Would you attend a Baptist convention?

Monday and Tuesday of this week I attended the BGCT’s Annual Meeting. For preachers, conventions are a great opportunity to see friends, hear some good sermons, and do some networking. They are also a great time for all of us to hear from the various ministries that our offerings support. I can assure you that Texas Baptists are doing lots of good in the state of Texas and beyond. Today, I’m headed to Waco to participate in one of those things, the Texas Hunger Initiative, which is an attempt to make Texas food sufficient by 2015. San Angelo is one of the pilot cities for this initiative.

For all the good things the BGCT facilitates, there are concerns about the future of the convention. The reasons for this are many but one of the concerns that keeps popping up is the lack of attendance at the annual meeting. Now, over two thousand people attended this week (just under 1500 messengers and over 600 guests). That’s not a small number for a mid-week meeting in the fall, but it used to be much higher (say, around 5000). Of course, the most attended meetings were during the height of controversy. I don’t know about you but I’d rather have small numbers and peace than high numbers and fruitless controversy.

That being said, it is good to ask, “What could we do to involve more people in the process?” This year the question was asked in a formal way. A committee will spend next year attempting to discern if a different format or time table would encourage more attendance in the future. Praise the Lord I’m not on that committee. But I am asking you – not just what would it take to get you to come to a convention meeting – but rather, is there any religious meeting you would take days off to attend and if so, what kind? Examples include but aren’t limited to content based meetings like marriage enrichment meetings, mission trips, conventions, etc. If you would attend such a meeting what time of year would be best? Pass your answers on to me and I’ll pass the thoughts on to those in charge. Thanks for the help!

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ – Ephesians 1:3.

Our lives our not lived in vain

Like many of you, I’ve spent a lot of time this last week thinking about the tragedy at Ft. Hood. To think about the families who are now grieving the loss of a son or daughter or a mom or dad is enough to cause any of us to experience all manner of emotions – anger, sadness, fear. To think of the lives that these men and women had built, the plans they had formed, the dreams they still held onto that very morning – all gone in a moment – it can lead you to despair. Does God love us? Is he really in control or will evil simply have its way forever? Is there any reason to try and do good in this world around us?

In a very strange way, the tragedy itself, or rather the response to the tragedy, reminds us that evil has not yet won the day. That we get angry at such events (and many other smaller incarnations of evil as well) reminds us that there is something deep inside of us that recognizes that the world was not meant to be this way. The great Desmond Tutu, who has witnessed his share of evil, once wrote, “It is only because we believe people should be good that we despair when they are not. Indeed, if people condoned the evil, we would be justified in losing hope. But most of the world does not. We know that we are meant for better.” We were meant for better, indeed!

The Bible tells us that we were meant for God and for one another - that our lives were meant to bring glory to our creator and to bless our neighbor. Our efforts to do so, however, so often seem in vain. Our small acts of faithfulness or mercy seem to be a drop in the bucket compared to the selfish bullying that happens around us. My guess is the world has always seemed that way. Until that one day, when the world awoke to find an instance in which the darkness could not shut out the light. Until that one morning when the executioner’s work failed to keep righteousness at bay. Until that day when God raised Jesus from the dead. And that “better” that we were meant for was put on display for all to see.

The Bible describes this cataclysmic event as an advanced sign of what God is doing in the world. Paul calls Jesus the firstborn from the dead meaning that someday, we too shall follow in his footsteps. Those who are in Christ shall be raised! No matter what tragedies may have happened in our lives, no matter what evil has seemed to have prevailed, we shall live! And none this “sitting in the clouds playing harps” kind of life that you see on TV, that may make for good commercials but it’s not what the Bible talks about when it talks about eternal life. No when the Bible says, we shall live again, that’s what it means. We shall live, physical (though radically transformed!) lives. Evil will be undone and by the same power that God raised Jesus from the dead, he will make a new heaven and a new earth and the world will be as we have always known deep down that it should be.

