recovering legalist.” Sometimes I fail. Last night I failed in a bad way. Up until last night, I had never even seen you before to recognize you in person. All I know is that the song you recorded, “Always,” is one of my favorite…I’ve shed more than a few tears while listening to it. Please forgive my wife and I for acting like a couple of snobby, self-righteous, judgmental legalists. If I’m fortunate, maybe God will give this preacher some hair like yours, someday.
May God bless you and your ministry. He WILL be with you always.
Selah. It’s a word that instructs us to pause and consider what was just read or sung (the Psalms were actually songs). But what good is there in pausing to think about people who want to discourage us?
Word of advice… Never drink from an elementary school water fountain.
The Recovering Legalist 