The Original Mud Puppy

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Roaring Lambs

I’m a little behind the curve on this book, just not as much as I was on The Screwtape Letters. The author, Bob Briner, was a leading figure in professional sports management, an Emmy Award-winning television producer, and president of ProServ Television before passing away in 1999. The entire premise of Roaring Lambs can be summed up in the statement that Christians need to not only embrace the arts, but reclaim them. For far too long the church as a whole has looked at the arts and wrote them off as evil. Then complain when those same arts are corrupt.

His cure is to abandon all boycotts and petitions in favor of better offerings. Instead of complaining about the movies that Hollywood produces, encourage our young to enter the entertainment industry and make a difference. Instead of having a book burning party, encourage our young to write, and to write well.

For too long we as a church have mistakenly propped up paid ministers and missionaries as the only people that can make a difference in this world. We all have talents that can and should be used to further the message of Jesus. We need to embrace those talents as being just as important as those gifted with a calling to be a missionary.

The following is a test printed at the beginning of the book and it didn’t take long for me to realize that this book was going to be good…and that I have a lot of work to do myself.

Take the following test by answering each statement Yes or No, then check your score at the end.

1. I have attended a school board meeting within the last year.

2. I have as many close friends outside the church as within.

3. I own at least one original piece of art.

4. In the last year I have written a letter of praise to a network or sponsor of a television program.

5. I support decent movies by attending wholseome ones and avoiding unwholsome ones.

6. I consider careers in the arts, journalism, literature, film, and television to be as important for the kingdom as pastoral ministry, or foreign missions.

7. I have written at least one letter to the editor of my local newspaper in the last year.

8. I have read at least one book on the New York Times Bestseller List in the past year.

9. I am active in the civic affairs of my community.

10. I have talked with at least one non-Christian about my relationship with Christ and what it means to be His follower.

If you answered Yes to:
8-10 — A bona fide Roaring Lamb
5-7 — Watch out, they’re starting to listen
2-4 — Mouth open, no sound
0-1 — B-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a

Filed under: Art, Books, Christian Life

Matthew 5:14-15

At our Tuesday night Men’s Group the topic came up about being a lighthouse at work vs. taking a maglight and shoving it down someone’s throat. It’s really not a hard concept to embrace. In one case you draw people to you, in the other you push them away. The main thing to remember is that even though you might feel like people aren’t taking notice, there is always someone watching. I’ve been caught off guard twice this year by people at work mentioning something about my faith when I didn’t even know they knew—because I had never talked to them about it personally. The latest was this email I received from someone in another department:

Hi Russell

This is not work related but I have a question for you. Where does the church you go to have their services? I think I heard that is is your dad that is the pastor there? Is this true? The last I knew the services were being held at the Civic Auditorium in Tecumseh. Are they still there? I am interested in checking it out. I would like to bring my four year old daughter also, is there child care? I received a postcard in the mail a couple of weeks ago and I misplaced it. Was that Jason’s picture on the front? The face looked familiar :)

Please let me know times and days of services.

Thank you

You don’t have to use a bullhorn to get attention.

Filed under: Bullhorns, Christian Life, Lighthouses, Maglights

The Invite

We do make it pretty difficult on ourselves when bringing up the topic of church don’t we? This video reminded me of a book I read a few years back that really helped me in bringing up the topic of faith in everyday conversation. It should be a natural circumstance and definitely not forced.

Filed under: Christian Life

The Fellowship of the Unashamed

I am part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made—I am a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, worldly-talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean in His presence, walk by patience, am uplifted by prayer and I labor with power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, hired away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up and stayed up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus, I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know and work till He stops me. And when He comes to claim His own, He’ll have no problems recognizing me. My banner will be clear!

Filed under: Christian Life, Creeds, Inspirational, Revolution

Would You Be Missed

If your church disappeared today, completely vanished into thin air, would the community know it was gone?

I don’t know who to credit that question to. I’ve heard and read it in several different places. But the question is so riveting and so convicting. It gets to the heart of our mission as the body of Christ. We are here to infiltrate the community, to make a difference in the lives of those around us. If we are here just to scratch our own backs, what good are we?

Let’s get to work people. Let’s live in such a way that if we were to vanish people would take notice and be affected by the loss.

Filed under: Christian Life, Church, Questions

Facts of Life

The following is a quote by John Wesley (1703–1791), an 18th-century Anglican clergyman and Christian theologian who was an early leader in the Methodist movement.