This is our gospel hope. And far from escapism, the gospel calls us to persevere in goodness today. For we trust that one day evil will be a thing of the past, but goodness and mercy and love will have prevailed in Christ. This is why Paul, after expounding on our future resurrections, told a beleaguered and persecuted group of believers, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

I need you!

Bedtimes at the Sandlin household have become quite difficult these days. John Curtis just doesn’t want to go to bed. Oh, he’ll sit in the bed, but every five minutes he’ll cry out, “Dadda, I need you!” Actually, he’s not so good with ‘y’ sounds, yet, so it really sounds more like, “I need ‘ou!” Now, by 8 or 9 o’clock at night, all I really want to do is sit in my recliner and watch TV or read a good book. My idea of a relaxing evening doesn’t include bouncing up to answer an endless round of requests So usually, before I get up, I’ll shout back to his room, “What do you need?” Sometimes he needs that classic drink of water. Sometimes he needs to go potty – this is almost always a good way to call Dad’s bluff for I have been badly burned for refusing to meet this request on occasion. Sometimes he wants me to get him a special toy.

But most often, his reply to my question, “What do you need?” is to repeat his initial request, “I need ‘ou!” Truthfully, this is what he has wanted all along. He doesn’t care about the water or usually even going to the potty, he’s just not ready to be alone. He wants me. He wants my presence. John Curtis likes company, especially if that company is Mom or Dad. I’ll admit, “I need ‘ou” is a pretty difficult request to turn down. I know, someday soon, he won’t need me anymore – or at least won’t request my presence as often.

Often I feel a lot like that Dad in Jesus' parable that even though he’s a sinner knows how to give good gifts to his kids – the best gift being the gift of being present. Very often, as I sit next to my son in the quiet of the night, my heart turns away from whatever I’m missing on TV to the God who loves us both. I find myself grateful for a heavenly Father who’s never too lazy or too preoccupied to answer his children’s most basic prayer, “I need you.”

The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. – Psalm 145:18

When knowledge doesn't equal wisdom

Have you seen the commercials for one of the new search engines available on the internet? There’s a whole series of them, and each address the problem of information overload in this information age. In one, a wife asks her husband if he’s booked the tickets to Hawaii yet. Instead of answering her, he begins rattling off useless trivia about our fiftieth state. It’s a funny commercial. You can watch it here. It’s also reality. Who of us hasn’t attempted to find some bit of information only to be buried by the torrent of data available online?

When the Bible speaks of knowledge, it almost always connects it to wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge to righteous living. Every generation needs wisdom, but perhaps none so much as ours. How do we sort through the mountains of different opinions, the oceans of data, and the unending streams of new information in order to make our way wisely in this world?

Better search engines may help, but they’re hardly the final answer. What we need is perspective. What we need is a little distance – so that we might see the forest for all the trees. Of course, confined to our own little perches, we have trouble getting high enough to get such a glimpse. And then we remember, there is one who stands above it all. One who knows all things. While we may never fully gain his perspective, he does invite us into his presence, which just might make all the difference.

The trouble is, we hardly take our eyes off our screens long enough to look up and look for him. Fasting has often been a way people connect with God’s presence. This usually involves the giving up of something valuable in order to seek something even more worthwhile – like the giving up of food in order to use the time normally set aside for eating for seeking God’s presence in prayer. New technologies might demand new fasts. What would it look like to unplug for a day? What if during that day, every time you felt the urge to check for messages you stopped and said a prayer?

You might experience a little information withdrawal. You might miss some piece of news others receive. And you might, just might, find a little wisdom instead.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding – Proverbs 9:10.

Just One

Mr. Sandlin goes to Washington

Today is a pretty special day for the Sandlin clan. My dad, Rick, will be speaking before the United States Congress sometime around 10am (Washington time). He will be speaking to the Research & Science Education Subcommittee about the elementary school he principals in Texarkana, Morriss Elementary. The school emphasizes math and science education through their curriculum, through regular encounters with engineers, and with hands on experiences. On campus the school has a windmill (from San Angelo!), solar panels, high powered telescopes, and much more.

Needless to say, my dad is a little nervous. Last week he had to turn in 55 copies of his testimony. He’s been given strict instructions regarding his allotted time, who can attend with him, etc. If you’ve ever been to D.C., it’s a city that’s build to be impressive. You can get a little nervous just visiting the Capital. Sitting in its halls answering questions fielded by congressmen has to be somewhat intimidating. My guess, though, is that they’ll go easier on my dad than they did on Roger Clemens! Nevertheless, I’m pretty sure my dad will be glad when this is all over.

For as excited as we all are, it’s pretty easy to keep this all in perspective. My family has been walking the halls of power for a long time. Oh, not the halls of D.C. That will be a first for us. But I’ve watched my father (and my mother) enter the halls of the Almighty all my life. They have come before his throne of grace in prayer. They have entered his courts with praise and worship. They have walked with him in obedience and faith. They were the first to help me realize I had an audience with the King, as well.

The great truth of the gospel this morning is that you do, too. You may be ignored by the power brokers of our land, the kings of our day. But the King of Kings and Lord of Lords has extended an open invitation to you (one without time limits!). The question remains, though, will you take him up on his invitation?

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need – Hebrews 4:16.

When answers aren't what we need

Almost all of us at one time or another have gone to the Lord in prayer asking for guidance in some upcoming decision. Lord, is this the person I’m supposed to marry? Lord, should I move my family across the country and take this job? Lord, should I stay home and care for our parents or should we put them in the nursing home? And when I say we’re looking for guidance what I mean is that usually we’re looking for answers. We want God to tell us in ways that we can clearly understand “Yes” or “No.” Often, not always, but often, we leave such prayers as frustrated as when we started for God doesn’t show up in burning bushes nearly as often as we’d like (I can only remember one instance in all of history. And Moses hadn’t asked God anything. God just showed up.)

When I read the New Testament, I become even more frustrated. I realize that Jesus wasn’t that good at answering questions either. Half the time when somebody asks Jesus a question he asks them one right back (see Luke 10:25-26; 20:20-24). On many of the other occasions Jesus’ answer seems to go in a totally different direction. Someone asks him to settle a dispute and Jesus tells them to watch out for greed (Luke 12:13-21). Another asks Jesus about the cause of a tragedy and Jesus tells the questioner to repent (Luke 13:1-5). Throughout the pages of the Bible it becomes apparent that answering all of our questions isn’t one of God’s main goals in this life.

Does this make God cruel? That’s one way to interpret it. As a believer, though, I trust that God cares for me. If he doesn’t give me an answer to my questions, then there must be a reason (and a reason rooted in his love for me). I think of my own children. Do I always answer all of their questions? No. Some I don’t answer because I don’t know the answer – this obviously doesn’t apply to God who knows all things. Other times, though, I refuse to answer a question because I know refusing to give them an answer is for their benefit. Take for example, Sophie’s homework. She’s just in kindergarten, so I still know all the answers to what she’s working on. But does it help her if I just fill in the blanks for her? Of course, not. Part of growing wise is learning how to figure things out on her own. I don’t abandon her. I’m there to encourage, to provide her with resources, to make sure she has help when she needs it. But ultimately, for her to grow in wisdom, she must make decisions on her own.

Perhaps, this is one of the reasons God doesn't always answer our questions. He gives us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3-4). Sometimes that includes the answers to our questions, sometimes not. Because the truth is, God wants us to possess more than the answers to our questions. He wants us to be wise children who know how to discern his will and not simply copy down the answers from some heavenly cheat sheet. He wants us to grow up to be like him. While we might not like this arrangement, I hope we trust that it is for our ultimate good.

Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold,
For wisdom is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire can compare with her – Proverbs 8:10-11.