Do all the good you can.
By all the means you can.
In all the ways you can.
In all the places you can.
At all the times you can.
To all the people you can.
As long as ever you can.
–John Wesley

This is a wonderful way to live your life. If everyone woke up in the morning and strived to do just this, the world would be a much better place. Problem is, this won’t always lead to happiness. People will still crap in your Cheerios. Even those same people you’ve helped. But that’s just the facts of life. People will always fail you, and you will always fail people. Just remember what you’re doing it for and keep your eye on the prize. Our ultimate goal isn’t happiness in this life, but rather Eternal Joy.

Filed under: Christian Life, John Wesley, Quotes

Sunday Comics

worshiper.gif

Chasing some rabbits on the blogosphere (a fun thing to do by the way) and ran across some great “religion” humor in a couple different locations—you’ve got to love blogs and YouTube! Anyway, how accurate do you find any of these portrayals of the American church? Off base? Dead on?

Me Church – You’ve probably seen this already, but it’s still funny.
Christ Follower 1 – Mac/PC Commercial Parody
Christ Follower 2 – Mac/PC Commercial Parody
Christ Follower 3 – Mac/PC Commercial Parody
Christ Follower 4 – Mac/PC Commercial Parody « UPDATE »

Filed under: Christian Life, Parodies, Video, YouTube

The Haggard Dilemma

Unless you’ve been living with your head in the sand, you’ve no doubt heard about Ted Haggard recently. Just last year Haggard was listed by Time magazine as one of the top 25 most influential evangelicals in America. He was lead pastor at the 14,000-member New Life Church that he started in his basement 26 years ago. He was the president of the National Association of Evangelicals and made weekly conference calls to the White House.

And now, it’s all over. He’s resigned from the NAE and on Saturday members of the board ousted Haggard, citing his “sexually immoral conduct.”

So many questions arise from this situation and very few answers come to the surface. This only goes to further prove my point that you really shouldn’t put your faith in any human. Just remember, however, that no person is perfect and without fault. While I don’t think Mr. Haggard should be leading a congregation currently, I do think he’s on the path to recovery. I think his congregation should rally behind him and support him and his family during this time. Just like Mel Gibson a few months ago, it looks like Ted can finally deal with some demons he’s been dealing with.

Read More »

Filed under: Christian Life, Ted Haggard

Better Together

Together we make a better community. In the past few months I’ve had the opportunity to see the good in people shine through when normally I’d see only the negative. I’ve been able to find things that are great in people and have seen where in my life those things were lacking. Seeing how we all fit together is a really nice way to live. Instead of focusing on each others faults, we should focus on their strengths and try to incorporate them into our own lives.

I’ve mentioned several times how much I like Erwin McManus and his church Mosaic. Here is a little blurb about how why they are called Mosaic.

We are a community of followers of Jesus Christ, committed to live by faith, to be known by love, and to be a voice of hope. The name of our community comes from the diversity of our members and from the symbolism of a broken and fragmented humanity which can become a work of beauty under the artful hands of God. We welcome people from all walks of life, regardless of where they are in their spiritual journey. Come to Mosaic, and discover how all the pieces can fit together!

Isn’t that a cool concept? Isn’t that a cool theory? To think that we are all broken shards of glass individually, but under the direction of God, we can be seen as something beautiful when we are used together… especially when light shines through us…

Filed under: Christian Life, Erwin McManus, Mosaic

God Incarnate

Last week I discussed how I believe that we need to be informed of the world around us. I was looking for the line between how little we should know and how much was too much. I determined that regardless of how much or how little we know, if we do nothing we are of no help to anyone.

Sunday Rob Bell made a similar point. First he built it up by pointing out places in scripture where God used willing bodies to effect the world. Then he started pointing out all the atrocities going on around us — the AIDS crisis, the domestic violence and hate crimes in Grand Rapids, etc. Our natural instincts in these times are to cry out to God, “Where are You?”

All the while God is crying out to us, “Where are You?”

BE THE MESSAGE

Filed under: Change, Christian Life, Rob Bell

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The Original Mud Puppy is a 36 year old Christ follower. Father of an amazing son. Husband of a woman that makes me a better person every single day. Book, music, and movie junkie. Avid runner. Part-time cook.
Two creeds that I try to live by are: Stop Existing and Start LivingLove Wins. (more...)

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